Unintended Kondoing

Well it needed doing admittedly,

but the matter was accelerated at the weekend while my back was turned.

My daughter-in-law, calling by to fetch a car seat in our absence

heard an alarm beeping and traced it to the freezer.

She wisely did not alert us to this 

as there was nothing that could be done about it until our return.

We ate the lamb curry with melted mango chunks lassi and binned the rest.

Luckily there wasn't any raw meat in it 

and I hadn't just batch cooked a month's worth

of delicious meals so I'm thinking of this as a fresh start.

Could have done with some ice cubes today though.

Poppylation explosion

I shook a pepper pot of poppy seeds

into an empty bed last autumn

and forgot about it.

Shout out for shingle

This unpromising, nay bleak coastal terrain bursts into life in summer.

The yellow horned poppy.

Valerian.

Wild roses.

Just the other side of this hedge, people are working with nature

to make beautiful gardens.

They shared their efforts with us to raise money for the local hospice.

When I contemplate the sorry apology for a lawn at home,

I wonder if the way forward isn't just to scalp it

and ship in the shingle.

(My only caveat is that pebbles are

 so darned noisy and not barefoot friendly.)

Reminded me of this

and Freda's two gates.

Tall cat and friend bonus post

The owner of this hat (like Patsy) is not here at present.

Floriferous frenzy

It's almost too much to take in, this headlong rush into summer.

Even waking at 5 and going in at 9,

there aren't enough hours to absorb all the changes.

Roses bloom and petals drop,

the foxglove spires elongate and fill with bees,

the clematis Wilsonii really does smell of chocolate,

but the honeysuckle is still scentless.Why?

Californian poppies shout for attention.

The white wisteria veil falls again across the Sisisinghurst walls,

a little respite.

A hammock is slung.

The occupant now bound once again for Japan.

Green and pink

After a briefly warm interlude,

the clouds have rolled back in

and the heavens have opened.

But if we want green, 

and no hose pipe ban,

we're going to need a replenished water table

after the driest April on record.

This little one is back.

We will have her for her first overnight stay soon.

The guest suite has been prepared.

And I managed to finish this jacket before she grew out of it,

but fear it might not meet with her approval

as it is not pink.

Yes, that's the way the land lies despite no obvious gender bias

being put into operation for her clothes, toys or furnishings at home -

up until now, when she is able to make her preferences crystal clear. 

(See pink toenails above.)