Thunderstorms.

It's been very warm starting with blue skies in the morning. Then the clouds began rolling in until there were dark thunderclouds all around apart from directly out to sea.

The sea colour has been amazing changing from blue in the sun to greener and greener as the clouds built up. (The photos are in chronological order.)

I've been spending so much time in the front garden that the back garden has turned into a veritable jungle. I recently got some of those hoop type plant supports but it was hard to contain plants like the fennel and lovage which had got to several feet higher than I am. Really the hoops shopuld be put in place when the plants are only a few feet high. Today I cleared a lot of weeds, all those tiny ones popping up between the paving stones and hardening my heart to the Welsh poppies and the native linaria growing around the edges of the veg beds. This year there is a more manageable half row of lettuces and I sowed another half row for later in the year. 

I had a restful time sitting on the terrace with thunder rumbling around me. After a few very light showers I was able to cut the street hedge using the electric hedge trimmer. Satisfying as it is to get the whole hedge done in one go,  I didn't get out the step-up platform and just cut the side of the hedge. That's easier on my ribs which react when I stretch to cut the top of the hedge. As it turned out I was rushing to clear up the last of the cuttings when the heavy rain began.

And rain it did, but not for very long. I'm not even sure if it was enough for the garden. The ground is bone dry and I should be watering the plants every day.

We did have one thunderstorm directly overhead complete with flash of lightning. I wasn't tempted to sit outside for that one.

Mr Blackbird does not look impressed by the soaking he got from the heavy rain. He and Mrs Blackbird much prefer a civilised dip in the bird bath. The postman brought me a small solar powered water pump which should be enough to aerate the pond until I get more plants. I wasn't tempted to fit the fountain attachment as the silver spheres and the last owner's heron are more than enough extras for such a little pond.

Didn't quite manage to catch the sparkle on the wet hydrangeas but they were very pretty to see.