It was a rare day with a small amount of sunshine yesterday and i did notice the windmills are multiplying

That it should come here says sense has finally lost to sensibility

You may think that wind power helps the world; it does not
For what can result but a blighted world of tormented vistas
This erroneous quest to serve green business with dubious profits
That despoils and scars the very last pristine land of England
Masterpieces now repainted to an industrial blank canvas

Monday 3^rd Sep 2012

Bright and warm day (at last)...highlight (I that is the right word,) was a swarm of flying ants setting off into the evening sun. They hovered in the sunbeams and landed all over me like the scene from Avatar where Jake is covered by the seeds of the great tree and then just like in the film they all lifted off again in unison.

I think from past experience they are a little later this year than normal but with the poor summer I guess that is to be expected. They always emerge on the first sunny day after a spell of rain. I guess it is so the soil is soft enough for the new queen to excavate a nest after the marriage flight. That so many emerge and so few make it to adulthood to establish the queenly realm is a wonder. I guess that’s the difference between them and us. They must make thousands to ensure just one will survive. Perhaps less is not always more. Think of the workers having to contain the seething mass of young males and females bursting with purpose within the nest till the weather was right.

I also took some photos of a yellow coral type fungus bursting out of an old tree stump like a small tongue of flame and a couple from my walk around the lake yesterday.

The quality of light changes as we head towards the autumn. It becomes less brightly solid and vistas take on a watercolour appearance as objects blur and become closer than they should. I am sat here in the late day sun with the scent of rosemary and thyme on my hands and the aroma of lemons in the air. It mingles together to give the scent of baking bread and I wonder am I in Darwen or Provence?

I recant my guilt from all I have done before

Having learnt too late alas, that less is more

 

 

The three types of Buddleia growing in the garden at the moment.

Olympic dog pose - i'd give him gold

Grumpy dog viewed through a window

Sage Flowers

Heron in the Beech tree

Waterlily in the pond

A night time wanderer - wow a really warty specimen too

The all seeing eye (it better not blink)

The greenhouse needed a trim Sunday - i'ts all foliage and no grape this year

The first crop of Charlotte's are ready - delicious they were too!

Robbie looking studious

The summer continues to disappoint so I am sitting in my summerhouse anyway

Thyme

Chive

Mushroom (well fungus actually)

Modesty in all things

Well the weather continues to be grim although we have been offered a little respite from the rain this weekend. Temperatures though are struggling to get above 11-12 degrees (Celsius) whether it is dry or sunny. Still nice to enjoy the garden even if it is cool. The flowers are colourful at the minute and the one plus of the cooler weather is the absence of biting midges. Flowers currently out are Tulip, Wisteria, bolted cabbage, Pieris and Bluebell. One of the neighbours saw a magazine article on grouping lots of different flowers in small jars and vases and took some of each for here arrangement. Cabbage flowers are individually quite attractive and en-masse when in a field of rape breathtaking. I think my favourite would be rows and rows of lavender in a field in France – that must be an amazing sight. Who knows next year when I have the time I might even go and have a look. See her arrangement below – looks good and I love these 2 dolls. I can remember when women were like this and generally the better for it.

So tell me now why did I build the summerhouse? I bought a lamp for it the other week. I had thought to maybe take a week off last week but cancelled it due to the poor weather. So now shall wait till the Queen’s Jubilee week and take that off instead. I’m trying to be prudent with my works holiday allocation this year and achieve maximum benefit from them. Why do we do that? Especially when all the signs point to the impending implosion of the financial world and really the natural inclination is to enjoy it while you can.

Ran out of jam at the weekend so made some blueberry frangipane jam – not really sure about it but should be good for Bakewell tart bases and sponges. The ground almonds give it a coarse texture. I added them to get a set as I don’t think blueberries on their own have an awful lot of pectin in. I’m not even sure one can add ground almonds to jam but I did and it worked. Jam is so easy to make that it never seems worth buying it anymore. Here’s the recipe if anyone is interested

600g blueberries

600g sugar
100g ground almonds

Wash blueberries and add to pan with sugar and heat till a rolling boil is achieved. You can’t walk away from jam or it will burn. Boil mixture to setting point, (you need a jam thermometer for this) and then add ground almonds. Pot into clean, oven heated jars and seal; and that’s it.

The queen is in Accrington today so expect more pictures from the visit. Let’s see how close they get this time.