Test

I just wanted to quickly try posting from my iPad.

A reminder of May.

The Slope on Tuesday – Change

This will be the last “The Slope on Tuesday”, because I have decided to join Ramblingwoods Nature meme which is on Tuesdays too.  I will now post about the slope on Thursdays (I don’t think it important which day it is but I am determined to continue as I’m finding it really does focus my mind to what is happening each week.  I will include the weather happenings for the week in the Nature Notes as for me that seems to fit.  While on the subject of memes, there is to be a new one hosted by Xericstyle on the first of the month showing a long view of one part of the garden; OK so this may end up looking the same for many weeks but I think it will also be fun and informative to see the ‘overview’ rather than just select areas; so a warts and all kind of post I imagine.  I’m not sure which view I’ll choose but maybe a wide view from the upstairs window which will certainly illustrate the ebb and flow of flowering and foliage interest around the garden.

GBFD – Scorched and then the first rain came

As I mentioned in my last post we had our first rain for over a month during Monday night plus the temperatures have dropped this week by about 10°C, making it again possible to work in the garden with some degree of comfort at least for most of the morning and in late afternoon. Today I worked on until 1.30pm and it was hotter than I at first realised! Caution is needed, I was wearing a hat!

The Slope on Tuesday 20th August

I was awoken at 3.30 this morning by the sound of thunder rumbling angrily; followed half an hour later by the sound of sweet rain which must have lasted a couple of hours – wonderful!

GBBD – It’s August and there’s still Roses

The summer has been relatively kind to the garden, although some plants have become stressed in the last couple of weeks of intense heat (40’s °C). The roses especially appreciated the rain that fell even well into July.

The Slope on Tuesday 13th August

The weather continues to be extremely hot.  The garden is just surviving, but not thriving. It is times like this that I think I should only have plants that positively relish hot, drought conditions in the garden.

Looking up from near the gate, looking very dry

Imprint in the dust

I have mentioned before that we have a resident Little owl who uses our roof as her base; we also see various birds of prey but I never get good pictures of any of them.

The Slope on Tuesday 6th August

The intense heat that is August has arrived; it began in earnest last week and now the temperature hovers around the very high 30°’s C and into the 40°’s C.  Too hot for me.  I try to get up early, 6 is what I aim for but that is also the moment when it is a pleasant temperature to sleep so I have to choose, sleep or work in the garden – a difficult choice.  In the greenhouse it is 45.9°C – too hot for most plants to thrive, and impossible to enter except first thing in the morning.

Drying Fennel Flowers

There was a lot of interest yesterday when I mentioned that I dry fennel flowers to use in cooking.  I maybe didn’t make it clear of was describing the wild fennel that grows all over the Mediterranean and not Florence or bulb fennel that is eaten cooked as a vegetable or raw in salads.

I learned about picking and drying the flowers to use with roast potatoes when I was helping some friends with their grape harvest, before we lived here in Lazio.