June passed by so swiftly and it looks as if July is going to do the same. Most of the days have been dull, grey and sometimes cold. Damp too with the occasional gleam of sunshine through the cloud. Yesterday it just rained and rained. Consequently garden produce hasn't done very well at all. Strawberries are still hard and green. A few tomatoes have ripened and so have the gooseberries.
Above the first two tomatoes from the greenhouse.
Above the pickings from the only two gooseberry bushes that have produced fruit this year.
We've been pottering around locally except for one visit to a friend who lives in Derbyshire.
We had a quick stop in Bakewell on the way. We took a couple of bags of clothes to a charity shop, had a cup of coffee and visited a couple of shops before we moved on. We bought a Bakewell pudding from one of the pudding shops to give as a treat for lunch.
The love locks are still on the bridge over the river from the car park and cattle market. I wonder if they will have to be removed if they make the bridge unsafe? I was lucky to catch the bridge with nobody on it.
The flowers at Trentham Gardens have been lovely and we've managed a couple of walks in between showers.
The foxes have been very active in the garden. I took a photo of this one as it had it's nose in a pot of Lupins.
Paul took the one below of a couple of cubs.
Books. Three from the library and one I treated myself to.
I couldn't resist 'The Book of Wildflowers' with words by Christopher Stocks and illustations by Angie Lewin. It's delightful. 'Hands of Time' is by local watchmaker Rebecca Struthers and is her personal history of watches and time. The 'Geometry of Holding Hands' is an Isabel Dalhousie novel from Alexander McCall Smith. It's a while since I read one of these and I'd forgotten how soothing they are. It's a gentle antidote to some of the gruesome crime novels I've been reading recently. 'The Man in Black' is a book of short stories by Elly Griffiths. I picked it up from the library today and I see it has a Ruth and Nelson story in it as well as others including her characters Harbinder Kaur, Max Mephisto and Flint (Ruth's cat). I'm looking forward to this.
All for now.
I agree Rosie that June and July have passed so quickly and rain seems never ending. Vegetables etc not doing well here either although we have had a few strawberries. The bridge with the locks stands out from my visit to Bakewell! Trentham Gardens are looking lovely and great photos of your foxes. All the books in last photo look good. I hope you enjoy - it will be good to read about Ruth and Nelson again! I agree with you about gruesome crime novels sometimes I need a break from them too. Have a good weekend and take care.
ReplyDeleteThank you Caroline. Vegetables here are battling both weather and badgers. We've fenced off quite a few of the raised beds but they still try hard to get in to the potatoes. The bridge looked top heavy and even more loaded down than when I last saw it. Luckily we had a dry day on our visit but yesterday it never stopped raining. I'm looking forward to the short stories. Have a good week ahead, let's hope for a little more sunshine:)
DeleteFox with nose in a pot of Lupins would make a great title for a painting! The courtyard in Bakewell looks lovely. I would love to experience Trentham Gardens one day. The flowers in bloom are beautiful! x
ReplyDeleteThank you Simone. It does sound like a good title. I'd taken the flower heads off as they had seeded and lost their petals. Trentham has so much to offer, the flowers at the moment are gorgeous and lots of wildlife too. Have a good week ahead:)
DeleteIt's good to see your fresh produce especially after the awful weather. We have a few green peas on our outdoor tomatoes and wonder if they will ever get red! What a lot of locks! I'm sure that bridge is a lot lower now. I love the orange rose and it's great to see the foxes having fun. I haven't read any of the books you mention even though I always enjoy the Isabel Dalhousie novels, I'll have to keep an eye out for it. 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you CK. Yes, it is a strange year for produce. I'm surprised that so many tomatoes had ripened as we haven't seen a lot of sunshine over the last week. Even when dry it's been overcast. I love, cream and apricot coloured roses so it caught my eye. The foxes seem to treat our garden like a visit to the local park. I hope the bridge doesn't collapse. Have a good week ahead:)
DeleteThanks for the book recommendations always welcome. Unsettled weather here too although the garden is still very green and lush. Those gardens look wonderful. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you B, I'm trying to wean myself off crime novels for a while, it won't last long as I have a couple more reserved at the library although I have a longish wait in the queue. Trentham was looking lovely a few days ago, the flowers are gorgeous. Our garden is looking a bit bedraggled at the moment. Have a good week ahead:)
DeleteFlowers are so pretty. I wonder too about the added weight of so many locks? Sorry your veggies aren't doing very well. We've been hot and dusty here, so much so that most flowers bloomed early and many are almost done already, which is crazy for the middle of July. Though it looks like we may get rain at any minute.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandy. It sounds as if your weather is the exact opposite of ours. What strange times we are having this year. Sunshine here this morning but rain expected by midday:)
DeleteIt's not been the best year for some garden produce this year has it- too much rain and too little sun. At least you got more gooseberries than me this year.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing your fox photos. Have a good week.
Thank you Beverley. We didn't expect to get many gooseberries this year as some of the bushes had been moved to a new home but we got a measuring jug full. I'm going to make a crumble with them. Hope you have a good week:)
DeleteThe love lock idea is a tacky one that ends up looking garish en masse.
ReplyDeleteThank you William, indeed it does:)
DeleteHi Rosie, I,m using my son's laptop so this will probably show up as him! I stumbled across your amazing blog whilst looking for a photo of Wingfield Manor to put on a T shirt for my five year old grandson who is absolutely besotted with it having spotted it on his way to our house a few weeks ago. The first photograph on your feature would be perfect. Is it possible to buy the rights to use it?
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm not sure who you are, it would be nice to have a name. I've looked back and I think you mean the photo on the post I wrote on 9th May 2013 - gosh over ten years ago now. How time flies. If it is just for one t shirt then please feel free to use it for your grandson. Please cone back and let me know who you are and it would be great to see the finished article:)
DeleteRosie, what a nice outing! I make a good Bakewell tart, but if I were passing through Bakewell I'd simply have to stop and have it there with a cup of tea.
DeleteThank you Jean, it's always a treat to visit Bakewell and an extra treat to take home a Bakewell tart or pudding. I like both although they are quite different in taste and texture:)
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