Floral display

There is a burgeoning.  Rain, storms, lush mad growth.

I dodged a bullet yesterday with a huge afternoon storm. I just heard the thunder inside my head protectors and over the sound of my talking book as I was mowing the orchard.  But the inky black sky was a bit of a giveaway.

When the world turns that dark in the middle of a Spring afternoon you know it is time to put away toys, retreat to the house, unplug machines and start a major re-organization of the office.

The downpour was spectacular.  And so was the 25 mm of rain which fell in half an hour.  It was only after I had logged back on did I find that all around me orchards were stripped, gardens wrecked, crops battered – hail.

This is from the Dauphine online newspaper website.  We don’t often make the news.

https://www.ledauphine.com/ardeche/2018/05/23/un-violent-orage-de-grele-s-abat-sur-le-secteur

And I must say that getting to the market was sporting – mud, rocks, mess all over the roads.  It was the only topic of conversation as I zipped through the market at high speed. I had heaps of flowers to deliver but no time to linger.

I was surprised to see the nice lady from a renown gite at one stall. She is such a great seed sower and vegetable grower. Why would she be lingering at the new tomato stall?

‘I lost the lot’ she explained grimly. ‘The entire garden has been shredded. All the fruit, vegetables, plants.’   She is only a five minute drive away. So I can’t believe how lucky I was in not losing my garden.

I drove round later after lunch and delivered a few crates of replacements. Cucumbers, courgettes, Swiss chard, salad. And rudbeckia and salvia to cheer up her replacement potager.  Oh and a large bouquets of these Gertrude Jekyll blooms.

I felt so sorry for her seeing how everything was battered.  It looked like someone had swooped down with shears and clipped and sheared every plant.

So, enjoy these roses. I’m so relieved they are still blooming.

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