Tuesday 28 August 2012

Garden and General Update

Had a few days away the week before last - consequently it took a week to catch up on work, the garden, life ... time just flashes by and it is so frustrating not to have enough of it to dedicate to a good writing session.  On a positive note, I have come up with a couple of ideas - one for fiction, one for non-fiction.  I had a couple of hours on the novel, bashed out 5000 words quite easily, typed up some thoughts for the next chapter as well.  So - #amwriting :)

 An update on the solitary bee situation, as a couple of people have been interested.   


No - this isn't exactly the same picture as last time :)  Two bees continued working on it up until the weekend and I would say this is the end product.  I particularly like the pink rose petals which were used in a couple of the holes!  Next step is for us to find some chicken wire and loosely cover the front - birds have been trying to eat the contents :(  But the canes go back a good few inches so most of the eggs are safe.

The garden is turning now, Autumn is definitely in the air and the perennials aren't going to carry on for much longer.  The hemp agrimony and purple loosestrife below - both in or near the pond, have been really popular with honey bees, a couple of red admiral butterflies and hoverflies.


But it's the unexpected things I like best - plants that have self-seeded or just popped up out of nowhere.  Like the borage and chicory below, both plants really attractive to bees and hoverflies.  And both edible I believe but I haven't felt inclined to try them.  

Borage

Chicory

Over the Bank Holiday weekend 'd hoped to finish reading the novel I'd started on while I was away, but it didn't happen.  I love sitting in the garden reading, but it rained sporadically yesterday and was also too windyoutdoors.  I'm in the middle of 'Deep Storm' by Lincoln Child.  I took that, and 'Thunderhead' by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, to Guernsey with me.  I read Thunderhead in two days.  I'd forgotten what great writers Child and Preston are - read 'The Cabinet of Curiosities' a while ago which was amazing.  But Thunderhead was in another league.  I don't know if it was just because I was on holiday, or because I hadn't read a whole book for over a year while I'd been writing my own, but it was brilliant.  Mesa Verde and the surrounding area was so well described, together with the American Indian customs, that I know I would love to go to Mesa Verde one day and see those cliff dwellings.  How frustrating it was to be without internet access - I was itching to look at images, wiki and youtube about the area.  It made me realise how important the computer - blogging, social networking, researching etc. has become in my life - and I mustn't take it for granted.

A final picture of the garden taken at dusk this evening from upstairs - a bit blurred, but the colours always look clearer when it isn't taken in sunlight.


4 comments:

  1. Your garden looks great. Better than mine which has gone a bit straggly now. You have inspired me to get a bee house next year - have lots of bee friendly plants.

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  2. Hi Simon :) I'm pleased with the bee house - when our friend gave it to us, I wondered whether we would use it. I think they're quite expensive in most shops, but I noticed that Lidl was selling some quite cheaply.

    Yes, straggly is probably the right word for our garden - especially after today - the weather has been horrendous!

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  3. Very nice blog...now following your blog and am a new Twitter follower.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Blog

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Elizabeth :) I will reciprocate and look forward to reading. Best wishes.

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