Home Again

We have a new baby in the family - our first grandchild – and we have fallen in love with her.  She was born just before the Olympic Games opening ceremony and she is perfect.  There will always be a special place in our hearts for Olympia, our little golden girl.   (But please don't tell her Mum and Dad that we are secretly calling her Olympia because they prefer the name they have chosen.....) 

Our son and daughter-in-law are both thrilled and exhausted and we felt sad to leave the new family behind in Belfast, knowing that Olympia had probably grown bigger and produced yet another load of washing by the time we reached the ferry terminal.  I do wish I could pop in and give her Mum a hand.  But we have skype and I am boring everyone with a wallet full of pictures, including the dentist.  Bless him, he made all the right noises but I expect he thinks babies are all alike.

We have also taken refuge in the garden because there isn’t much it cannot cure or help us endure. It has been a long time since we have left Springfield for more than two weeks and I expected lots of weeds but for August, the amount of growth and intensity of green is astonishing.  Usually, the top lawn is parched but it is actually, dare I say it, verging on attractive.  The hedges are in need of a second trim and considering how many drenches the flower borders have had, they look lively and fresh. 

Doc picked some raspberries and more redcurrants which we open froze on trays.  There is a second flush of strawberries on the way so I have netted them in readiness.  We have our sights set on Eaton Mess  - which will have to be another source of comfort in the absence of Olympia.

The indoor tomato plants are very healthy and Moneymaker is producing the largest fruits. The outdoor tomatoes are disappointing and are suffering from greenback which I think is caused by insufficient feeding during our absence.  Perhaps the rain has washed away the nutrients in the soil?  Many of the fruits have been eaten though, not by our neighbours, but by un-named beasties who have generously left the tomato skins behind.  (The usual suspects are mice and slugs.)  I have enjoyed growing outdoor tomatoes for the first time but I won’t be doing it again.  Greenhouse tomatoes are much more successful.

Before we left for Belfast, I removed all the courgette and runner bean flowers in order to stall their growth and this has been successful.  There are now lots of new flowers to brighten up the veg plot and I picked 3 semi-decent courgettes for our supper today.  As for the leeks, they seem to love the wet weather and have doubled in size since we went away.  Even the beetroots are swelling nicely.  I planted masses of them but only a couple of short rows survived so I am grateful for whatever we have. 

Many of the lettuces we left behind have either been harvested by our chicken sitters or gone to seed.  However, when I cut lettuces I always leave a stump and roots behind to encourage re-growth.  So we have come home to fresh lettuce leaves which are a bonus.   I plan to sow some cut and come again salad mix tomorrow, to keep the supply of salad leaves coming.

Of course, there has been weeding to do and I have tidied up some of the perennials and climbers which have finished flowering.  This will allow those which are yet to flower the opportunity to take centre stage.   August can be a difficult month in the garden but not this year.  Despite the rain, it is bringing forth an abundance of colour and energy to brighten up our lives, just like our gorgeous Olympia.

Is it time for a sleep yet? (Mum and Dad would like it to be!)

  
PS  Apparently, there a variety of chrysanthemum called Olympia which is white with tinges of yellow......  must check that one out.