Apologies! I knew I wouldn't be able to write anything yesterday, so on Friday I spent time carefully honing a short but interesting piece on nature playing catch up (I think), and programmed it to publish yesterday. It didn't and the whole thing has gone. I'm sure it was great, but I haven't got a clue what I wrote, although I do have pictures which may help!
Why couldn't I do the blog yesterday? It was vide grenier day in Echimiré, so we had to be there by about 7am (dawn is very pretty but way too early for me at the moment) to get in and set up. Even arriving when we did, it was too late to be able to use the van and trailer as part of the staging as our two neighbours had encroached on our space with trailers, tables and a cast iron barbeque, so we had to dump everything, move vehicles and then see what we could do with what we had available. It worked OK as you can see, until...
Someone bought the stepladder! We didn't make our fortunes, but could afford Rosé and chips each, and we got rid of a lot of stuff. I think I sold perhaps 8 vases, 3 salad bowls, 2 bedside lamps, decorative plates, and a load of other small stuff, allowing more space in our storage lockup. It was a beautiful day and the lovely old parasol from Worcester days was much needed as the sun was very powerful. I have a sunburnt elbow!
On Friday I was very excited as my tree peony flowered. I've had it perhaps 8 years and have never repotted it. It is in a very exposed spot by the front door and yet somehow keeps going. The fact it only has one flower this year says to me that once that has faded, I really better had treat it a bit kindly with some new soil and perhaps a bigger pot!
On Friday I also spent a bit of time (when not preparing for the vide grenier) admiring the broad beans which are well in flower now. I am waiting until I see a set bean or two before I take out the growing tips to discourage black fly - could be a job for Wednesday or Thursday I guess. Not least as this magnificent masonry bee has spent a lot of time with the broad bean flowers!
I think I said a week ago that the cultivated cherry blossom was magnificent so thought I had better include a photo to proove it. Today much of the blossom has faded or been blown away. I'm hoping the bees had a wonderful weekend with it, as it was warm and sunny. Unlike the blousy pink cherry blossom, individual flowers are single, so easy for pollinators to get into and do their thing.
Apologies again for the delay - honestly (or rather honesty - a lovely purple flower and our bank of them increases year by year as they self seed)!
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