THE BLACK HOLE DIDN'T GET ME

Well I haven't fallen into a black hole so I guess it's safe to do another post. I've now had my Uni Induction day and can't wait to get started. Trying to find a part-time job or a lodger. I'm lucky in as much as I get a grant while I'm going to Uni...(an explanation for those who don't know how it works here...I get a means tested grant which is really a loan that's repayable if I get a job when I've qualified and am earning over £15,000 a year). The grant I'm getting though doesn't cover my expenses. As a single mature student with no dependants I'm not entitled to any help with my rent so once I've paid that and my fares to Uni I'm left with £30 a week to pay all my utilities, books, clothes, food and drink. Well £30 will only just cover the water, gas and electric ...hence why I'm looking for a job which will fit around Uni and still allow me time to study, do assignments etc. No so easy at my age!

Is it another sign of being old that Summers used to be so much sunnier? We seem to have had so much rain this year. Admittedly I've not had to do so much watering but with the garden being North facing it needs more sun than it's had this year. The Cannas and Gingers were later than usual flowering....................

And I had quite a surprise when I started to clear out the shed. In the Spring I'd had a pot of indoor Hyacinth bulbs which I'd popped in the shed to die down so I could plant them out in the garden this Autumn. Well look at this!They've started to flower again! One plant that really thrived this year was my neighbours 'bxxxxx' Russian Vine. Yet again no matter how much I keep chopping it back it's still strangling anything it comes into contact with! GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Well Sophocles and his Three Theban Plays awaits me.........see you again soon.

BEFORE THE RAIN COMES

Things are starting to slow down in the garden as far as new blooms go and some of these are "late starters" this year; this last week besides the toad lilies that I showed in my GTS post the only new flowers are the white Phlox (the pink one started flowering some time ago), the blue Agapanthus (like the white one this is a dwarf variety)........................the dwarf lilies...unlike my taller varieties these only reach about 2 feet high but still have the most glorious scent............in the pond the Lobelia Cardinalis has started to flower....I have tried to plant it in the ground but have never had any success as after a couple of years it disappears.....this piece in a pot in the pond has been ok for about 4 years now.Another pond plant we have is what Mick and I had always called our Mini Gunnera....we picked it up a few years ago at a Boot Fair and it was just labelled Pond Plant...if anyone knows what it is I'd be grateful.....................the second photo shows the flower spike that comes on it....the flowers are very tiny.......
After waiting so long for the Eucomis to flower I've been rewarded by three more blooms...... and the orange flowered Durban Canna has now opened a bud (the red one started last week)...this must be a good three weeks later than previous years.....................
The Morning Glory is later this year too......though to be fair I did sow the seed later than I normally do..............I've only grown the one colour this year and I'm pleased they've survived at all as the slugs and snails have had a good feast on them!

The fact that the temperatures have finally risen this last week or two means that the wall manger (mostly petunias) and the begonia tub in the front garden are finally putting on some growth................ The Lantana too are starting to look happier; they really didn't like those long, grey, rainy days of a few weeks ago (I do understand that this week may be quite rainy but I won't let them know in case they start to sulk....LOL) The finer weather also brought a few nice sunsets with it..............
And just in case the weather does turn really rainy again...a quick tour round the garden while the sun's shining.....

BTW.....beautiful clear night and managed to see some of the shooting stars; made a wish or two..................

BLOOMING BRILLIANT!

Having had some fun days out I've not caught up with last week's newly bloomed flowers....it still surprises me that there's something new to see each week!

It's also time to do another "changes" photo...these are photos taken from approximately the same position at different times of the year. The first of these two is a "NOW" photo, the other a photo from February.


and FINALLY!!!!!!...one of the Cannas in the front garden is starting to flower...this is the latest they've ever started flowering and I'd almost given up on seeing a bloom this year.....

Before I go (Manda, Nicole and I are off to Colchester to see Leanne & co)...a quick plug for Gledwoods new blog........ANIMAL CRACKERS lots of funny and cutesy animal videos...the EPISODE OF 24 ACTED BY A RABBIT is so funny!!!

and a another quickie under the label of "That's new to me".....I've eaten Okra but never grown it...not even sure if we could in England. When I dropped by Dot's blog STROLLING THROUGH GEORGIA this morning she has posted a photo of an Okra bloom......if you've never seen one please take a look...it's stunning.

I MEANT TO BLOG THAT!

Every Saturday night I try and sort out the countless photos I've taken during the week and often come across a few that I'd meant to post but either slipped through the net or were just to blurred to see clearly. With Leanne and the kids staying plus the fact it had been an emotional weekend I didn't get around to doing it till I got up this morning. As I'd nothing specific to post today I thought I'd let last weeks forgotten few have their 5 minutes of glory.

A few damsels

Lily pads on the river
Windswept Poppy....Bobby Charlton comb over style?

back to back Frog & Hedgehog!

Not the greatest photos...but this Hornet was massive and I didn't intend getting too close!

Cute baby bird in the park
and a cute albino chipmunk

Beautiful Canna leaf

Pelargonium in it's 4th year...a cutting brought home by Mick
Reflection of the garden in a water droplet
Quaking Grass
Don't bees have hairy legs!



This one wasn't a "forgotten" photo...it's last night's sunset

Just had a lovely surprise; Shaz at Us Danes & Our Family has given me one of their awards! What a great start to an otherwise gloomy, rainy Monday morning. Thanks!!!! I shall wear it with pride.

AFTER THE STORM

What a storm we had yesterday evening; thunder, lightning and really heavy rain. I was even off the Internet for a while; thank goodness the TV didn't go off...I would have missed the final of The Apprentice! It was really humid though and I left the kitchen door open to let in some fresh air as the heavy rain meant I had to shut every window in the house. It was quite a shock when I went to make myself a coffee....some of our frog population had come in to keep dry!!! I spent about an hour trying to shoo the frogs out of the kitchen...of course they all tried to hide behind the washing machine and fridge...I thought I'd have to search in the Yellow Pages for a Frog Herding company! This little fellow decided to have a stand off with the brass frog doorstop..... The garden was full of snails this morning...speaking of which.....one of my Canna leaves look like it has bullet holes in it.....no doubt a slug or snail had a nibble when the leaf was still in bud...those little nibbles turn into whacking great holes as the leaf grows..........
I was pleased to see our Oriental Poppy is blooming...the flowers are so big......
and I love the chocolate brown splodges in the centre.
This Oxalis has started flowering too......such a pretty colour.....we've had this for years now and the clump is expanding nicely without becoming a nuisance......
the new Oxalis Triangularis I planted a last week are starting to come through now...I love the colour of the leaves................I have quite a few small pots of them growing so shall be able to try them in various areas of the garden to see where they do best.Couldn't resist snapping another picture of this Geranium......
the Candytuft is really blooming well.....this year most of them seem to be lilac.......

this Bidens is a different flower form to the usual one I have....I like the little tufts of petal in the centre...it was a "freebie" gift ....I like "freebies"...
The first of the Callas is starting to come into flower......I like the speckled leaves....
the Campanula at the back of the rockery is romping away......I cut this back hard after the first mass of flowers or it swamps everything else out....it soon comes back again.....

The Blogger's Paradise Blogalong theme for this month is My Favourite Recipe.......I've decided to opt for a cake...but we have so many favourites it's hard to choose...some I've already printed before on my Please Read blog so I don't want to do them again.....I've decided go with my Strawberry Crunch Cake....I'll print it up tomorrow so "Dieter's Beware!"