Is it me, or does life seem to just fly by? I can't decide if its because the weather is being so fickle and it doesn't really feel like early summer yet or if its an 'age thing'...?! Every now and then I have an irrational sense of panic that my life is like the contents of one of those sand filled egg timers, running away with no way to slow it down. When you begin to think how many years you've already been here (and yes, I'm racing towards another birthday - surely it can't be that time of year again?!!) and do the maths about what's likely to be left... Time to start doing those things on the list of 'really want to...' methinks!
Anyway, in the brief interlude when we had something that resembled summer weather we did take time to enjoy a bit of British seaside bliss. This was the second May bank holiday weekend and Tom and I decided to savour the sunshine with a trip to Southwold. I do tend to think of this as the 'posh' beach town, a bit... it has an air of middle class respectability with its selection of high street arty/crafty shops, artisan bakeries and tea shops. But it does have a nice atmosphere and you can get a lush icecream!
Doesn't this look just a classic British seaside scene???
I love the coloured beach huts and the rolling waves...
I know the sea is always a bit murky coloured and the surf hardly impressive but this is the seaside of my childhood and makes me think of buckets and spades, coloured windmills to stick in sandcastles and gritty sandwiches.
I love the colours in this rusty old bollard in the sunshine...
It was just lovely to sit and eat ice cream and absorb a bit of warmth...
I'd like to distill these moments to savour when everything is cold and grey!
The weather lasted just long enough for me to take another day in the garden at my old house and although the main purpose was to try to keep things looking neat and tidy, it would have been crazy not to take a bit of time to appreciate it too. This is always when the garden looks at its best with lush colourful borders.
Everything seems to have gone mad in the last couple of weeks since I went out there. And things I thought I'd lost have appeared, including these alliums - which I planted ages ago and never really came to much. This year they are flowering really well...
The lilac smells heady...
...and the aquilegias, as always, look pretty, nodding in the breeze...
The peony is excelling itself this year too - I don't think I have ever seen it with so many blooms. Oddly, it doesn't photograph very well. It is actually a really rich deep red but somehow seems to bleach out a bit in a photo, maybe because it has such shiny petals?
I do love it though, its such a blowsy, brash number! You can even see it shouting out from the far side of the garden!
In the foreground here you can see something else I got a bit over excited about - the dark purple iris buds you can see are flowering for the first time! I think I planted them about 15 years ago and they have never done more than had lovely architectural leaves. Ironic that these things are doing so well this year now that I am not living there! Although...it looks as though the next step in this protracted 'division of assets' process (all feels very clinical when you start getting into the legal language) might result in me moving back there in the sort term to get on with getting it on the market... Not necessarily my preferred option but can't see it ever happening otherwise...
Though I did take 5 minutes to just admire the blue sky before driving home...
Given that today, I resorted to putting the heating back on (for goodness sake, weather! Its June!!!) I am glad of a reminder of a sunny day!
Now, must stop daydreaming and get back to jobs in hand...lets see if my car has made it through its MOT?!!
Sx
I love aquilegias too. Be nice if you can get some time to enjoy the garden before it sells. Hope your car passed it's MOT.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to see such beautiful, summery photos as winter has just started here. The work you have done on the garden has made a huge difference, you must be pleased with what you have managed to accomplish.
ReplyDeletexXx Helen
Your beaches are different from ours, but boy has your garden come to life just so pretty, can you pot some of your old garden up and take it with you? That's what I would be doing.
ReplyDelete