Houseleeks

When we went to Dobbies on Wednesday I bought a tray of mixed Sempervivum to plant at the lodge. After we finished the cleaning today I went out and planted them.

Under the veranda of the lodge, we have a sloping graveled rockery and as these plants can stand drought and poor soil, I'm hoping they do well. One I planted a couple of years ago has spread rapidly.

On our way home we went to view a couple of fields above Penrith which have bequeathed to Cumbria Wildlife Trust. When the farm was sold, part of it had been bought by a property developer and houses are being built already. The wife wanted her share (15 hectares/ 37 acres) to go to the Trust and the deal was finalised last year just a couple of months before she died. We have organised a public meeting next week for locals to be able to share their ideas about its use. The photo in Extras shows half of it.