Hot, hot, hot in the West Country !

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It’s been the most beautiful day here today, just what i like, clear blue skies and bright warm sun.
I feel the cold quite a lot and hate cold weather so this heat suits me down to the ground.
In the front garden it reached 40 degrees …. this garden has 2 walls sheltering it and it faces south.
The back is usually a good 10 degrees cooler …. this also faces south but has no shelter and is hit by the south westerlies because there aren’t very many buildings between me and the gusts !

I’d achieved everything i wanted to do in the garden by 10.00am (i’m very much a morning person!) which was to cut and edge front and back lawns, weed all the borders and cut back a Hypericum in the front garden.
This meant that i could then either do housework or lounge around outside!
Actually, i did a bit of both !!!

Both the Ceanothus (Concha in the back) and the Escallonia (Crimson Spire in the front) were absolutely alive with bees, each year those two bushes positively hum with excitement for several weeks of the year!!!

The hardy Nemesia (Confetti) smelt good enough to eat in the sunny front border and with the Aquilegia (Clementine Rose) it looked a picture.

Iris Orinoco Flow is unfurling (in the back) and i’ll photograph it tomorrow to show its gorgeousness !!!

Just after lunch i could have done without the ensuing excitement of my very timid small black cat called Millie catching a ….. mouse.
This is something of a very big deal here because in all her 6 1/2 years (and without teeth from 6 months!) she has never ever done anything other than been a spectator in the field !!!
Birds …. inches from her, frogs ….. inches from her and she’s never once has she made a move until today.
I now fully understand the anguish my friend Grace goes through on a daily basis, when her little cat Meg brings her gift after scuttling gift, as myself and partner vainly tried to capture this tiny marathon runner.
It ended in tears.
Mine.
As in my attempt to catch it i killed it, i cannot think how but i felt wretched about it for ages after.
I am hoping that Milly doesn’t see another plaything again because i’m not used to this and can’t cope with another death on my hands!

So …. after a lovely day i’ll now go and relax with a glass of something cool and look forward to a trip tomorrow to a local garden centre with Grace.

This picture shows the Nemesia, dominating the picture !

(As i write this now i can feel my poor sunburnt face glowing, so too my chest and oh my poor sunburnt knees …. carpet burnt too from crawling around on the floor after that b***** mouse).

• 24 May, 2009
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