Sunsets, Froglets and a Blackberry.

I was told today that I had a "random brain".  Personally I don't think it is random, it's just that other people can't keep up with my train of thought (which is totally logical to me).  However this post is slightly random so maybe they have a point!

I thought I'd share a beautiful sunset that we had here the other night.  The change from orange to pink was quite stunning.

A few evenings later this little fellow appeared outside my patio doors.  He looks big in the photo but was actually only about 1.5cm long (the leaf he's on is a tiny wild violet).  He must have jumped all the way from the pond (about 150 feet away) and didn't appear to mind my neighbour and I watching him for ages.  We were fascinated with his tiny, perfect feet!  

But I haven't just been watching the sky and baby frogs, I have been a little bit constructive too.  Courtesy of my day job I'm now the proud (?) owner of a blackberry - not the edible kind, but the phone kind!  As we've all got identical ones I needed a case to identify mine and rather than buy one I thought I'd make one.  Following a little research on the internet I decided on a design and after a lot of trial and even more error produced this one:

Even if my brain is "random" at least it livens up meetings, and if it doesn't then my blackberry case does instead!

In Love

I think I'm in love - with hydrangeas!  I love how their exquisite little green flower buds

Hyrandgea Preziosa

gradually turn white

Hyrandgea Preziosa

and then pale pink

Hyrandgea Preziosa

I love that these unassuming buds

Hydrangea Paniculata 'Vanilla Fraise'

turn into these beautiful flowers

Hydrangea Paniculata 'Vanilla Fraise'

And I love that they can have flowers as big as these less than a year after planting!

Hydrangea Arborescens 'Annabelle'

I thought you might also like to see the "help" that I've had today whilst I was working from home...

it's of the less than helpful kind!  She did eventually get fed up with me trying to type over her and reluctantly relocated to my lap. I'll show you what her brother was up to another day!

Little Gems

Some of you will know that when I moved here three years ago the garden was rather neglected as it had been rented for two years to non-gardeners.  In fact ivy ruled!  But the owner was a passionate plants' woman and some of her special plants somehow managed to survive the neglect (and the ivy).  This is one of those special surviving plants - a real little gem:

Rosocea

Roscoea

It was one of the first "gems" to flower that first year, and has multiplied since so I have about four in flower now.  I think I've identified it correctly, but if you know exactly which variety it is then please let me know...

Also in flower this weekend is my dierama which I planted the first summer I was here and it has stubbornly refused to flower since - until now that is, and it was worth the wait:

Dierama

(Apologies for the not brilliant picture, you'll have to trust me that it looks lovely, but it's on the far side of the pond and is slightly difficult to photograph, even with the zoom, without risking falling in!)