Wow, back home after a week away in the Netherlands and what do we find? Almost an inch of rain has fallen in what looks to be one mighty night. Brimful barrels of water, soft moist soil. And a vegetable garden that is a riot of colour.

Who would have thought these cosmos could go on for so long and so lustily? I think I will pick armfuls for the vases.

My list of chores is long and lengthy. But hopefully I shall have time to get most done. This is the month of (hopefully) building work and bulldozer visits. So we shall see how much I can manage away from the interiors and the forest.

Oh, gardening news? You want gardening news. Sorry, I’ve been up a ladder most of the week painting ceilings. They do look fetching, so it’s worth all the effort and the stiff neck you have to lurch around with for a bit.

And when I needed a break from the above the head work (painted the hallway too) , I went out and finished the planters that now live underneath the grape vines in the courtyard. A sort of busman’s holiday from the painting toil indoors.

But I did manage a bit of spade work too. I simply had to dig over a bit of the potager. It all started when I was heading down to the compost bins with a small load of kitchen scraps. I was about to just dump them on the dry and rather unpromising looking compost when I spied a layer lower down. It looked ready. All chocolatey and crumbly and, well, just like soil.

So out came the pitchfork and I placed all the compost in one bin and scooped out the lovely soil improver.

Don’t worry, no pictures. I am already in the naughty corner for daring to post pictures of the world’s dullest compost bins. So instead here are the fruits of the labours. One small portion of the lower vegetable bed. Dug over, and layered with compost. Bliss.