It has been a very beautiful day today in my little part of the garden of England. Except that is for the 3 half eaten birds that fell from the sky courtesy of the peregrine or it might have been a sparrowhawk (where's Bill Oddie when you need him!) Well, it was the one that hovers. And I was attacked by unripe cherries that flew from the strimmer and went like bullets in my head.... Max my German Shepherd had left torn parts of his footballs over the lawn the last time I mowed, and the mower is now redundant in the shed, hence the strimmer.

Constance Spry has started to flower, and Madame Gregoire Stachelin has quite a few blooms hanging their heavy heads from under the wisteria, their scent wafting in the light breeze. Sweet rocket is quite luminous in the half dusk and is quite beautiful in shades of whites and pinks. My original old dark red peonies which me and mum dug up from old Victorian houses which were being demolished 30 odd years ago are in full bloom, and peony Sarah Bernhardt is not far behind. Rose de Rescht has had one solitary bloom and Gertrude Jekyll just gets better each year. I moved quite a few roses late last year so a few are taking their time to settle, and sadly lost the huge Pauls Scarlet Climber that mum had stuck in as a hardwood cutting for me years ago. I have replaced it but it wont be the same, as I lost mum as well, two years ago this Saturday 23rd May. I feel closest to mum in the garden as we used to sit on the hammock and bird watch.

I am growing quite a few fruit and veg this year - havent grown veg since my son Damon and I moved here 27 years ago, when we planted lots of potatoes and onions and not much else! In the greenhouse courgettes are already setting, and ive planted out minipop sweetcorns today. Lots of different tomatoes ready to flower and cucumbers,peppers and aubergines coming on slower.Red Onions, spring onions, lettuce, runner beans,broad beans and peas all coming along nicely. Strawberries, raspberries, thornless blackberries, a single tayberry and gooseberries all beginning to fruit. I moved my large grapevine and hoping it will fruit.... Well daughter Kate has just said it looks like i am writing a novel, so i will end my first blog here