When you consider that last week we were lucky enough to reach 15C it made a change to find the morning temperature was 48C. The kitchen on the other hand was decidedly cool due to the Rayburn having turned itself off. It was due a service soon so it wasn't a shock but it did mean that Peter had to spend the whole day dismantling, cleaning and rebuilding the burner. The burner wicks eventually turn to carbon which doesn't hold the oil and not only do they have to be replaced but all the carbon has to be scraped and drilled from the metal work. It makes for a full day's work and often needs several adjustments to get it burning correctly. Peter says there is also something wrong with the oil valve in which case we will have to call out the engineer to get it running properly.
With Peter fully occupied I could hardly expect him to cut the grass so I have spent the day mowing and strimming. Not the best thing to do when the temperature went over the top of the scale of my garden thermometer but I took long breaks indoors. I wasn't quite finished when I had to call a halt in order to get to the supermarket, after a refreshing shower, before the Sunday closing time of 4.00. When I got home I thought it a shame to leave that last bit so I cut the final lawn before retiring to a chair in the shade.
Peter is now preparing another barbecue, spicy koftas I believe while I bought some courgettes which can be grilled to go with my prawn salad (wild prawns not the farmed ones where they rip out the eyes of the females to get them to lay more eggs!).
As I was mowing the paths in the wild flower patch I was overjoyed to see this small orchid flowering. Many years ago, at least 10, I had dug up 4 orchids from the field next door which at the time was a very wet meadow and transplanted then 100 yds to a wet corner of my garden and then felt guilty as there was no sign of them after the first year. Hopefully this one at least will flower every year.
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