Sunday, 19 July 2015

Marley and Me

Finn loves other dogs and always makes friends wherever he goes - provided he and the other dogs aren't on the lead. If he's on the lead, he's a monster. And if the other dog is on the lead, they get annoyed because Finn won't leave them alone. It's a minefield!

However, he does have one special friend - aside from Sid (and, personally, I think they just tolerate one another!) - Marley.  Marley lives in the caravan next door to Andy with his Mum and Dad.  I have been told their names lots of times, but I just forget.  They're just Marley's Mum and Dad.  And, no doubt, I am Finn's Mum.  That's just the way it is with dog owners.

Marley is such a friendly little dog and spends quite a lot of time in Andy's caravan with him - it's fab that Andy has some company there, but Finn gets incredibly jealous.  I think he just wants to play with Marley all the time - Marley stands on the step of the caravan and sticks his nose over the stable door and then we have to open the door so they can have a charge around the paddock.  It's very sweet to watch.

















Thursday, 16 July 2015

June Flowers - 2015

I have no idea how many garden photos I take over the month - I come home from work each day and get really excited to see what's bloomed while I've been at work and then I start snapping away.  I hadn't realised quite how out of hand it has got.  Until now.  I've just uploaded EIGHTY-TWO flower photos for this post from June! I'm not sure I'll be using them all as there is an awful lot of duplication - eighty-two!



This rose has been so beautiful this year, but there are no more buds at the moment.  I really hope I get another show of flowers this year - and they smell gorgeous too.





And that goes for the Bridge of Sighs rose too - at one point there were hundreds of buds on it - I almost wish there weren't so many at one time and they got spread out a bit over the summer.  It's a stunner.







My foxglove obsession is getting worse!  Although now (as I type this mid-July) most of the flowers are over now, so I can move on with my life!


These are lovely - I have no idea where they've come from!  I love that they only open up in bright sunshine so, when it's grey and gloomy, I forget they're even there.  It's such a lovely surprise when they appear.


The solanum has had another burst of flower since it's been chopped right back.  My neighbours who live at the bottom of the garden have replaced the fence panel and we've both chopped this right back so it doesn't drag the new fence down.  So pretty, especially with a bright blue sky as a backdrop.


This is another plant which has appeared in my front garden - campanula, I think?  It comes back every year despite me pulling it out once it's stopped flowering as it looks so messy out there.  I don't remember it being white before though, usually I only get the mauve variety.



I bought these lupins at the Creake Abbey Plant Fair - I got pink, white and red.  The pink and the white flowered almost immediately, but the red one has only appeared this week.  I need to get them more coordinated next year!


This red rose only has a few flowers on each year, but they're so unusal - more a tomato red colour.










The Alnwick rose has been beautiful this year following a very severe haircut earlier this year.  And this one is still flowering I'm pleased to say with plenty more new buds on it.  Gorgeous.





The poppies haven't flowered for such a long period this year either - they're a gorgeous splash of colour when they're here but they don't last long enough.



The hydrangea always does well - I love the way this goes from lime green to pink all in the same flower.


We're still no further forward with the mosaic path, but that's totally my fault.  I can't bear to cut flowers when they're still blooming and we need the path completely clear before Shannon can carry on working.  And I'm just not prepared to cut anything back for access yet.  It'll happen, it always does!


The garden is looking lovely right now - I love my sanctuary to come home to.  Despite living on quite a busy city road, it's so peaceful.





And of course there's nothing nicer than sitting outside with my boy!