A bit of gardening

We had a quiet morning, doing a bit of shopping and then pottering in the boat. The weather being fine, sitting out on the bow before and after lunch was very pleasant. In another sign of the changing season, I emptied out the upper bow locker, retrieved the troughs from the lower locker and rearranged the stuff when I put it all back. In particular, I filled the coat scuttle (we'll still need the fire from time to time) and then put the big coal box into its summer position in the locker.

Elanor came round at 2 and took us to Findern. The garden centre was busy, though not as busy as the marina. (New and Used have been having an Open Day and there were cars parked everywhere.) We bought geranium, chilli and mint plants. The mint is a replacement for the one that's lasted a couple of years in a big blue pot but which didn't make it through the winter. Yes folks, we've managed to kill a mint plant...

Sheila has planted a chilli in the centre of each of the four troughs and put a geranium either side of it. These latter will be lower and flatter than the chillis which should stand up above them. The four chillis are of different kinds, a Jalapeno, a Cheyenne, a Volcano and a Fuego.

Whilst we were doing this, Elanor nipped home to fetch Sally and she and I took her for a run in field 3, the sheep having been removed from field 2. It was too hot to run her very hard, so after a bit we walked round the rest of the marina and rendezvoused with Sheila at Still Waters for ice creams.

Since then we've been sitting on the bow again until it was time for Elanor and Sally to go home. Tomorrow, we've nothing special planned, except that we've undertaken to show some people round Oak Lodge. Sadly the weather isn't likely to be as good as today, but it's going to warm up again as the week goes on.