Beautiful Moments from the past week.
We have been having very warm weather and being mid August we are making the most of it. I have started to spot blackberries in the hedgerows on walks, which always reminds me of the later, long summer days.
I have been working on my Garden Design course this past week. Breaking up the day with a morning and evening walk to avoid the heat. I have had the results of my first submission and now have an idea of what I need to work on and develop which is great. I have been learning bout Greek and Roman gardens and was delighted to spot Myrtle growing in our town, which being high up, and Myrtles being tender, I was surprised to find. It was full of blossom and a load a lovely scent. Myrtles were often grown in Roman times and even worn in royal crowns, making this discovery even more special.
I have been looking at the work of Elizabeth Blackadder this week and find her work very inspiring. Blackadder would collect objects and paint the things around her that inspired and caught her eye. I have been looking through my book about her a a lot over the last week and particularly like her sensitive plant paintings and drawings of her cats. Her work encouraged me to pull out my watercolour set and clean my pans and case which I am planning to use this week coming.
We visited How Green Nursery to collect plants for a couple of client’s gardens. It is a beautiful time to go, with flowers in full bloom and many at their best. On our way how we stopped at the Falconhurst farm shop collecting fresh apple juice as well as a petting their resident pigs and goats. I also didn’t realise they do supper and street food events which I’ll make a note of.
The allotment has been experiencing the dry weather and Ru popped by while I walked Thelma, I was happy to see the artichokes grown from seed this spring are still going strong. I wanted to introduce more perennials so this is a great step towards a lower maintenance plot. The raspberries are also looking bigger.
The weekend brought a lovely visit from friends who stayed with us from London. We spent much of our time before dinner outdoors, taking full advantage of the lingering summer warmth. It was a treat to pick fresh flowers from the garden for the table and to use herbs from the herb patch in our dinner preparations. As summer begins to wind down, these moments of creativity and learning new skills feel particularly precious. Whether it's in the garden, at the allotment, or through art.
