Blooming July

New in the garden this year

Old friends returning

 Hubby got me flowers, because I have been unwell

I have done very little this week, I picked up a tummy bug on Tuesday. 

I managed to pack away all my fabrics tidy, but did not get rid of anything, I just need to get my machine out and use some. I have not thought about my yarn stash, so nothing new started. 

My daughter, Will's mum also had the bug which was worrying as she is pregnant, but like me she is on the mend, we speak every day, but I have not seen them since Tuesday. 

I have sat for 3 days watching the tennis, guilt free viewing, the matches have been brilliant this year, yesterday's gentleman's semi-finals were unmissable. Will settle later for the ladies final. 

Nothing has been done in the garden, hubby has been on watering duties, but as our water butts are really low again, we have been using the hosepipe on most of our plants. Our fake grass on the lawn, always comes into it's best at the driest times, it requires no water and staying perfectly green, keeps the garden looking good. 

I still have one bare spot in my side flower bed, which I will purchase a plant to fill the gap this week. I have also decided I will dig out my strawberry plants, whilst they look good, the bugs still get most of the fruit, I don't mind the bugs feeding on my fruit, I am happy to share, so far this summer we have only harvested one strawberry. I will dig out the gooseberries as well, the bushes were full of fruit, but the sawflies got to the leaves, and the birds had most of the fruit just before it was ready for picking. I will wait until all the fruit has finished and the bugs have had their feast, and then put flowers in the long pots in front of my raspberries, adding more colour to this spot, but we have not decided what to grow in the round fruit tub. 

I am pleased with the rest of my garden, it has taken 10 years, most of which I was planting things I loved but not necessary things which would grow a 2nd year, so now I have the full looking garden I want, it's never finished, but I can settle for it looking good. 

I did start reading Until I find You, John Irving, its a whopping 819 pages, and follows the life of Jack Burns from a child aged 4, I got to page 184, Jack was 8 years old, and found I was not interested in anything he got up too, not my normal reading, I had been given this book, and reading about a sexually active boy at 8 is not my cup of tea. I need a visit to our library.