Lots of growth: chard , spinach ,broadbeans being picked and first carrots and courgette. Mistakes: all squash seeds ordered turned out to be courgette!
This week in the garden
July 19th
Borders growing in well – a slight lull in colour as happens before the late summer flowerers; however Buddleja looking good – we have three and the butterflies adore.
Transient element of Morning
A veil of cloud hangs between moorland ridge and green lowland hills
Like grey cloth hung on a line;
The air is still;
A luminance behind signals transience of shower
And captures the moment
before
Earthy spores release from heavy drops
In deliberate fall of summer rain
A primeval dampness prevails
As arched stems bend forward,
Frothy clouds of spent willow herb shroud the foliage beneath;
Rain dances on the canopy above
Drips steadily branch to branch
Of sodden grass
And slippery stones beneath;
The wind picks up
In soughing of the trees;
The view diminishes;
Stillness is lost;
The haunting beauty
Becomes a memory.
When hopes are dashed
When hopes are dashed
And all around seems dull
And uselessness prevails and all thoughts take downward turn
Head to the lanes
And breathe
Look the mist and the rain in the eye
Run headlong into the wind
And stride towards the hills;
Oh to be out on the road
Going not wither or where
Taking all thoughts and questions
Releasing them into the air.
If I could
If I could, I would surf the waves
If I could,I would be a sky runner
If I could,I would write a book
If I could,I would climb the world’s mountains.
Yet I can ride the waves of a storm
Run the depths of the lanes
Write words that inspire
And help in a way that moves mountains.
From the Cliffs
First glimpse of sparkle on the sea
Glistening shards-
Fragmented light;
A luminance of glass
Shimmers effortlessly
Across the flattened surface
Of subtle hue of cornflower blue
And teal;
A mesmerising amalgam
Between pastel land
And powdery sky;
That wide band of light
Tye -died and fanned;
An array like
The stroke of a brush
Glazed across the canvas;
A smudged horizon
Boundless
Indefectible movement of sea and sky
Creating beguiling changes
From play of light;
We are drawn to watch.
An Afternoon on the Cliffs
When you reach your limit
When you reach your limit
Hold on
Breathe deep
Can you
Listen to the stillness
When all around is loud
Stand firm
Though your heart wants
To run
Discern when in strife
You see no reason?
Breathe deep
Focus
And move on.
‘Each of us carries the map of our lives on our skin in the way that we walk even in the way that we grow.’
Kiran Millwood Hargrave author of the Girl of Ink and Stars
Great book read to year 6 every year.
In the garden today
It was fantastic to see this on moth today. Commonly, it is found only in the South of the country on sand dunes and heathland. Vipers buglos is a British native plant of coastal sand dunes. We collected seed down at Slapton Sands some years ago and it thrives on gravel and light sandy soil as a biannual. It is vital to create diversity in the garden to attract different pollinators; their varied mouth parts reach different shaped flowers.
Ruth Partridge 