Lots of garden pics

Nice hot day at last, so I washed out some of my vintage stuff. I'm still undecided about whether I want to sell them; I can't wear them anymore as I am too portly now, but I do like them, and I have a horror of selling them only to find out that I really should have kept them. I've done lots of gardening, transplanting the vege plants that I still have in punnets, and sowing a bit more. The tomatoes are planted out, except for the Purple Calabashes, which are just sitting doing nothing. I think our climate here is too changeable for them, they need a steady heat and a mild night-time temperature. Oh well, I know not to grow them again. Our summers are not long, about 4 months, so things need to be up and growing by about mid-December or there is no time to get a crop. The dragonfly is a first; I have never seen one in the garden before, I think the very boisterous wind we had today must have blown him from the river (not too far away, at the end of the next street). Off now to water the potatoes, which will be parched.

Roses, roses

Crown Princess Margareta

Buff Beauty

Haven't posted for ages! probably because very little is going on right now, except for the flowering of the roses. They've been delayed by our mad weather, which has been quite cold and windy, but today has been hot, so now they are coming out quickly. The vegetable garden is several weeks behind, one minute I'm worried about frost, the next watering like mad because it's drying up. Anyone who says that climate change is a lie is a fool, in my opinion. The weather now is so completely unlike that of my childhood that it is like living in a different country. I'm sure our weather was more stable and less changeable than now; we used to have  whole weeks of hot weather in summer, now we just get a day here and there. We used to have hot nights all night too; now the temperature always goes down overnight, so by four o'clock in the morning I'm looking for the duvet to cover up to get warm. Of course, this is all "anecdotal" as the pundits like to say, it's not proof.

Of course, terrible things are going on in the world. As always. There is always conflict somewhere. The Vietnam war played on TV every night when I was a child, and sadly, nothing much has changed. Some philosopher once said that the world would be a better place if everyone just stayed quietly at home. I stay quietly at home, growing my vegetables and admiring my roses; I feel that this is the only way I can contribute to world peace, just not being a violent pain-in-the-arse to everyone else.

Bits and pieces

                                         Jiro using the washing as a hammock.

Not much going on at the moment (not that there ever is, and I can be quite thankful for that; I'd rather have peaceful nothingness than drama and crisis). The cats are being delightful at the moment, they like the better weather and longer days that summer brings. Jiro's latest game is to meow outside the kitchen door, then run away when I open it, just like a kid doing the door-knocking game. Thomas is being very snuggly and affectionate; he's finally realised that even though there's another cat, there's still enough love for him. Not that he likes Jiro any better, but is a bit more relaxed and friendly towards me.
     It's still quite cold here though; tonight the temperature is down to 5 degrees (Celsius) so it's not exactly warm. I was looking at my posts for this time last year and see the same comments, the weather is hot and dry and I'm watering the garden, the next day it's cold and wet. We've had Halloween, I even went to a party, but didn't dress up for it; I'm scary enough as my real self. Now Guy Fawke's night is coming up tomorrow, so I'll brace myself for the noises. No doubt it will go on all through the weekend as well. Not my favourite celebration.
      The spring-cleaning continues sporadically. I start with a hiss and a roar and bags of enthusiasm, then rapidly lose interest. The problem is that the house doesn't stay clean, so it's a labour of Sisyphus or Hercules. At least it's only my own mess to clean up, not some dodgy husband or flat-mate. The cats aren't too bad either; they are both young and don't throw up too often in the house! But why do cats always have to up-chuck on the carpet, not the vinyl flooring? One of those mysteries that will never be solved.