Sunday, 28-05-23 - photo heavy!

 Good morning, everyone, and welcome to a beautifully sunny early-ish SUnday morning.  About half an hour ago, it was slightly misty but now all the mist has cleared and it's predicted to be another gorgeous late-Spring day.  Bring it on!

As expected, yesterday was a gentle, pottering about sort of day, so lovely and ordinary that I can't really remember what I did.
I remember I got all the ironing done which took a little while in the morning and in the afternoon I talked to the tomato plants as I moved a couple from one side to t'other, to give them all a bit more space  and planted out the last two into big pots.  I now have eleven on one side and five on the other with room for a couple more, should Chris have a few left over or if I find a large plum tomato although the chances of the latter are small as it's nearly the end of the tomato selling season.  A large plum type is the only one I don't have that I was looking for and I suppose I could trawl the online garden centres for one.  I didn't get any Gardeners' Delights because that's what Chris has.
It's a nice variety - red, orange, yellow, 'black' and striped with a mix of round plum, medium, cherry, pear-shaped . . .
Just what I was aiming for.

I'm a very ordinary 'gardener', hardly worthy of the name, but I just potter, make mistakes and Dad would laugh his head off at some of my efforts!  I went out into the garden just before the sun broke through (so a bit dull, sorry) and took a few snaps to brighten up the blog - here we go!

Plants move!  This phlox did not start off entangled with the lavender . . .  but the effect is quite pretty, all the same.

I've had the back garden geranium for a long, long time now.  It's been moved a few times, had some poor years and yet back it comes every time.  I love it.  It is a bit later than the one at the front but it just starting to throw up flower buds.  In a fortnight or so, it will be covered.

The urn is looking lovely and should continue to do so for a while to come.
(I say 'urn' - plastic thing is closer to the truth.  I had two of them but one broke ages ago)

Verbena is beautiful, isn't it?  A faithful bedding plant that gives and gives.

The nemesia is a lot prettier than it looks in this photo.  I have three clumps of them and they're lovely!

We don't grow herbs primarily for their flowers, do we; it is an added gift from them.

Thyme . . .

 . . . and chives.

Both looking so pretty.

Now a few edibles.

Loads of tiny strawberries this year and some now not-so-tiny.

The cucumbers have started growing - it took them a while but now it's warmer, they are definitely happier.

Quite a lot of the tomatoes have buds now but there's only a few flowers so far.  This is the tumbling tiger, the only bush plant I have and my experience is that they do tend to be earlier fruiting and earlier finishing.

Maybe, tomorrow, I will snap along the front strip.

After that bit of self indulgence . . .

Today is RideLondon day round here.  The bumph on the site says:

On Sunday 28 May, there will be more extensive road closures in London and Essex when more than 25,000 everyday riders will take on the Ford RideLondon-Essex 100, 60 and 30 challenge rides. There is also Ford RideLondon FreeCycle and the final stage of the Ford RideLondon Classique in central London.

Ever since the great success of the Tour de France around here, pretty much the same route has been followed for Ride London although, being a Sunday, it doesn't mean school closures and it certainly isn't the circus the Tour was.
What it means is that parts of the two main roads west out of town are closed from 6:00 am to 3:30 pm plus a number of other roads also used including our main road that goes past the side of our cul de sac, giving us a great view, should we want it.
I'm staying in unless I take a wander down the road to see if anything is going on.  I'm not entirely 'trapped' unlike some others who simply cannot get their cars out today, but I'm not going to try.  The main roads will be a bit manic with people finding other ways out of town and it's just not worth it.

There's plenty of info out there though, for those who have to travel.  I think they have learned from experience as the first few times it wasn't that well advertised and caused some hassle.  

I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do today but I will find something and I will enjoy it, I am sure.

Have a great day!  Enjoy the sunshine (assuming you have it) and the warmth.  xx