Wow! It's bloomed out of its socks!

As per usual, I went into the greenhouse to check on my three cactii and make sure they were ok.

My round, pink flowering one has finished its season and is concentrating its efforts on growing. It won't be long before it'll require repotting once more.

The other round one..... well see for yourself....

It has so many more buds to come out too. 

I'm so impressed. 

It obviously enjoyed my false Spring of water, warmth and of course sunshine.

I've only recently protected the greenhouse from the direct sun as it was beginning to crisp up the wooden slats of the drainage system, but these three certainly enjoyed that early baking.

A short walk .... pah!

I had a lovely walking meditation this morning and felt revived afterwards. The only trouble was, I really didn't have anything planned for today so felt at a loose end once I'd had lunch.

Having no bread whatsoever in the house I thought I'd be a good idea to get some, going the long way round to the shops which are less than 250 metres away.

Mm, short walk? Well it maybe four and a bit kilometres but the terrain was poor and it was rarely level ground. Not a route to take in the winter that's for sure. It'd be boggy and by the looks of some places, a stream.

So the route followed the side of a field, along a long, narrow path down to the drive of a house called The Yews and then onto a semi metal road, only to then retrace through another field and then along a field border woodland.

I'll do it again now I know the route but when its cooler and I'm not resembling a turkey cock again that's daft.

The parched earth was apparent with crops growing poorly in most fields 

I feel for the farmers, their yields are going to be down again this year with more of them tearing up any plans for arable in the future.

We need rain. This drought has come too early and unless we have a wet spell, we are going to resemble 1976 in this area; brown, half dead and desperate.

I forgot the bread.

I cooled off and went out again. The direct route this time.

Phew! The South East bakes...

With temperatures between 26° and 30° C, the South East has begun its summer long droughts.

We've not seen rain here in my part of Kent for a few weeks, all the thunderstorms which fell and flooded areas elsewhere, passing overhead and giving us nothing.

Throughout the winter I've collected water for such an event but even I am beginning to find my supply in dwindling. With only half a container left I am praying for a break and at least some showers to find us.

Retreating to my greenhouse where the temperatures exceed 95°C the cactii are flourishing and flowering.

The beauty with its flattened white flowers has only recently opened its buds  giving me a wonderful show of delicacy whilst the diminutive pink flowers have been opening for the past month now. 

The garden itself it surviving surprisingly well considering the length and depths of the cracks in the sun parched earth. Early Spring management and allowing the soil to be totally carpeted with green has kept everything looking healthy.

Each part of the garden is performing out of its socks and the insect life is abundant. Not many butterflies yet but I have seen five or six of the varieties I usually get in this garden plus some small blues which haven't ventured here before.

The weather is hot, the plants are doing their best, the insects have nectar and pollen whilst the spiders have the insects. Birds come and gather the greenfly and the spiders to feed their fledglings whilst larger birds hunt for those they can extract from the ground. 

All in all my ecological experiment is working well. Still could do with some rain though.