Boxing Day Garden

I put our Christmas day leftovers out in the garden in the afternoon to feed any hungry wildlife that happenned to pass by our patio. Whilst the second visitor was no suprise and cleaned up the bulk of the meal, the first visitor got a few roast potatoes down their throat before the food was cleared:
 

A foggy close to Boxing Day:

An Afternoon in the Garden

I spent a lovely afternoon the garden today. I even got the chance to get the chiminea roaring again. 🙂

Malvern on the Rosie

We returned to Malvern today for their Autumn veg show.  It's a long drive (just over 2 hours) but I spent it reading about Malvern's connection with the authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewsis and their drinking haunt there, The Unicorn. We did plan to visit there after the show but ran out of time. Hopefully, we will get a chance for a literary pint on our next visit. Did you know, btw, that there is more than a rumour that it was the gas-lit street lamps, which still operate to this day, gave the inspiration C.S. Lewis needed for his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The gossip goes that the author watched the snow falling as he and Dickens left The Unicorn late one evening.  "Wouldn't it make a beautiful opening scene for a story," he remarked seeing how wonderous the snow looked in the gaslight. And so it did.

Old Rosie had a hand in limiting for pic-taking at the show. The particularly strong cider lightened our moods even when the gales and rain eventually arrived.

And so there a not many photos to share of the event. And, as my, daughter remarked when seeing them, they are more than a little on the creepy side, loll

Don't ask!

Tobacco Flowers

The tobacco I sowed whilst writing my GNS zine is now in full flower. It is rather a pretty plant and makes for a great memorial plant for Guy, who was something of an afficiado of the old Nicotiana rustica.

Cacti Intervention

I have attempted to graft a loph. I degrafted from a periskopsis a few years back, but which never grew roots. Hopefully, this will bring the little treasure back to life.  The old, personally sown, old Trich. was looking ugly anyway, and the nice bit I lobbed off should make fresh roots ready to repot next Spring. The loph would have died anyway without grafting too,  so there's nothing lost if this little intervention doesn't go to plan...

Little Sam Pedro is Chuffed

Little Sam Pedro seems well-chuffed with his flowering loph. As am I. 🙂

 

The Gower Show

Spent the day down the Gower Show. The country lanes were jammed with traffic as the decent weather brought out the crowds.

The show itself wasn't as good as I remembered from past years, with a lot less stalls and exhibits. The food on offer there was what I could only describe as a vegan's nightmare!

We ended up purchasing items from just two sellers. The first was a framed artwork of Three Cliffs Bay from the above seller:

And the latter being this fine trio of magical mushrooms seen in the pic above. I have been yearning to purchase this kinda thing ever since watching the opening scene of Michael Mann's brilliant film The Keep, where Nazi soldiers drive past such adornments as the near a castle steeped in folklore, all to an exquisite Tangerine Dream soundtrack.

All in all though, we both enjoyed the afternoon and our purchases look great in their new home:

 

Windowsill Cacti

Today in Our Garden

Yellow Welsh Poppy

Orange Welsh Poppy

Oriental Poppy

Our Caldey Island Fuschia

Phlomis

Allium crishophii

Yellow Flag Iris

Our 2022 Christmas Tree

Oak Seedling from My Mum's Oak

Our Garden

Growing Apple

Valerian & Field Poppies