Too Hot to Sit Around Inside...

... so I gardened.

We now have two new flower beds. Actually herb patches with probably a few flowers and interesting vegetables stuck in. I've transplanted the fennel, which has been looking rather sad since the wind blew its pot over a couple of months back, one of the curled spearmints, and the chives, which were losing a battle with moss in their pot. I know it's dangerous putting a mint into a bed rather than quarantining it in a pot. But with my inattention to the garden for long periods of time, the only things that survive are those that can take on bindweed, ground elder and goose grass. The lemon balm I am keeping safely to a pot. It is one of those survivors. So that's one bed part planted. Tulips to, I was going to say brighten up but I only ever plant black tulips (white, blue or black(-ish) roses, black tulips: the garden as bruise on the face of the earth), add some variety in the spring might be a good idea, and there's space for a couple more perennial herbs, ones that can tolerate some shade and the usual heaps of neglect.

The other bed, sunny, very dry, poor soil, likely to be overwhelmed by winter flowering jasmine, Russian vine and lilac, can take the other herbs with some space for, next year, tomatoes and sunflowers. Tomatoes have done well against that fence before. We had a fine crop of mini yellow ones last summer.

And the wild patch in the middle of the garden, well, that's now produced several pounds of blackberries, sitting in the bottom of the freezer awaiting the arrival of organic cooking apples--jam here we come,--and a reasonable haul of elderberries, awaiting the arrival of organic cooking apples--apple and elderberry pie, here we come.

Made Nutella Ice Cream this weekend (an excuse to stand in front of an open freezer every twenty minutes to stir as it set (the advantage of not owning an ice cream maker)). Very fine.

We also have a lodger in the garden. One very fine toad, whom I accidentally watered this evening. Couldn't see a jewel in his forehead. Nor did he stick around for a kiss!

You know you're past it when you're doing your Charlie Dimmock impression and the toad runs away!