Summer seems to be coming to the end and temperatures have become a little chillier but here we are hoping that, maybe, the summer will last a little longer as we had such a slow start to spring back in April and May. The swifts have left us making their return journey to Africa during the middle of August but the swallows are still around. A week ago we counted 22 on the electricity cable above our garden and more in the skies above, but there are none today. The Great Tit family are still coming to the feeders - there were eight juveniles and two adults at the start but now the youngsters are getting the sharp black head decorations of their parents so I suppose that they may venture further afield from now.
On Monday we paid a visit to HRH Prince Charles garden at Highgrove which is about 40 minutes drive from home. I was interested in visiting to get some ideas from the organic and wildlife friendly methods used there and there were lots of different plants to look at - I particularly liked the Heliotrope 'Cherry Pie' which was being paid much attention by the bess and butterflies.
At the entrance to The Orchard Room where the tea rooms can be found, there is a small family of elephants made from cane and highlighting the plight of habitat loss for Asian elephants along with the charity Elephant Family.
Our holiday in Dorset during the heatwave of July seems far away now but the photographs I took then serve to remind me.
Today I am continuing listing the Vogue and Homes and Gardens magazines from the 1950s and 1960s on MillCottageRetro which provide such a useful source for social history and decor from that time period. There are more to go but quite a few listed already, so take a look!
We have been attending a local car boot sale which happens once a month as sellers, not selling any items from Etsy but taking some personal items from the house and garden, which might help our personal spaces declutter somewhat. We still have some of Roy's mum's glassware and china from years ago - mostly useful pyrex baking glassware - which needs to go somewhere to be used. I have culled my personal bookshelves and stored boxes to find volumes that need to go on to a new life! There are two more to go at the beginning of September and October but we have no plans to make it a regular activity having been caught out by the weather on the previous occasions. Whatever is left in October will go to various local charity shops.
Happy shopping, people - Christmas is coming!
Julie
