Occasionally, on the fairer evenings of the year and after a days work, the garden beckons as the daylight fades. Tonight is one of those nights.
After a very full working day followed by the nursery and school run, an evening of sorting dinner and playing with the children (and a playful bedtime routine,) time for a real breather beckons; the first real moment of calm since breakfast twelve hours ago. So, as quiet descends gradually on the household, I sneak outside, into the tiny garden and sink into the faded old fold out garden chair.
The chair has seen a few summer seasons now yet on it goes, its fraying seams not affecting my comfort in the slightest. There are times when my eyes have lingered on advertisement images of hand crafted benches, the cost of which I dare not enquire, choosing instead the reasonable (much lower) cost option of my folder seat, which suits my back just fine.
I try and give up on identifying the cloud formations above, as yet again the clouds could be any one of three similar types. They're nice fluffy ones though, and that'll do for now, and more importantly they're giving way to much blueness, which is always welcome.
To my right, beyond the many pots of randomness, bumble bees are busy buzzing around the comfrey flowers as they have for weeks now. Beyond this, on fence panels which have gone un-treated now for at least four years, wasps depart. They visit each year at this time to chew tiny amounts of wood from the fence, taking it away to presumably build their nest. It's nice to know that my landlords poor maintenance regime has a positive effect on local wasp nest creation, a back-handed ecology technique if ever there was one!
As I'm sitting in the garden in a fairly recently built housing estate, gardeners won't be surprised to hear that in the garden there's a general lack of that essential ingredient called soil. Therefore around my feet are a tolerable number of ants, who seem to thrive in and around the three-by-three diamond shaped patio on which my chair sits. More wildlife industry to observe and, to a point, enjoy.
Unfortunately, bird-life is really restricted, indeed I've given up involvement in the annual bird watch as cats keep all but the smartest birds away. As I write that however, a house martin swooshes high overhead; just to keep me hooked!
Casting my eyes over the plant pots, (Yes I'm proud of my clay pot collection) I can see that tonight's task is a good watering session. They're all healthy to look at, but they'll need a drink after today's warmth of course.
The fuchsias are covered in buds now, a minor miracle after their harsh winter treatment, and the oxeye daisies are lanky to my left but smiling brightly - I love daisies. Tomatoes are growing well now up my self-woven trellis, there's even a few flowers out with the promise of fruit. A sentimental, potted Boscobel rose has flowered some, with seven buds-worth yet to burst. It is loving its bigger pot this season, yet I look forward to one day planting it deeply into the ground, to realise its true potential.
Oops, looks like I've used up my few moments. I need to be indoors once again... I best dash around with the hose, then I'll leave the bees to their own devices for another night.
