Saturday 23rd September 2023 - Where's it Gone, Trashed Geraniums and Cloud Formations

The winds have abated and after our visit to Halsey House on Thursday morning to visit a friend, I decided to tidy the flower border at the back – removing leaves and the like. Down on my knees, I had just about finished when out hopped a frog from under an astrantia and onto the path. As our part feral cat, Lunar, was about, I told the frog it would be best off back in the border. No response, so I decided to pick it up and put it in our pond, but I obviously didn’t have sufficient grip; it wriggled out and hopped off. ‘Where’s it gone?’, I said as I looked around. ‘Where’s what gone?’, asked Peter. ‘The frog’, I replied while at the same time I became aware of a cold damp feeling in the bottom of the right leg of my jeans…… it was the frog. I jumped up, thinking the frog would fall out, but no. It progressed further up my leg heading towards my knee. I was starting to get a bit panicky. ‘Take your jeans off’, Peter calmly suggested. I quickly considered this solution but was concerned I may squash the frog during the process and it was definitely progressing; now right up to my knee. Instead, I frantically shook my leg and after a number of shakes, it fell out. Panic over as it returned to the shelter of the flower border. Quite an experience for both me and the frog. I wonder what it told its froggy friends?

The rain totally trashed the last of the geraniums. As mentioned in my blog on 15th September, in view of the rust fungus I am not growing them anymore. Yesterday afternoon, I pulled them out; in their place I have planted some pansies, purchased from Country Pickings in Mundesley. I am bringing on two trays of pansies in the greenhouse but growth this year has been extremely slow. I put this down the scabby summer we had and doubt if they will be ready to go out until next spring. The bellis are doing better and should be ready to dot between the pansies by the end of October.

I refer to September as the month for sunrises but this year they’ve not been particularly impressive. However, this morning’s cloud formations were definitely striking and the shots I took on my phone are certainly worthy of featuring as today’s photos.