It has been really cold for the last month but there is meant to be an Indian Summer for at least the next week, hopefully longer. We didn't think we would be sitting out on the patio again this year but as usual, Mother Nature dictates and we are left surprised.
What is no surprise is that Georgia Rose was up to no good yesterday when she was on a walk and got herself stung several times on the face by wasps. She has to sniff everything and chase anything that moves. She was already stung on the lip by a bee a couple of months ago. Does she ever learn? Obviously not, and this is the result:
Compare that to what she looks like normally:
We took her to the vet straight away and she was given antihistamines, which has luckily helped to reduce the swelling overnight. For a while there, I thought my miniature dachshund was turning into a bassett hound.
Even though we've had to compost a lot of the summer bedding plants that were turning brown, there have been some surprise performers in the garden.
To my delight, these foxgloves (they normally finish flowering by June) have just kept on giving:
This autumn bulb that I put in a few weeks ago has also popped up:
This plant called Scabiosa Miss Willmott has absolutely got me entraced. The petals open one at a time:
This is what it looks like in full bloom:
Our climbing rose seemed to be stagnating for a while, but has suddenly had a foilage spurt and is ready for the second rush of blooms. I look forward to seeing it all flowers again soon.
When we planted this hollyhock in June, it was less than 12 inches tall. Now, it is the same height as me:
And here's a selection of the 200+ bulbs we have recently put in the flower beds and pots:
I still have a whole box of different tulips to put in next month. Those go in later as they don't start to root until a month or two after daffodils. I can't wait to see what comes up next spring, hopefully lots!
I also had a lovely email a few days ago with some great news. My dad, stepmum and her sister are planning on coming to visit us in May!!!! You know what that means...yes, I don't have to cook for as long as they are here! I'm smiling already. My stepmum and her sister are both excellent cooks and I'm going to be cruising on yummy highway. P is also looking forward to it as it means a change from the dozen recipes I normally rotate. The fact that he gets on really well with them is a bonus too ha ha. I am hoping that they will stay for the entire month of May but let's see if they take my 'hint'.
They are all lovely company and I already have loads of places in mind to take them. We may go up to the Lake District for a long weekend and take day trips to the many lovely little towns a shot drive away. I am also planning a girls' day out to the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show. I have never been before so I am quite excited about that. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to meet some of the garden presenters I see on the BBC as I do have my favourites!
I also hope that we have beautifully warm and sunny weather so that we can spend time on the back patio in the deck chairs 'singing song and talking c*ck'! :-)
Anyway, the next 'to do' on the list is to start thinking about Christmas i.e. designing our card and sourcing presents. I still can't believe it's the end of September but as they say: time flies when you're having fun!
