The Sun Returns.

Having been somewhat put out to hear that Aberaeron just down the coast had over nine hours of sun yesterday and had been one of the sunniest places in the UK it was a relief to finally see some sun this afternoon.

The fact that I needed to do less walking about today and the fleeting nature of the good weather meant that as soon as all the usual routine was done I settled myself on the terrace. Sun lounger, kindle and mug of tea all made for a pleasant sojourn though wouldn't you know it eventually a grey cloud loomed and I felt the first spits of rain. 

It was only a fleeting moment of dampness though afterwards the world turned grey again so I did some more curtain hemming. The wide street facing window in my study has a double layer of curtains with instead of a lining, thick curtains made from a woollen blanket that help keep out the cold and the light from the street light on the opposite pavement.

Before getting on with the morning jobs I'd spent some time sitting down by the shingle garden. Although the tall flower spikes of the stachys are starting to look quite dishevelled as the flowers turn brown they are still full of many different types of bee, wasp and fly all buzzing about harvesting the nectar from the remaining flowers so I can't cut the spikes down yet.

I'm also keeping my eye on the hardy geranium in front of the blue hydrangea. There are still too many of the pale lavender flowers for me to start cutting that back. And yes, that is just one plant spreading across the whole of the flower bed.

Another hardy geranium doing well is Ann Folkard which has worked its way into the hedge and is sending out flowers 4ft up. The verbena bonariensis has shot up above the top of the hedge and is contrasting nicely with the brilliant purple buddleia. It's a real pleasure to see so much colour in the garden at the moment.