The weather has been pretty miserable all week but at last it has brightened up and a trip around the garden was called for to see if I could find anything new that has come into flower.
I picked a few wallflowers and geraniums for this light and fresh posy - I have a soft spot for wallflowers, and all the different colours they come in - they haven't been the best this year, but have still provided a bit of colour in the borders.
The lilac is blooming its socks off, it didn't flower last year for some obscure reason, so the blossom is all the more welcome.
There is a lilac bush on the verge outside the house and everytime I get out of the car and brush against it I almost faint with delight as the fragrance overpowers me.
If you grow Clematis Montana you need to give it plenty of room to grow - it has created a hedge all along the front fence and looks stunning - it has reached its maximum now and I don't have to prune it or anything - this is as good as it gets.
Glorious - isn't it.
The Dianthus are looking pretty good too
Earlier this week I went for a walk around the village to see what I could find in the hedgerows - it was mostly cow parsley, but it does look pretty spectacular at the moment
The fields are lush and green after all the rain
All this week I have been reading a book called 'Waterlog' by Roger Deakin. Inspired by John Cheever's classic short story 'The Swimmer', Roger Deakin set out from his moat in Suffolk to swim through the British Isles. The result of his journey is a maverick work of observation and imagination, a uniquely personal view of an island race and a people with a deep, instinctive affinity with water. Encompassing cultural history, autobiography, travel writing and natural history, Waterlog is a personal journey, a bold assertion of the native swimmer's right to roam and an unforgettable celebration of the magic of water.
If you go over to my blog A Single Moment I have quoted a passage from the book. I love the thought of swimming in rivers and hidden secret places - I have been to quite a few of the places where he swims and he describes them perfectly.
And finally, if you are interested in what I have been up to in the veg garden check it out here