The Drive Home

I love the drive home from Edinburgh even on a miserable day which it was today, dull and drizzly. Once over the cattle grid and rising up towards the moor I feel I have left the buzz of towns and cities behind. I stopped the car and looked back and could see The Law in North Berwick and over the Forth to Fife, fantastic.

Our Dog

Not the right setting on my camera, need to do more reading on action shots. I only get one go at her jumping the fence and I can't kneel down as she would be on top of me and the camera before I could get up!

Sausages and Green Lentils with Tomato Salsa

Salsicce con lenticchie verdi e salsa di pomodoro the Italian for the above recipe which we were served the other evening by my sister and brother in law. It was so delicious we came home with the recepie and my husband cooked it this evening. A very simple dish from the Jamie Oliver "jamie's italy" that will become a regular favorite in this household.

African Lily - Agapanthus

I am amazed how well this plant has flowered this year, considering it is a native of South Africa and we have had a very poor summer. It came from the garden of a friend in Essex and this is it's first summer in the Scottish Borders. I know she will be delighted as am I that so far it is thriving.

Red Admiral Butterfly

There has not been a lot of butterflies in the garden this year. This beautiful Red Admiral was seen with a number of others sucking out the nectar from the Monarda flowers.

Owl Feathers

As I was unable to get outside today because of the rain I took a photo of feathers we have found where our barn owl roosts and preens itself.

Bee Balm, Bergamot-Monarda

Not to be confused with Citrus bergamia which is the flavour in Earl Grey tea. The bees love this plant and late this afternoon they were buzzing desperately around it, they have had a tough time the last few days in wet windy weather.

Borlotti Bean Rissoto

I can confirm the resulting risotto from these beans was truly delicious.

The Most Wonderful Bean

Thanks to Sarah Raven we grow borlotti beans, you can not buy them fresh in this country and they are just fantastic picked and cooked rather than using them dried. We will be having a risotto in the very near future and I will take a photo of the bean which is a lovely cream colour with magenta markings.

Todays Harvest

The broccoli and cauliflower went straight into the freezer. New experiment this year freezing whole instead of breaking into florets, blanching then freezing, worth a try.

Lily-Lilium

Todays post is for my sister who loves lilies and as it is her birthday today the photo had to be a lily. The photo was snatched early this morning under a very dark sky just before it rained.

Teasel- Dipsacus fullonum

I was told beware the teasel once they are established they will seed freely I wish, we have plenty of room for them to seed all over the garden but we only have one. Apparently a cultivated variety of teasel is still grown today for use in the textile industry. the second part of the name 'fullonum' is derived from the term 'a fuller' Fuller was the old name for someone who teased out wool. The purple flowers are loved by butterflies and goldfinches love their seeds.

Water Lily

A water Lily on a dull rainy day, I do hope I can take a picture of the same flower on a sunny day when it will be fully open showing the difference the sun makes.

The Humble Lobelia

Some think this little flower is common, I think a mass display is spectacular and it is certainly good value flowering throughout the summer.

A Puff Ball

This puff ball took a little over a week to grow from a very small, one inch round ball to this alien monster! So far it's made soup, a casserole, a risotto and large amounts have been given away.