The New Normal: Lazy Days

I've been very lazy over here in Woodland, not much painting for the nature journal but lots of days lolling around doing not a lot - sometimes it's good to do nothing :)

June has been mostly rainy days (or feels like it) and I didn't get very inspired in the painting department; I can only offer this little watercolour of my lavender, and a very heavyweight looking bee.

Personally I like rainy days, I like going for walks and getting wet through and I like the smell and sound of the rain, the woods in the rain smell magnificent.  Last week's torrential rain has given our garden a bit of a boost:  our apple tree is heaving with tiny fruit and our tomato and chilli plants have managed to turn up a few flowers.  The little garden bench (inherited from a neighbour many years ago) broke and we found the wood was rotten inside despite lovingly wood staining earlier this year - so I'm using it as a table for tomato plants.

The lavender is humming with life as it's constantly being visited by a variety of bees.  I love to have bees in the garden, we are also getting a lot of dragonflies.

The nasturtium pots are doing well and so is my climbing rose

I went to the garden centre wondering if I would splash out on a hanging basket or two and found it was my lucky day - all the little plants, 6 to a tray, were looking limp, thirsty and 'leggy' and had been reduced to £2 a tray - so of course I gave them all a good home.  Came back and made up three hanging baskets myself and had enough over to fill two windowsill planters (which are standing on bricks)

 - they looked limp and unhappy at first, but within 24 hours in all that lovely rain they are looking quite pretty and flowers have popped out!

Aren't these petunias spectacular - my son thought they were fake they are so in your face!

On Saturday we went to London to see our eldest son who moved out in April.  I completely forgot to take any pictures (which is a  shame as I missed a wonderful posing opportunity in my red and orange Monsoon dress (sale/birthday present, first outing) we had an Indian meal (mine was paneer masala).

On the car journey I spotted about 30 wild orchids on a grass verge as we entered the M25 motorway! the amount of time I have spent searching for wild orchids over the years!  I didn't expect them to be in plain view - of course we couldn't stop to take a picture.

Source: Plantlife.co.uk common spotted orchid

On Sunday my friend came to see me and I made a cream tea for fun (scones, jam and clotted cream with strawberries on the side).   The main purpose of the visit was to get a long walk in the woods.  We first noticed none of the grass verges on the estate have been cut back this year so there are a lot of wildflowers that wouldn't normally be there which makes me very happy...also down in the fields there was plenty to see....

There are three different varieties of wild mallow growing around here...

I think below is meadow clary going by its leaves....

Meadowsweet (regarded as sacred by the Druids fyi!)

clover

Mollie's looking very shiny, she gets brushed every day.  I think she could still put some more weight on.  She has decided to sit next to me on my chair sometimes (still won't sit on people or be picked up).

Today we had a little excursion to the vet to treat her anxiety/food wolfing/regurgitation issues  - she managed to regurgitate in the car so the vet had plenty of evidence of her anxiety, she has been thoroughly examined and I'm pleased to say she has absolutely nothing physically wrong with her,  it's in her head.... she will always be like this but we can help her.  The vet recommended having four very small meals spread out and plugging her in to valerian - a calming herb.  So I have a Pet Remedy plug in diffuser full of natural oils including valerian and vetiver which will be very calming for both Mollie and me as well!  Will let you know how we get on :)

Spotted on our woodland walk - it was growing near wild plumbs, not sure what this one is - greengage? 

I was up early and won an Indian cotton embroidered smock on EBay - hope it's as nice as it looks online.  I dithered and almost missed it as usual!  I also bought a sequined kaftan from Monsoon in their sale, so hoping we will be able to travel again .... if we get some sunshine I might take a few picks actually wearing these things!

p.s. Thank you for your comments on the last post - I usually reply on the comments of the post (although I doubt if anyone these days has the time or inclination to go back and look lol!) but from now on if a reply is needed I will put it on the next post.  I really do appreciate you stopping by, indulging me in my woodfairy persona and being a follower, thanks :)

How's your June been?