Little Helpers in the Rain!

Should have used a bigger barrow!

Scooping the silt out of the culvert was a pretty messy job but made even messier with the rain and messier still with a team of 3 little helpers! Water, mud and wheelbarrows - the 3 biggest and best attractions!!

Washing muddy hands for the umpteenth time!

We bucketed out the water and, with a long handled scoop, filled 3 or 4 wheelbarrows full with silt and disposed of the contents down in Cato's Corner.  Having done that, Chris retrieved a wheelbarrow full of pebbles which Elissa and I washed - each one individually!  Definitely the world's messiest job! Afterwards, the sun came out and we had a bonfire.  Yes, of course were soaking wet and covered in mud but, who needs toys?  Result: the submersible light in the culvert looks really pretty at night again and everyone had a ball!

Chris teetering over the edge!

 

A VERY Rainy Saturday!

Couldn't get on with any seasonal jobs today!

A Fine Vine!

Vitus coignetiae also known as the Crimson Glory vine grows up Highgrove which is where this specimen originated. I took this photo before the leaves begin to turn and hope to remember to take another for purposes of colour comparison as it's so striking in autumn. It really softens the architecture and whilst Chris has shown me how to take out tiles and insert homemade lead hooks, for some reason, I really feel unsure of getting the tile back in place. Shame really as it's in dire need of more hooks. Courage!!

Vitus coignetiae - Crimson Glory Vine

Miniature but Mighty!

The Myrtle bloomed in time for open gardens. Just what's needed for a twilight garden opening as these tiny blooms shone out like stars. Don't you just love these miniature balls of fuzz? Traditionally, every British royal bride has a sprig of Myrtle in her bouquet. Whilst a Mediterranean native, this variety: communis is relatively hardy and this particular specimen has been in a pot on the west side of the house where it has thrived for 6 or 7 years quite happily with little or no attention.

Myrtus communis

Aga Dried -V- Sun Dried!

The first of the Apache's

Drying on the Aga

Here we have some Apache chilli peppers grown in the greenhouse which I am harvesting as they ripen and drying them on the Aga. Their rating on the Scoville scale is between 70,000 & 80,000 shu.  Now that's quite a lot of heat when you consider that a Jalapeno has a rating of a mere 10 - 20,000 shu.  Of course there are far hotter varieties and at the the other and hottest end of the scale is the Carolina Reaper which weighs in at a hefty 1,569,300 shu! When fresh, Apache's are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.  They also make ideal decorations when dried, threaded and hung up.  I might eventually get around to alternating some with Bay leaves and hanging them in the kitchen with the odd one finding its way into a beef chilli on a cold winter's evening!

A Hugely Successful Twilight Garden Opening

Chris's Scandinavian log candle

Rob's Retreat

More Scandinavian candle admirers

In the conservatory

After a pretty frantic week, our Twilight Garden opening was a huge success. We had the prefect weather - for once! As always, an ENORMOUS thank you to a wonderful team without whose help, we couldn't even contemplate such an event!  Eve, Dave, Di, Lyn, Lindy and Sandra for all the washing up and serving of drinks and cakes from 2 - 10pm!!  What amazing hard work.  Another thank you to  Chris who illuminated 100's of candles and placed them around the garden - definitely NOT a 5 minute task! He even made rafts and floated them out on the pond and also a Scandinavian log candle never before seen by any of the visitors.  The garden looked perfectly magical and we made a clear profit of £670.57!  How amazing is that? We had over a 100 visitors which meant that Head Gardener & Chief Blogger was too busy to take photos so these are a few that Chris took at the end of the evening. We await more from Dave!

Chris's tea light rafts

So now it's all over and we need to collect even more glass jars for next year.........that is, when we've found all the empty ones in the garden!!

Lastly, thank you to all our visitors for their support.

A few more photos!

Working in the rain!

Whales Nailed!

Having cleared up following a visit from Contact the Elderly, Chris called about a jumper left on the hedge. It was a ruse to disguise his latest plan to give Moby Dick some attention. Now; Moby is a Portugese Laurel carefully sculpted into a whale shape by Chris. His eye is a piece of down pipe with a budgie's mirror hung inside to catch the light. When in bloom, the flowers resemble barnacles but he didn't look quite right by an old cattle sign. The cattle sign was moved to the Aspen grove and Chris's splendid solid oak sign now stands beside Moby. Chris hand cut each individual letter and shape securing them on to a sign made from reclaimed oak fencing rails. Quite the perfect feature to place next door to a Laurel whale! Thanks very much indeed Chris!

Perseids Meteor Shower 2016

Hands up who saw the night sky on Thursday?  It was spectacular. So bright in fact, the first meteorite was seen in the western sky from the bedroom with the light on! In 10 minutes, we saw 6 meteorites. I wish I could have taken a photo as good as this one!

Meteor Image by Mike_Lewinski

Luscious Lilies

Dipped in cocoa powder?

These beauties have weathered the high winds and their perfume is outstanding. With velvety anthers and stigmas glistening with dripping nectar, it's just another excuse to pop up to the greenhouse pausing to inhale their heavy fragrance en route.