Woken by tapping on the window

Did I say tapping? What I really meant was hammering. Yes, it is still raining and when I say raining it is absolutely gushing down, relentlessly. Wimbledon fortnight and we look to be in for another colossal drenching with the hosepipe ban now firmly behind us (what that only just over a month ago?). We now have risks of floods! Only a week or so ago, whilst I was enjoying the sun, further up North there was a drowning when a man tried to escape from his car that had got caught swept away by a swollen river. Then last week came the golf ball sized hailstones and now there is no end date to the rain. The garden centres are selling plants off at half price which is sad as growers depend on this time of year to make their profit. Then again no one can really get out into their garden to plant anything and with so many plants not enjoying having constantly soaked roots everything looks pretty sorry for itself.
My goodness, where did our summer go?
The old watering can which is purely for show at the top of the garden filled up completely within the week and is now overspilling. The bird baths fill themselves and there are puddles of water just from where I've walked over the veg patch. It may be good for ducks and our complexions but it's driving everyone I meet crazy.

As the plumber said to me yesterday whilst bemoaning the fact that no one has any money, "Ah well, look on the bright side, we've got summer to look forward to". The insects will be getting a battering too. This is one of those weekends I don't mind being in work as there is little to do in this downpour. No 'Puffin Island' trip for us tomorrow as we had hoped. I'm fairly confident that we have an Indian summer to look forward to. By August and certainly September I am holding out for a heatwave. Hope springs eternal!

I had a roaring fire yesterday afternoon and Jack's cat was glad of the warmth. She won't want to be out in this weather. We'll all be so thrilled when the raining stops and the sun dries and warms us out. Even my winter puffa jacket is still being warn and is currently soaked after yesterday's outing. Still, the grass is looking a beautiful shade of green and the baby birds are still visiting our peanut feeders. All this rain will hopefully just make us appreciate the sun more when it arrives. Now, where did I leave my umbrella?

Too wet to fret.

It's official - we are totally rained out. I can't do anything in the garden because the rain just will not abate. I've come to a decision; having so many bills right now and being disappointed in this year's show of plants I'm bowing out gracefully. It's not as if I'm not going to stop gardening, after all it's my favourite thing ever and I love buying new plants like other girls like to purchase high heels. It's just silly though to keep buying plants only to watch them struggle and not blossom. With the warm and wet weather there is a risk of blight and mould on lots of plants and my beautiful purple lupin that fought against the slugs earlier in the season to produce beautiful spires of lilac has been stripped overnight, by what I know not.
I've been enjoying, rather enviously, the beautiful blooms and conceptual planting at the Hampton Court flower show. So many clever ideas from how to attract butterflies (buddlieas and nettles are still a top favourite) to companion planting (parsley seems to help just about any sickly plants by releasing nutrients into the soil and basil is so aromatic that it can help keep white fly off tomatoes and beetles off asparagus). Last year we planted basil and marigolds next to our tomatoes to scent the area so strongly that the aphids couldn't detect the toms. not that it mattered as blight meant we lost every single one. We are having, as I once heard a condescending boss say, a crisis of confidence. Luke is threatening to give up and buy his tomatoes next year. I shall not be defeated and will continue to plant potatoes and peas and ensure we have sweetcorn and other veg next year. It's no crisis of confidence though, it's just not worth working so hard and spending money on something that is not going to thrive. The roses have been so wet that the outer petals have not allowed the buds to fully open but some of them have pushed through and look lush and abundant. So once the rain stops and allows the plants and me to enjoy the garden we can get started again. I hope you'll bear with me till the sun shines again.

Whilst the sun shone in Cardiff last Wednesday...,

This is the photo of the hail stones that lashed England. When we have such violent changes in the weather it all starts to feel a little scary. I have just been online and made up a wishlist of all the bulbs I want for next Spring because I have to have something to look forward to and I hope by then I will be able to afford them.

Pretty faces

Although it's been wet and windy the roses have done their best and also this is the first year for many years that I have had success with my Grandpardent's lily; the original would be at least thirty years old now. We also dug our first spuds and washed, cooked and ate them within twenty minutes. That along with two fresh pods of sweet peas and I feel that at least the garden is trying it's best to provide for us.

Moment of truth.

Well, I'm feeling disillusioned at the moment. For all the time and money I have ploughed into the garden I'm not feeling the love from it right now. Because of the ever present rain and quite strong winds of late it all looks pretty wild. I think the problem really is that I've got a few big bills this week - the boiler needs major work and the car has it's MOT too so I'm feeling guilty for spending so much on the plants and need to justify myself by knowing that at least it is paying me back in colour and beauty. It's not the garden's fault of course, no matter how much money I throw at it right now the weather is not really being friendly to us so I may as well just pay the boiler man and the mechanic and enjoy my vase of paeonies indoors instead. At least the baby blue tits are still darting around and making us smile.
What a grump!