Just one of those days

You know those days when it starts out well then seems to derail as quickly as blinking?

I'm sitting in a garden centre (not the one I was originally going to) consoling myself with camomile tea (yes, I really need it) and a fruit stone.

As I said, the day began well. 

I completed my studies, then had coffee. 

On collecting my bits and pieces together the phone rang. A close friend of mine from Wales was on the phone wanting a catch up on news etc.  Lovely. 

I sat down and we had a good natter.

By the time we finished it was lunchtime. I hadn't intended cooking, I'd elected the Coffee House for something so....... I cooked, ate, washed up and got going albeit rather later than anticipated. I didn't particularly enjoy what I ate but it was food and stopped me feeling hungry.

Ok, let's head there.

I set off and should have realised this was not the place to go when the traffic started backing up on the M20.

70mph went to 50mph then to 40mph, queues at Sittingborne turn off, just where I needed to be. Stranded motorists littered the inside lane and traffic played the inevitable game of avoidance.

Joining the traffic I fought in the direction of Maidstone and the garden centre.

Mm, between Bob and No I didn't stand a chance so fighting back as far as the central lane, I headed toward Maidstone itself; busy.

So after a battle with the notorious one-way system in the town, I headed toward the A228. Shouldn't be bad, I thought, forgetting just how far it is all told.

Finally! Finally, the turning for Pembury hospital! Garden centre (I should have gone there first) and what was it I actually went out for....?

Yep. That's it. Violas. Nothing fancy, just violas.

Next time, I'll go midweek.

Great relief as clouds roll in....

It's been hot this end of the UK with temperatures reaching the 30s for the past few days.

Relief has just arrived with dense cloud cover and a leading breeze which is coming from a more northerly direction at last.

The garden has suffered (as have I) and plants which should be robust throughout our dry summers are falling over all too quickly.

Flowering over, the garden is heading toward its autumnal closure and I'm looking to change the fauna once again, to fall in line with the changing weather patterns.

Certain plants are doing well such as the sedums and the shrub roses, both of which are well suited to flood and famine but others like phlox, marigolds and other cottage garden flowers are wilting under the pressure unless they receive artificial sources of water (which I am trying to avoid).

So out with the old, in with the new.

It's going to be an interesting autumn.