Heat is off, for now......

Having had four or five weeks of quite intense heat at Houghton Lodge, we finally have some rain and I was pretty pleased with that today. I have been summer pruning espalier apple trees up a ladder in the rain and I have really enjoyed it! The trees look much better and brighter for it. The light is able to penetrate and the tree should have more energy to grow the fruit.

One thing about starting a new job is discovering as you go along how to do things better. I am slowly discovering inappropriate clothing for both heat and rain. My sleeves were wet to the elbow today as rain had been dripping down as I reached up to cut the shoots of the tree. Last week I couldn't figure out what to wear to avoid sweating profusely so these are all learning curves!

The garden is looking lovely for some moisture and things are really growing. The Pumpkins are sprawling out of their raised bed and our newly planted small veg patch is coming on (amongst the weeds). Having cut back the Nepeta, the walk to the long border looks much better and as Andrew has shown me the plant will come back and flower again.

The Lettuces in the Hydroponicum have come up and some need a new seed to start again. It didn't take long and before we know it they should be large enough to eat.

I took a minute to take some pictures today, my favourite being a moody sky over the river with a sense of rain coming. I also found lots of beautiful butterflies in the long border loving the flowers.

Looking forward to tomorrow!