The Drought

 Officially it is the worst drought since 1959. Ironically it is not the lack of water which is so difficult to deal with it's the incessant high temperatures. Around 7am it is pleasant enough to be out in the garden watering the few plants that I am trying to save. However the temperatures rise very rapidly and we have to retreat indoors until around 9.30pm when it is just safe to reappear. Of course there is a small window between 12.00 and 12.30pm when we enjoy a beer in the shade of the alley. This regime is so boring!! Yes we ought to do some things indoors but we find the heat so energy sapping that we have no inclination to do anything except read. I realise that there are many people who would give their eye teeth to have these conditions for their fortnight's holiday but we have lived with this situation since May and it ceases to be pleasurable. The weather forecast foresees 40C for the next few days and then a return to the 30+ C add infinitum, although they do forecast some thundery showers for the weekend. However we are so cynical that we believe they will have fizzled out by then, which is what usually happens. Never fear we have no intention of returning to the UK!

These were Daylilies !

You will be pleased to note some good news, the vines are loving it. Apparently 50% of local vines were destroyed in a 10 minute hail storm earlier in the year but we expect a great vintage. As you know us gardeners are ever the optimists (as they say on Gardeners Question Time "onwards and upwards") and I have been studying the bulb catalogues for my Spring Flowering order.