Best of the asters

This is Aster frikartii Monch - the best aster you can grow, I reckon. It does not suffer from mildew and will produce these lovely flowers from the beginning of July to late autumn. It mixes so well with other border plants and I love it...

N is a little worse for wear after yesterday's wedding but rallies enough for us to watch Julia Bradbury's Icelandic walk - a BBC programme of her trek across Iceland to Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano whose eruption distrupted so many flights last year. The scenery is breathtaking. N is planning a trip to Iceland in September so this really whetted his appetite. I hope he has a great trip.

Finished the day with friend M having a beer at a pub at a nearby village where the garden sweeps down to the river. A lovely, balmy summer's evening and the sunset was spectacular.

For the record; 21C, beautiful blue skies and low sun in the evening. The perfect conditions for hot air balloons but unusually we didn't see any.