This week temperature records fell most days due to an unusual and stable heat dome that settled over western Europe and stayed. Most days we were up to 30 degrees by midday, and after that things got seriously hot. If you wanted to do anything, it really had to be done before noon, and as soon as the outdoor temperature fell below that indoors in the evening, we opened windows to get rid of the super heated air. That time got later and later as the week went on. This photo was taken at about 7pm in the evening.
Then yesterday afternoon at about 4pm, things started to change, and by 5:30pm this was rattling around making the windows shake.
Typically, we had been invited to our first BBQ of the year yesterday evening, but our host's garden pergola had a more waterproof cover than ours, so we were able to sit out and watch the rain and hail fall just a few feet away from us. At home we had 1.5mm of rain, but the main body of the storm tracked over The Shack, and there 12mm fell, saving me from watering when we visited this morning.
It has been very unpleasant, not least as the heat came on very quickly and at a time when it wasn't expected to be that intense. We've all survived, but for our small, black cat, it has been a bit touch and go.
Last week I said I couldn't find the first bee orchids to photographe - well, I spotted them again this week along with a couple of others that popped up yesterday. I don't think it is going to be an amazing year for them, but four flower heads will do me fine.
The raised herb bed I set up in April is now starting to look quite the ticket. The dill I sowed is coming up nicely and may provide a nice garnish for fish on Wednesday. The parsley I sowed will keep going for a long time. The planted sorrel, tarragon and chive plants are looking healthy and llush, and the new sown chives are coming up strongly too. I sowed more sorrel but the seed was very old and doesn't seem to want to do anything, but that was always a gamble.
In my defence, it isn't easy to take photographs when carrying a frail and crochety black cat in your arms.
Apart from the orchids and herb bed, other flowers are coping better than us with the abnormal temperatures. There is a patch of weedy opium poppies by the chicken run which are very pretty.
We have some fine banks of knapweed in the Meadow, which marbled white butterflies seem to find irresistible - I thought they were more into scabious, but that isn't out yet.
There are some fine, tall yellow flowers in the Orchard, where we pushed back one of the walnut trees. I've seen the odd one before now, but this year there are quite a lot.
The early cherries are long gone, prey of starlings and wet weather, but one of the later trees is coming good. I had thought that yesterday's storm would have damaged all the fruit beyond repair, but this morning we had a tasty and copious snack standing under the tree and I hope to do that again tomorrow. There's not enough to make jam or do much with, other than enjoy them.
The only other activity of note was trying to make the sister blog to this look a bit more professional and searchable, without any luck. It is on a different platform, rather more technical than Blogger, and I fear that if I want to improve it, I'm going to have to pay for something more than the free service!! Foiled again!! If you want to browse the other blog, you can find it here - James Holland, 20th Century Artist – The life and work of James Holland, 1905 – 1996 . When it is looking better, I will write about it here.
Anyway, we are now looking forward to a cooler week so that we can get things done. I have courgettes, aubergines, peppers, chillies, tomatoes and cucumbers to plant out and need to sow the sweetcorn too - things you can really do in temperatures over 30 degrees very happily. I hope you have good things planned for the week too.
Have a good week!
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