seddum envy

This picture of one of the clumps of autumn seddums at Pashley Gardens does not do it justice. This was one of the smaller clumps, six foot (two metres) across and three foot (one metre) at least deep.

They had lots of honey bees feeding on the tiny flowers:

And this is my largest clump of seddums:

It can't be that my garden in north east London gets comparitively little rain, and that I don't water the flower beds. It has had plenty of rain this year!

Comfrey "cream" turning into comfrey "soup"!

The comfrey cream I made with comfrey and coconut oil has melted in the hot weather. The coconut oil I use on my hands sometimes after gardening is only a tiny bit melted. If I make it again I will have to use petroleum jelly which doesn't seem so natural! Yesterday (Saturday) out with friends so didn't get my weekly wash done. So this morning, before I went out on my bike to pick blackberries, i put in the sheets and the towels. I hung those out to dry, and put in my clothes. I had just started hanging out the clothes when I heard what sounded like gravel landing on the conservatory roof. I suspected rain, looked up - yes, clouds. Then a drop or two landed on me. I wondered what do do, risk it hoping it wouldn't be much and the sun would soon dry up any additional wetness or take everything in. I decided I would take in the sheets and the towels as they were almost dry. As the drops were becoming more frequent, I then decided I would take in everything. I was glad I did - we had a thunderstorm and it would have got soaked!

Butterflies and bees

There was a peacock butterfly in my garden yesterday, the first I have had in my garden for years. Generally, however, less butterflies than usual. Today there was a cabbage white and a large brownish butterfly and a small brownish butterfly. Even though the small one flew past my face only six inches away from my nose, I still couldn't see what it was! Worried about all the bees that were feasting on my foxfloves, bell flower and love in the mist. There's not much for them in my garden now. I do have a bronze fennel is full of flowers for hooverflies and I saw some bees on that today which pleased me. I got a "Herbaceos Coreopsis" from Homebase today. Good for butterflies and bees - and drought tolerant. Does need full sun and I don't get much of that. Have put the pot in a sunny place, but would like to get it into the ground as it should keep going for several years.

Cutting back my neighbour's forest

My neighbour's buddleia has grown since I'd trimmed it in the spring so I went in for another go yesterday evening. While doing so I spotted 6 ash tree saplings and one elderflower sapling so I sawed those down. One ash tree sapling was 2 inches (about 10 cm) in diameter near the bottom. There's probably enough ash of a decent thickness to be sawn up to make an hour's burning in the wood burning stove. Because Dorothy is not doing very much in the middle and the bottom of her garden there was nothing under the buddleia branch that stretches crosswise across her garden so I could saw that down. It now needs lopping and sawing into small peices. The gaffer tape on my loppers have stopped holding the loppers together, and the next time I am in a DIY store I plan to treat myself to a new pair.

Fending off encrouchment

Lovely day today with clear blue sky in the afternoon with the siwfts flying really high. Emptied one of the trays of my wormery. Also cut back a vine, bindweed and bramble coming over from my neighbour's. Dorothy has never been very good at weeding the edges of her garden and I have often to pull up her bindweed (though it goes in a bin so I get the benefit of some of her garden fertily), ann cut down seedling ash trees. She is also surprised if she cuts something down if it grows again! She is now in ther late 70s and slowing down. She is letting the bottom half of the garden go and concentrating on the bit near the house. A friend suggested I ask if I could use it. In theory, yes, but I am not sure I would have the time to tend extra space. I certainy haven't got the time to do the clearing that is needed. The loganberries are nearly over. I won't be going out to pick them to have with my breakfast. I will just treat myself to the few I can find when I am out in the garden. Hope to tidy the shed tomorrow evening. It feels a bit strange to be expecting another dry day!

Making the most of a dry Sunday

Two loads of winter woollies through the machine and out on the line. And an hour and a half's gardening. Then cycled off to the Princess of Wales Pub on the Lea Navigation towpath for a protest against the closing of a large stretch of the path during the Olympics. There were 3 sets of people with bikes outside the pub but no indication which, if any, were the protesters. I did have the self-confidence to ask (I don't always) but didn't. This is very unwelcoming to people who don't already know the group. Experience has shown it is not always an oversight, and once I have realised a group doesn't like outsiders it's a bit late and I am stuck! Any way, it meant I could cycle home and have time for lunch before I go on the History Society walk around the Walthamstow reservoirs this afternoon. (There was a walk round Wanstead F;ats, part of the Leytonstone Festival, I could also go on - it was difficult to choose!). Then home with hopefully time for a shower etc before going to a Pop-up cinema in a local pub (also part of the Leytonstone Festival).

home-made comfrey ointment

Today I made some comfrey ointment using coconut oil I got from the chemist and leaves from comfrey which I got from the garden. I melted the oil in a pan and put in the leaves all chopped up and then stirred and stirred for over 10 minutes before pouring through a mini sieve into a jar. The ointment is very dark green. It is nearly cool now but hasn't set whereas I was expecting it to be solid by now! It is good for scratches and grazes. Rub it on twice a day and keeping doing so - for months if necessary - until you either have problem finding the scars or there has been no improvement for aome time. It is good on papercuts as it starts the healing quickly so the cut stops hurting.