This post is going to be rambling style, taking a leaf out of Scriptor Senex's book, so to speak; if you have not yet been to
his blog, please make sure you go there, and I am quite certain you will not regret it.
I've been on about how I feel about the end of one and the beginning of the next month
before, and a quick look at your own calendar will tell you that indeed we once again crossed such a threshold on this past weekend. It also marked the end of the first half of 2012 - unbelievable, isn't it? Didn't we celebrate New Year's Eve only yesteday?
June was mostly a summery month here, although we had by no means only sunshine.
Here are some random images and words referring to last month:
My orchid, which was a birthday gift from a friend of mine a few years ago (and happens to be the only potted plant in my flat, not counting the herbs on the window sill in the kitchen) had been blooming for a long time now, after an even longer rest. Only yesterday, the last blossom fell. I wonder how long it will be this time before it comes back.
The cherry tree in front of our house is strategically well placed - I can pick cherries directly from my kitchen window. And so I did; several times I was able to fill my muesli bowl and then enjoy the cherries while watching "Midsomer Murders" or the occasional football match (it was, after all, the European Championship) on TV.
Have you ever wondered what has become of the forgetmenots that I mentioned several times on my blog last year? Well, I had transferred the terracotta planter from the outside window sill to the one in the stair case, to keep them safe from frost and hoping they would resume growth after the winter. I watered them regularly, but one day I came home and found the whole planter gone and emptied into the dustbin. My well-meaning neighbour must have taken a pity on the sad looking lot. They could have asked me first, but they never did, and so the forgetmenots didn't get a chance to see the next spring.
For my birthday this year, I received a set of seeds for three kitchen herbs, basil, coriander and thyme. On the 14th of June, I planted the seeds according to the instructions (it was one of those sets where the soil comes in the shape of a compressed tablet and turns into "proper" soil as soon as you add water).
They are doing well, I think, and I am looking forward to "harvesting" my own herbs.
The view from my kitchen window shows green, green and more green - it is a time of the year I love very much. There are also beautiful flowers in the neighbour's garden, and many birds come visiting (as well as the occasional cat).
Speaking of cats, Lucky (that's his name) is convinced that his humans have bought new furniture for their patio just to accomodate him :-) This is what I see most mornings from my bedroom window when I look down after having pulled up the blinds.
June was divided into two halves for me; I was on holiday the first half and back to work the second. The month ended with a BANG - literally! We had a massive thunderstorm on Saturday night, which put an end to my plans of going to the market square festival of my home town. Instead, I watched the spectacle from my window. Just before all hell broke loose, I took a few pictures of the very dramatic sky, complete with a plane that hopefully reached Stuttgart airport before conditions made flying difficult and dangerous.
And today, it is the 2nd of July, and I am looking forward to see what this month has in store!
It's really unbelievable how quickly the months go by. We have had more rain and little warmth this June, which has made everything in the garden grow tall but no flowers open. All I do is pull up weeds.
ReplyDeleteI love cherries; unfortunately they are hellishly expensive in England, because they don't grow well here. Too cold, I imagine.
What do you do to your orchid when the flowers have fallen? I was given one in March, it's still flowering. How do I keep the plant alive until the next time?
Well, I am sure a lot of people know a great deal more about orchids and manage to have theirs flowering almost constantly, but mine looks healthy by simply leaving it alone for most of the time and giving it a sip of water every Saturday. Once the blossoms have come off, I cut the stem. Someone once told me to do that, but since it took AGES for it to flower again, I am not sure that was such good advice :-)
DeleteOh dear, I am sorry your neighbor threw away your forget-me-nots! Perhaps next time you could leave a small sign on the side of the pot, "Plant Recovery in Progress, Please DO NOT TOUCH". Richard is the one that is so good with plants, and sometimes he will think something is beyond all hope and it will come back with great vigor.
ReplyDeleteYour photos of the clouds, WOW, that looked like a big storm! Lucky you, getting rain! We had rain to the east of us and to the south of us yesterday and it even stormed there, but we only had a few drops...
And Meike, with you life IS just a bowl of cherries! :-)
Aaaw, how sweet of you, Kay, thank you :-)
DeleteWe've had nothing but rain all Sunday and Monday. Much as I understand the need for that, it does jeopardize my running schedule... since I will not go out for a training run when it is raining, with my specs getting wet I wouldn't be able to see where I'm putting my feet! And the CityRun is less than two weeks away...
I love your end-of-the-month posts! And I get a smile out of your "specs" and your "spuds." Glasses and potatoes to us Yanks. These photos are really interesting. I couldn't find the airplane though. The cat and the cherries are lovely.
ReplyDeleteGlad you like these posts, Jill! They are, of course, very trivial and "pedestrian", but that is simply what my daily life is like, nothing high-brow about it.
DeleteThe plane is just a tiny spec of light in the pictures, I am sure you'll see it.
Libby that storm looks scary! Did it bring a lot of rain? It has been such a long time since this part of the desert has seen any rain, and there have been many fires in the forest and destroyed many homes near by because of the lightning and very little rain to go with it! You town just seems so quaint and beautiful and your garden is going to be wonderful. WOW that is a very ROUND and happy cat! hehehehe
ReplyDeleteIt would have been scary had I been outdoors, Linda, and I felt sorry for everyone who had a barbeque or garden party or anything like that organised. And yes, it did indeed bring a lot of rain, all through the night, all of Sunday and most of Monday.
DeleteThat cat is happy, I believe - he has a really good life here!
They are really dramatic photos and I really love the colours. My storm photos usually turn out predominantly grey but you have a wonderful variety of richness in there.
ReplyDeleteIrritating about the plants. I just let my orchid carry on its own work with very moderate watering. It lasted for many years flowering constantly until it got forgotten one 6 months when I went to New Zealand and perished.
Thank you, GB! Now imagine those dramatic colours along with the sound of the strong wind brushing through the big trees, the odd clang when a door or window was banged shut by the wind (or by people who were in a haste to make sure the thunderstorm remained outside) and the rumbles of thunder coming closer. Sadly, I never managed to capture lightning - there was so much of it, every few seconds!
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