Midsummer a Memory

It's quite a few weeks now since the longest day and the first of the cyclamen are putting up a few flowers.  Autumn may be a way off yet but the plants are beginning to respond to cooler nights and the wet weather.   The first of the autumn cyclamen in the garden have buds rising but this Cyclamen purpurascens, more of a summer flowerer, started blooming a few weeks back.   Mine are in the greenhouse at present but it is a hardy species, I just need to find a sheltered, semi shaded spot in the garden and I will try some outside.

A very quiet day after a very busy week.  I popped over to Jamie's to feed the gecko and drop off some of his stuff.   He's doing OK in hospital, slowly improving but unlikely to be home until next week.  At home I did a few chores and after a lunch of Lancashire cheese on toast I watched some of Glorious Goodwood while sorting through the many paper bags of bulbs lined up on the living room table.  Autumn crocus mostly repotted already, there are a few stragglers, then the smaller colchicum, the first batch of seedling crocuses and a miscellany of others needing early repotting.  When these are sorted I will be a quarter if the way through the job.   There's also a growing collection of things destined for the new raised bed outside.

I cooked a tasty minced beef and carrot pie for tea, including some home grown tomatoes in the sauce and baked a sponge for afters.  These will provide for tomorrow and Monday which is good :-)   The dogs had an hour at the ball field with me mixing ball throwing and blackberry picking .... and trying not to get my wires crossed!  As dusk fell, John joined me and we once again adjourned to the caravan for hot chocolate and chat.  Nice end to the day.