Good day sunshine

I woke this morning and found a red thing shining in the sky and someone told me it was the sun. So I donned my sombrero, took hold of my miraccas and did a Carmen Miranda impression around the rose trees - I like you very much I, yi, yi, yi - comes to mind. Which film did she sing that in? I couldn't remember but I was so jubilant at being able to get out into the garden and actually make contact with plants and the soil that it didn't matter.

In case we get a drought in August I now have a plentiful supply of water collected in all manner of barrels, tubs and pots - what I will probably end up with is biting stinging things which like to live near water. We shall see - the weather this summer seems so perverse that it is impossible to tell just what will happen within the next 24 hours.

It has been miserable for the Flower Shows and so many have had to be cancelled. We can only hope that the weather is kinder for the Southport show which runs in the middle of August.

As the rain has kept me indoors and unable to garden I have had the time to appraise what is working and what is not in the garden. Some things will just have to go - I have decided that we cannot stand still and what may work for one year might not for another and so overgrown Hebe are definitely out and geriatric rose trees are taboo. So this autumn major works to dispose of overgrown plants.

I still haven't got the courage to grow any vegetables despite my good intentions in the spring so maybe next year - or the year after !!! But I am proud of the little Hosta collection which I have now gathered. I am getting into Ferns too and perhaps a little stumpery might go down well.

Ah now the sun is out I really must put fork in hand and do something - the sun is shining, yi, yi, yi, - I can't afford to go down to Rio but I can potter in Cumbria - so see you all soon.