I’m revamping my herb garden as the plants have gotten rather woody and less than perfect for cooking with. I’ll fill the gaps with some Lobelia for the summertime.
Purple sage
Creeping thyme
Our coal-house, which hasn’t seen coal in many years and has been a store shed, is now full of the kit needed by the installers of our solar panels on Monday.
Scaffolding went up at the side of the house today in preparation for solar panels being put on our roof next week – not very beautiful but very pleasing.
All day there has been a buzzing from our Crinodendron that is full of crimson lanterns and countless bees and other pollinators. This evening I tried to capture the sound for you. You’ll need your volume turned up.
It’s good to see and hear bees busy in the garden.
We love our ginger lily which comes back year after year.
The blossom bombs are developing well. I don’t yet reconise any of the leaves.
We have had to protect our new greenhouse from the extreme heat of the last few days (Camborne, our neighbouring town was the hottest in the country overnight 21.4C which is a very pleasant day time temperature but far too hot for sleeping!)Â and our baby lettuces are doing very nicely.
We love the colour combination here of the orange begonia, purple aquilegia and yellow poppies.
I love this:
Last night’s sunset was beautiful.
It was so hot (28C) today, too hot to work at Community Roots but I had baked a cake for the volunteers so I went along to deliver it to the few hardy (or foolhardy) folks who were there doing their thing. They were glad to have some ginger cake to look forward to!
Mary Berry’s Gingerbread Traybake
It’s only three days since I planted the seed bombs and two of them are sprouting already.
In 2014 we went to a Boat Jumble and, though we had nowhere to put it, I bought a beautifully decorated boat sink. It has been in the garden ever since! A couple of days ago, I planted the seed bombs I bought in Amsterdam, in a large pot but then realised that I needed that pot for a teepee of Sweet Peas so I have moved the bombs, which are just beginning to split, into the sink.
Our Crinidendron Hookerianum (Chilean Lantern Tree.)Â is spectacular this year.
I love the purple iris against the red of the lanterns on said Chilean Lantern Tree.
The Night Watch by Rembrandt being cleaned, love the t-shirts
Miniature kitchen in one of the dolls’ houses
I Love this jacket!
Taken from the Eurostar on the way home after a brilliant holiday with our very good friends.
The Stedelijk Museum was fascinating, I’d been looking forward to seeing the Karel Appel works, 
We later found a wonderful painting bursting with joy, Bal Tabarin by Jan Sluijters.
and discovered a room full of protest art work.
When in the gift shop, I found the perfect gift for Sue-next-door who looked after our place while we were away. I bought us a miniature egg box full of seed bombs too. Today, I have followed instructions and ‘planted’ them. We’ll look forward to seeing what comes up!
Wisteria in our garden
Wisteria in Amsterdam
There were shops all over Amsterdam selling plastic ducks. After passing several , I went in to one to ask ‘Why?” It seems they are simply a retail opportunity to attract tourists!
One of the Duck shops
Information re ducks
I loved the decoration outside a shop selling children’s clothes, the decoration comprising of painted bicycle parts and enormous knitted strawberries! 
On the corner of the street near our hotel, Roemers Hotel, was a house beautifully decorated with blue and white tiles near the top of the building. Lower down was a plaque to Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher. She is described by her friends mentioned below as “attractive, musically talented, and a skilled translator and commentator from French and Italian.They also praised her skill at singing, painting, carving, glass engraving and tapestry work.” From Wikipedia.  
Here’s a translation for you:
If Tesselschade is unfamiliar to you, then you may know
That she was a friend of Roemer Visscher,That she sat in the circle of singers
And with her stylus wrote wittily on the glass
And if you wish to find more merit and gifts
Speak to Huygens, Hooft and Vondel, her friendsPIETER HUISINGA BAKKER
Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher 1594 – 1649 poet
Commentator Award
