I love the smell of Tiger Balm in the morning OR The JOYS OF SUMMER

Butter how lovely for you

by, that should be. hey ho.

Lucky, lucky you, butty! How lovely!

I'm loving a Lady's Smock sprung up out of a crack just be the back door, and the bluebells and pignut beginning to flower all over the place.

Rounded, brown velvet bodies
With sculpted pink-lilac wings
Three Bee Orchids have decided to grow
In a patch of grass
Left un-mown for just such a treat.
I swear they weren't there yesterday
When the sun shone all day
Nor during this morning's constant warm drizzle
But there they are this afternoon, a little leggy
Amongst the tall grass.
It struck me they were being a little impertinent!

absent - Nasty little blighters, those sand flies! Is your leg better now? Do hope so.

absent - how horrid for you. I have heard about those sand flies though have never encountered them personally. They must have heard I was coming and decided I was likely to be toxic. I think my sister is still quite sensitive to the bites. I don't know if there is an insect repellent that works against them. Let's hope someone invents one quickly.

Bags Bless you! Nose bleeds are horrid. Take it easy and no sneezing for a while

Oh, that's not much fun B! Still, all that green must be lovely to look at.

I wish you'd all told me about Tiger Balm before I went to New Zealand. I have a nasty reaction to sand fly bites. This time, my left foot was badly bitten almost the day I arrived and the swelling extended from my toes to my knee. Naturally, I tried not to scratch but inevitably did so during the night when asleep (and sometimes when awake as the itching was intolerable). A $100 visit to the doctor resulted in a diagnosis of cellulitis, a massive dose of antibiotics, antihistamines and something else that I've now forgotten and the threat of hospitalisation if the swelling didn't start to decrease within 24 hours. The whole thing took a fortnight to clear up.

The doctor reckons that when I move to NZ, my body will get used to sand fly bites and I will have steadily less alarming responses. It is not a process that I anticipate with pleasure. However, I shall stock up on Tiger Balm.

Everything is growing in my garden, but specially weeds. Every time I try to go down the garden it starts to rain and there's a big shrub rose that is in dire need of pruning - yet again. But the foliage is magnificent at the moment in its first flush. The red blossom on the malus trees blends with the bronze leaves; the two maples, one red and upright, one green and weeping are a lovely contrast; and then there's the golden philadelphus. With all that, who needs flowers? Oh well, they are to come.

I am so frustrated here in Brighton it seems to have been raining for days and so cold my poor garden is just looking so cheesed off and nothing is growing - feel sorry for the new baby birds too their parents must be finding it difficult looking for food for them like insects caterpillars and stuff

After a dry (for here) few weeks (chuckle, poor southies, not) — our almost permanent puddle at the bottom of the drive dried up even! — we've had a bit of the falling damps this morning. Not rain as such, just a wee smirr for a wee while. Happy to stay indoors as had to deal with a second nosebleed a little while ago. It seems to have dried up now, can feel my septum scabbing You don't want to know that!!!!



Bloody rhinitis.

Not terribly warm here. It rarely is. Very green though.

Bags It's overcast and grey with lots of chilly moisture in the air.

I'm about to put the finishing touches to Elegrans painting. As I can't climb into the attic [where I usually paint], all my clobber is on the dressing table. Am having lots of fun.

when love those early summer mornings - set's you up for the day, doesn't it!

Has that pesky rain arrived?

Been out to a fabulous nursery for stuff to stuff into my window boxes for the W. !

It's a lovely fresh morning here. Just been for a walk in the park with the dog, the horses are already out in the field, and the birds are going frantic with their last minute nest-building. I love these crisp sunny mornings. Can't believe we are going to be deluged with rain again today.

Maybe, just maybe, Summer is now beginning to think it might be arriving any time soon. .

Full moon tonight - will that herald our summer to come?

The clouds must start making themselves after they've passed you, soop. It has been sunny here too though. Every now and then the hills disappeared and there is a little, a very little, white stuff in their grooves. Probably hail. But we didn't get that, just a cool north-westerly wind.

Nice day, butty . I was going to do some gardening today but then got creative in another direction.

Butter
We have enjoyed two days of wall-to-wall- in Kintyre. Bliss!
Happy days to you all.

A day in the garden potting up, potting on and planting out,
Coriander and parsley
Baby butternuts
Aubergines and courgettes
With a dozen beetroot filling in the spaces
And all the herbs I was given now have their own place.

With all the rain the soil is nicely damp and warm, and now so am I! Stiff, too.

Perfect soop

Kintyre has a cloudless sky. Barely a breeze to tickle the sea. Heat haze over the islands. Pair of swallows perched on the wire. Cat on walkabout

Thanks folks. Hope that there will be good films - there is best chance of this on Air NZ

Bright and breezy here in Cheshire, but none too warm. The wind has gone round to the east, I think. In my experience of trudging round the streets on election business in the past, the beginning of May often has east wind weather, at least hereabouts!

The heat haze we had yesterday (all of 15.5° of it – we really go for it in Scotland! It was a beautiful, perfect day!) turned into a cold haze overnight, aka fog above about 100m. I wonder how thick it is up there and whether the sun will burn it off. Here's hoping....

butter thanks. It's pouring here, so no way am I going to try it tonight but tomorrow?