Heady Ceanothus

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

Since my last post, there has been an improvement in the weather. The Ceanothus at the bottom of the garden has come out in glorious array, giving off a very heady aroma which attracts many bees and hover flies. The warmer, drier weather must have reminded it of its original warmer climate in California because flowering seems to have been delayed this year until now.

Also since the last post, I haven't been troubled by the gas smell. Fingers crossed that it won't come back, whatever it was. I had some useful replies left in my comments and I particularly liked the idea of a gas burp.

Over the last week I have been on a couple of day trips because Harry was feeling well enough to be left on his own. However, his next chemo starts again next week. It soon seems to come round. This is supposed to be the last one....... number 10. It is a lot for any human body to endure. He is very brave.

I have been out on the garden the past few days and have managed chop back some of the appropriate shrubs and do some weeding and tidying up, so I am fairly pleased that my back stood up to the test. I do little and often. Long may this good weather last. I was a bit dismayed to realise that the longest day is now over.

Rosemary I Love You

Photo Copyright: Maggie May

Rosmarinus Officinalis, otherwise commonly known as Rosemary, is every lamb lover's favourite herb. The two are meant to go well together. Well, I don't eat or cook lamb but I love the fragrance of this versatile herb and it livens up any pasta dish.

My two rabbits also love eating it for a special treat.

The plant is in flower right now and I think it looks rather pretty growing in a pot and being a Mediterranean plant, used to warmer climes, it stands a bit of neglect in the hotter months of summer when I don't always remember to water it.

During the last winter, two shrubs have died very mysteriously, both against the same wall facing south. One was a Tamarisk tree and the other was a Ceanothus. I had had the Tamarisk tree for years and the Ceanothus had also been with us some time and survived really cold weather. I think the possible thing that finished them off this winter was the fact that it had been very mild for months and most shrubs mistakenly started budding thinking that it was Spring and then we had a run of very frosty, severely cold weather. Its my belief that this proved too much for them.

Anyway, this morning my son, Sam, cut down the shrubs and chopped the remains up into tiny pieces.

I've been thinking of planting rosemary and a bay tree in their place.

Any suggestions for your idea of replacements would be gratefully received.

I really think that Spring is here to stay now and I keep going out in the garden to tidy up and to sit and reflect.

My Quiet Place..........

This is part of my little garden. My retreat where I sit in the middle of the city but in total peace and calm. I read or think out new posts or just look at everything. The above photo is of a clematis which is growing amidst the passion flower plant, which has buds that are about to flower. 

Always watching me is this stone cat on a wall, surrounded by campanulas.

I put a small cutting of campanula from my Dad's garden many years ago into a crack in the wall and I can remember him saying that it would never take! I carefully watered it and it settled very well. Now it covers the whole wall and has to be trimmed back regularly. Some things just have to be tried out!

This is the place where I sit near to the bird feeders. You can see my chair in the corner. The ceanothus  (tall blue flowering shrub) has done really well this year and helps to make our garden private. I think every one needs a little place where they can sit and recharge their batteries! 

The garden was filled with butterflies a couple of weeks ago, but just because I wanted to take some photos, they seem to have disappeared. The butterflies were Skippers. I don't know what plants they live on but they come for a few weeks every year. Obviously I have missed them.

Well, now on to a meme!  Lady Thinker  who has a blog called "Who Cares..." has given me a book meme to do.

She asked me to pick up a book and open it at page 123 and read out the 5th sentence!  Well this is very simple but what book shall I choose?

I will pick up the last book I read, which happens to be" Vegemite Vindaloo" by David Mcmahon from authorblog

I found this book to be a really good read. In places it was sad, but in others very funny. A sort of bouncing between two countries and two different cultures. Anyway, I enjoyed the book, so recommend it. Here goes.........

"The next time Bablu and his grandmother appeared, he asked the old lady if she would pass on a message to the boy's parents."

Well, there we are. Doesn't mean much when its just a sentence. However, it is at a place in the book where there is a struggle for the extreme poor to get an education. A Catholic priest decides to give a gifted child a chance of learning to read. A child that would otherwise be doomed to a life of poverty. This child grows up to have a very privileged  job and inspires some one else to give another needy child a break. By breaking through the boundaries of a caste system, a whole series of events lead to a change in the circumstances of two families!

I am now supposed to tag someone! However, I am going to leave this open for any one who wants to do this meme  and let me know if you decide to and I will come over and read it. I know that many of you have already done this one. Here's hoping that some of you haven't!