August/September 2017 garden diary

Virginia Creeper – autumn is on the way

Rose – so fragile

Hylotelephium spectabile (a sedum – we think this one is known as the Ice Plant)

Sedum spectabile – as above, but the more popular sedum

Unidentified – we thought this might be Ginkgo Biloba, but it isn’t; it also isn’t Japanese Knotweed (thank goodness!), though it does look suspiciously similar in some respects; we’ll keep investigating – suggestions welcome!

Japanese Anemones – just keep on blooming …

Foxglove – Spring flower? – nonsense!

Conkers

Garden spider – constant tweaking

And now we’ve embarked on a new project, to restore Lynn‘s Dad‘s garden to its former glory. There’s going to be a lot of hacking, chopping, pruning and shredding going on … more news later!

Garden restoration 1

Garden restoration 2

Garden restoration 3

 

 

Oliver Cromwell steams through March

Coming back from the council rubbish dump on Sunday, I wondered why so many people were gathered at the nearby level crossing.

It turned out that the preserved steam locomotive 70013 Oliver Cromwell was about to pass through.

It’s still very exciting to see – and feel – the raw power generated by these amazing machines. Environmental considerations apart, in their day they contributed a huge amount that was positive to British culture and lifestyles, over an extended period.

Whenever I see steam locos, my mind immediately goes back to the days when I used to watch my grandfather (“Grampy“) driving his huge engine out of Cardiff General Station, pulling a seemingly endless line of passenger wagons.