Summer At Last

Summer at last, June is here and all the flowers and animals are in their prime. My garden is full of pretty flowers (and not so pretty weeds) and the Blue Tit eggs in our camera nesting box have hatched. It is just amazing watching them on my computer screen. I'm so glad I bought it for my 'hubby's' birthday! Sadly they started to hatch last Sunday, the day after my open afternoon but to be honest I wouldn't have had time to pop indoors and show anybody anyway. The open afternoon was a great success I think. I hope those of you that came thought so too. It was busy but not too busy that I couldn't cope. I was really worried that people might all turn up at once and have nowhere to go, let's face it my bug house is only a large shed. I have already put a new date for the next one on my website, it is Saturday 20 th June. I am not expecting this one to be as busy so I have gone back to my original time of 1pm-3pm. Most people arrived between 1-2pm and nobody came after 3pm. It's fine to turn up at 2.55, I won't throw people out at 3 o'clock!

I did appreciate everyone making the effort to come and visit. Many had travelled miles, from places such as Birmingham and Northampton. One guy came by train and then walked from High Wycombe station, it takes fifteen minutes in the car, I can only imagine how long it took on foot and it was a very hot day too - dedication indeed. My super daughter Georgie helped out, I couldn't have done it without her (I paid her of course, she is a teenager!). I was pleased to sell off some plastic boxes and tanks. I hoard everything and end up with far too much stuff and nowhere to put it. I have already sorted out some more bits and pieces for the next open afternoon and perhaps I will get organised enough next time to sell off some of my potted food plants. We have been at our house for nearly six years now and this is the first year that I am 'almost' self sufficient when it comes to food plants in the garden. I have Oak, evergreen Oak, bramble, Hypericum, rose, eucalyptus and a ready supply of lettuce in my salad garden. I could never grow enough bramble though, I would need a field to feed the amount of stick insects that I have at present. I was trying to cut down on them but they have bred in abundance recently.

The spiders that I mentioned last week have not yet come in as there was a bank holiday in Germany this week. It seemed safer to have them posted at the beginning of next week so that they don't get caught up in the weekend post (now that there is no real postal service at the weekend - moan, moan).

Last but not least I will be on my own for the next week as my hubby is off on a motorbike trip around Europe (big moan). Well not actually alone in the house but alone in the business sense. I just hope that nothing goes wrong with my computer or I will be lost without my IT support/husband. I have no idea how to fix the simplest of problems so fingers crossed it will be ok. If you don't get an email reply within a day, ring me!