Playing with Friends

Today I have been playing in the garden until 10pm - way past bath time, especially as it's a work day tomorrow.  Well, life is too short to waste time not playing.

I am always playing in my garden - usually on my own, but not really on my own as you shall see.

Thirst things thirst, on a scorching hot day like today has been, is to have a cup of tea in the mug given to me by a Secret Santa, resting on the stone minstrels given to me by Rudi and Maureen behind the London Pride given to me by Peggy.

And then it was off to play with the Bearded Iris given to me by Lorraine.  I planted the rhizome last year and it was about to give me one flower when the wind snapped the stem.

This year, however, it has given me about a dozen buds and is now revealing its amazing flower - the yellow beard on the lower petals (sepals) with their intricate markings all of which are formed to direct bees to the nectar at its heart so they will pick up the pollen and spread it to other flowers.

This is my first ever Bearded Iris and I love it.

And then I made a spider's web on the swing for the Honeysuckle given to me by Peggy to grow through.  I have another one to make on the other side to hold the Ox Eye Daisies back from the path of the swing.

And then I prepared the strawberry bed for this year's harvest with straw to keep the fruit clean and netting to keep the birds off the fruit and ladybird clips and copper tags to keep the birds from getting tangled in the netting.

The strawberries were given to me by a friend of my dad's.

And, no I am not depriving the birds - there are odd plants dotted around the garden which are unprotected so we can all have a share.

And then I had to admire another Aquilegia which has just come into bloom.  This single elegant beauty is Aquilegia 'Mrs Scott Elliott' and was given to me by Lorraine too.

Of course, some things are given to me that I can't quite work out how to use.  The glass ball was a gift from me to my gran and auntie many many years ago and was given back to me by my auntie this year.

So far it is sitting by this complementary ball with a head of the Sedge Carex comans.

I am aware it is a potential death trap for creepy crawlies but it is safe for the moment I think.

Some gifts just seem to find a natural place - the badger given to me by mum seems to be emerging from its set while the Yew seems to have been cut back just to provide a perch for the owl given to me by Eleanor.










So, even when I am alone in my back garden I am never alone in my back garden: I am with friends and with family because of the gifts they have given me over the years.

And as the day draws to a close over Burntisland Binn and the mist begins to rise in the valley I remain  so grateful for all the days I have played in a back garden with my friends.