Here comes the summer

Midsummers day has passed (as has the longest day) and the sun is shining on FauxSurreyLand. The KC is spending her days intermittently sunbathing, staring at birds & snoozing, the  FauxSurreyTeens exams have gone (hopefully with a bang not a whimper), and we have had the first pool party rip through the fabric of our FauxSurreySilence (although it is only one & this time last year were almost into double figures by end June and an apology for the din was offered up without any prompting so things could be looking up!). So as I settle down to a corker of a Wimbledon, watch the heat increase & the nights slowly darken (oooh I am already excited about autumn!) there is no doubt that after the soggy winter & iffy spring, summer is here.

I made a promise to myself to get the garden sorted this year and I have been true to my promise. Work has thinned out slightly -  but will hopefully bulk up again in the not too distant future - so I have spent my "resting" days pruning & weeding & planting; and the garden is rewarding me beautifully. The front garden is a mess of white & pink roses & fragrant lavender all topped off with a ridiculously blousy & colourful hanging basket.


The land out back (AKA our lovely huge back garden) is playing host to a riot of colourful bedding plants  - bright red, white & pink geraniums, all colours of pansies, striped dianthus & lobelia are fighting for attention with a huge lavender - alongside magnificent rose bushes (orange & white) and very very happy chocolate vines, honeysuckle & an exquisitely fragranced jasmine.

You see whilst I was cursing as I slopped out the utility on Christmas eve, the rainwater was permeating the depths of our soil and giving clearly very thirsty plants a very long cool drink. Add to that a mild & gentle spring plus the last few weeks of lovely warm sunshine & a few bits of thunder to top up the wetness, and all the plants are all behaving as if they've taken multi-vitamins!

The only "no shows" this year have been my poppies (think a sleeping fox simply squished them by using them as his bed) and the (un)"Miracle Gro" 'flower magic' which promised a carpet of flowers in just 6 weeks. I have just checked the patch where it was sown - 5 weeks on & still bare soil (apart from weeds). Hey Ho.

Life in the Slow Lane ...

Goodness me it's been weeks since I last blogged. Maybe because I am now 50 I have run out of time / energy to share my random thoughts with all. Well that's just not good enough!

So have made some time. What have I been up to? Had an amazing 50th birthday dinner en famille at the lovely hotel FSHubby & I held our wedding reception at. We ordered the 7 course tasting menu for 10 and it was spectacular. Thanks to Stephen & the team at The Chalk Lane Hotel.

Then I hosted an "at home" day and a host of friends & family pitched up with fizz, food & fine gifts. A birthday cake was unveiled, candles blown out, the weather held and even the KC behaved herself!

I then got lost in a flurry of work - which was great - much needed and very welcome - and one project entailed driving to Birmingham, moderating groups for 2 nights & staying in cr*ppy hotels - ah just like the old days when I was a super keen junior exec!

Then FSHubby & I headed north - very north for a lovely week off. We rented a barn conversion very near the Northern Lakes town of Cockermouth - close enough to get to the shops, pubs & restaurants in 3 minutes but far away enough that our nearest neighbours were a herd of cows who came & chatted to us every evening. It was lovely. We ate in a nice but not brilliant (sadly) veggie restaurant, found a great local pub in the shadow of the lovely local church and drank local beer whilst listening to the pealing bells and had our first golf lesson - and we loved it! FSHubby was way better than me but I can see us doing it a lot more.

And the beds were good! amazing - no need for blow up mattress no need for emergency A&E visits.

So now we roll into summer. It has been mainly pouring with rain & very muggy so a classic British summer is on the cards methinks!