Almost Rained Off.

A grey day with plenty of light rain in the afternoon.

The morning was dry but I drove down to the community gardens just in case. A good thing too as I would have been soaked on the way home. It had begun to rain as we sat eating the lemon and syrup soaked hazelnut and sesame seed cake Cat had made. Before that I helped move the chickens run to around the herb spiral. They have a medium sized wooden house which isn't too heavy to move and an electric fence which keeps the hens in and the fox out. Then I helped someone weed around the small beetroot plants in a raised bed. Everything is very late this year after the poor spring. At home the tomatoes are doing well but the lettuces are only just hanging on. Only six plants have been spared by the snails, slugs and birds after three attempts to sow directly in the soil and a last try on the window sill.

The orchids are much happier in the north facing sitting room windows, possibly also because I remember to feed and water them once a week. When I looked at the photo below I thought the white spots on the cane were woolly aphids but closer inspection showed they were paint spots. But I then noticed a few woolly aphids on the other orchids. I took them all outside and gave them a good spray hoping that will kill off the aphids.