Wild about flowers

Despite the abundance of rain and the strong winds a week ago the wild flower patch still has some life in it. The buttercup yellow verbascums, the pink hollyhock (I have never bought a pink hollyhock in my life, this one had a yellow label stuck on the pot), alongside the swath of this yellow daisy type flower in the foreground are all battling for space. I'll let you into a secret; we are thinking of getting more chickens. I can hear my mother groaning from here.

Now, please let me explain. We really wanted a barred Wyandotte but when we went to the breeders to replace dear old Shakira they didn't have any chicks. It took me a little while (about three years) to like Barred Wynadottes. To me, their hazy stripes made me think I had double vision but suddenly I've had a sea change in my thinking and I'm smitten with these little barcodes on legs. So much so that we asked to be notified when they had chicks for sale. Now we've been informed that they should have some barred chicks in October. Of course (here come the justifications) it's unfair to buy one chick on it;s own as it will need to be quarantined before being introduced to the flock. If we get two though the run starts getting pretty crowded so we will have to set them up in the other run. This will mean that not only can we not have the quails we really wanted but that we will have to find a place for the second run. This year it stood where the wild flower garden is now planted and that is the obvious place for it to go.

It's amazing how quickly you can run out of space in a garden. I like the expanse of the lawn and I like the curvaceous borders so I don't want to change that layout. Quite possibly I may steal a little row at the front of the veg patch to sprinkle some seeds but whatever I choose I think I'll keep the wild flowers as it's delightful to see them buzzing with insects.

After a despondent patch when so much of my garden has failed to produce the colour and shape it usually does, due to unseasonal weather and not much love from me I have suddenly, with one good dry day, decided to visit the garden centre and plan next year's colours. The gladioli have swayed and snapped in the winds so I have very little of late summer flowers right now compared to other years but I've got some renewed enthusiasm which, combined with some elbow grease, will hopefully pay me back come next year. And if that fails to materialise then hopefully the hens, along with the stripy addition(s) will provide interest in the garden. hope springs eternal.

A quick footnote: I still miss that big ole bird, Lola. I know she was a full size heavy breed and didn't fit in so well with our idea of bantam hens in the garden but she was a delight. We plan to go and visit her with a pot of yoghurt and a banana very soon, to ensure she is fine.