Rain envy

I had just slid the photographs I want to place in this blog onto the desktop when a huge clap of thunder and flash of lightning exploded overhead. Now if this was out at the house you know I wouldn’t even be connected to a source of electricity, let along a computer. When we get storms it’s all unplug and cower. But here in London one feels much more smug.

But what a downpour. I have rain envy; can’t imagine what volume of water is falling on this part of town right now but it must be inches. Thunder, inky clouds, lightning forks and flashes. and I have even had to resort to the wireless as the signal has gone down on the satellite. Curses. Just when the Tour de France was getting exciting.

And yes, it’s just a background distraction, not the day job. I had promised myself to stay in this seat and get every single picture posted on the blog before the day is out. It is as dark as night outside, but there are still the dangling pictures from a June 23rd folder to sort and post.

First pictures up are the courtyard weeds. I have been leaving these hollyhocks until they flowered; just in the hope that they were the dark crimson interesting varieties. But alas, it’s wishy washy pink in the main area near the grape vines. And just one crimson one at the top of the herb garden. I had thought they could be used as flowers for the house. But they flop and give a great demonstration of flower flab. So don’t serve any decorative indoor purpose. In a week they will be a memory and I can plot planting some ornamental grasses in their place.

More worthy are some shots of the soft fruit garden. My what a bumper season we are having this year. We can’t move past the bushes enroute to the pool without grabbing handfuls of fruit. Jostaberries, blueberries, black currants and white currants are all in easy reach. The blueberries have a few more years to go before we can get more than a handful. But the three bushes so far have fruited. And I promise to bring more over from England over the autumn.

Even the apple tree at the end of the vegetable garden is fruiting: this is the Welstead Melrose apple, and there are three apples safely ensconced behind their netting and swelling nicely. Next month I shall see if we can count the fruit in the orchard. Each time I go down there I can’t believe my luck at seeing apples on the trees and even some apricots on the young tree. I had thought the apricot was the tree that succumbed to the peach leaf curl. (That will teach me to be lazy about labelling) But it was the nectarine instead. Or am I utterly wrong. Wouldn’t be surprised. How about I leave off prognosticating and just get on with showing a picture of the fruit I can identify instead?

And just to rub it in: here is the result of not netting everything within reach. I left last month with beetroots sitting proudly in their weedproof fabric, all too tempting for the four footed foes.

Was it Daisy the deer? I can’t be sure, but as only the three favourite veg were touched, I suspect it was her. She likes beetroot tops, lettuce and the juiciest parts of the swiss chard. Everything else is ignored. Thank goodness I don’t have a gourmet (and gourmande) eater.