Sunday 26 August 2012

Yo-Yo Weather!

The summer continues with very unpredictable weather - a couple of days hot and humid, then cool, wet and windy. Yesterday there was a thunderstorm which lasted for about half an hour, with thunder rumbling away but no rain or lightning that I could see here.

The adverse weather is definitely having an effect on the trees and plants. We had lots of apples and pears on the trees and every one of them has dropped off before maturing. The muntjacs have had a feast under the trees.

This is a quiet time in the garden and I have not taken many flower photos recently apart from this Water Mint which is flowering in the pond at the moment.

Water Mint

There are plenty of squirrels around. Last week I had some grapes in the house that were past their best. I know the badgers love to eat them, so I threw them on the lawn where they could find them under the bird feeder.

Sadly they did not last long enough for the badgers to eat them. A squirrel launched in on them and I decided to take a few photos.

He was most amusing - when he was full there were still plenty of grapes left, so he then started digging up the lawn all over the pace to bury them! I don't think he realised that they are not like acorns and would rot away quickly underground.

Grey Squirrel

Grey Squirrel

Grey Squirrel



Finally, there seem to be a lot of rabbits around this year. They really are pests because they dig holes all over the place. Here is a photo of a rabbit on the lawn with one of its offspring.

Rabbit with youngster

This weekend is a holiday weekend with a day off tomorrow, so of course, there is rain forecast :(

3 comments:

Sandra said...

Hello Jenny, nice to see some movement in your English Country Garden! So sorry to hear about losing all your apples and pears this year - even though the deer having been thrilled to find so many windfalls! Cute pictures of the squirrel eating the badger's grapes! I know that rabbits can be pests, but they are endearing little creatures! Did you ever read the book "Watership Down"?
We have had a strange summer here too with plenty of cool and rainy days and then mad periods of heat-wave conditions. We've just had a deliciously cooler weekend but it's heating up again this week! Roll on September!

Mia said...

Nice blog you have! I just love English countryside.

Autumn is coming here in Finland and the day is grey and rainy. Luckily I have day off from work so I can take things nice and slowly.

Have a great monday :)
Mia

Giasone said...

The weather you are having sounds just like summer here in Victoria - changing from wet to dry and hot to cool. Sorry to read about your apples - I assume it was because of the wind rather than the heat. We tend to lose a lot to the wind, though more so when they are small and green.