Doings, Christmas in July, canal walk

“The Garden of Today
Not to flowers lawns and trees alone does the modern garden owe its interest and beauty, but almost equally to the selection and placing of appropriate ornaments and features.”
After a long awaited sunny day the front garden started to lose one of its features- the lavender hedge. Daughter and I pruned as we cut these stalks for sorting before the weather could change it’s mind. Usually we would gather the flowers directly from the plant but we were so short of time.
Here it is much later in the evening all sorted and ready to dry in the airing cupboard. We rewarded ourselves with banana and strawberries with shortbread and a cup of tea. 🙂 The room looked a little Medieval with the lavender stalks strewn over the floor before we tidied up. A lovely heady smell en masse.
My wonderful Christmas In July parcel arrived from Nancy Lee of With Thread in Hand all in this green and gold sack she had made.
There was a beautiful basket all hand made which was so appreciated as I have been promising myself one but hadn’t had the time.
Then came the opening. Hun Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” to yourself. I know I was as I started to open them all. A panel of fairy fabric, fabric pen, threads, a kit, a snowman wallhanging pattern a pink bag and the most sweet red and white dotty needlecase/ sew tidy which will be perfect with my Kath Kidson red and white mushroom pin cushion. I love it when things match so perfectly. I think Nancy put a lot of research into her fabulous parcel. I hope my partner gets her’s soon. I am on tenterhooks waiting for it to arrive!
To relax though, lets slow things down a bit and go for a wander along the Leeds-Liverpool canal.
Wheat’s growing.
Whole fields are turning golden from the green. I’m now humming Sting’s “Fields of Gold” you tube link.
Thistle
Wonderful red of the dockleaf setting seed.
Ladybird in white clover
Cow parsley in seed against the water.
Rose bay willow herb (weed) against a field of what looks like spelt wheat with lots of strokable soft ears.
For once a well mannered co operative butterfly!
My fav wild lily- it smells of cognac brandy. I remember as a child swimming in the River Windrush and smelling it for the first time. So exotic for someone who could just about name a daisy. LOL
Another weed but so beautiful and the ancester of the morning glories- convulvulous/bind weed because it binds itself around other plants to stretch up. It’s flowers close at night.
Goose foot growing like a reed at the bank edge.
Blackberries are ripening.
Heaton’s Bridge pub it is Victorian with lots of additions.
It has a lovely planted area.
All of these are growing in tubs on a canal barge. Amazing colours. I could get patchwork ideas. 🙂
A last look as we head homewards in the dimming light.


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