Category: Flowers

The gardener’s nightmare – 9 June 2026

Posted on by Zogman

Today was one of those days when you just have to knuckle down and get things done.

Scamp was out for coffee with Isobel and was intending to bring some messages back with her.

Yesterday I made a list of things to do today. Today I added to that list. The only thing to do then was to get started.

The first thing to do was some tidying up of May. I’d a lot of loose ends that needed clearing up. Nothing difficult, but a whole lot of little things that I wanted to sort out. The blog was one of them.

The blog was only half finished but it didn’t take too long to roughly fix it. Next job was to get all the independent units of it into the correct order. I knew the problems it would bring if all the dates were in the wrong places. Best to get it sorted while it was still clear in my head. After that I had some tomatoes and veg to chop up to be made into soup for freezing later.

Scamp returned just after I was checking that all my tasks had been completed properly. By then it was time for lunch.

Jamie and Simonne got back about 4.30 and although the black clouds were gathering, I thought I could get a few shots before the rains came. It didn’t quite work, because I got caught in a rain shower. Nothing very heavy, but then I heard the rumbling of thunder and thought walking through the trees wasn’t the smartest place, but sometimes I’m not all that smart and anyway I was as far from home as I intended to be, so I walked back through the park, just in case.

PoD went to the gardener’s nightmare, Buttercups. Scamp does not like them and I can see why, but they stood out well from the background and I liked them.

Dinner tonight was Chicken and Peas, but it wasn’t as good as it usually is. Maybe I did something wrong, but there is very little you can do wrong with it. Scamp made Syllabub and it was just as good as it always is.

Jamie and Simonne are intending to go off on a walking holiday. I hope they get good weather.

The Japanese Garden – 6 June 2026

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Jamie and Simonne arrived last night and today Jamie drove to the Japanese Garden outside Dollar.

The route his sat nav took wasn’t the one we would have chosen. Narrow single farm tracks that didn’t leave much room for driving and certainly wouldn’t accommodate two cars meeting. Thankfully we didn’t meet any other cars!

The weather wasn’t great, but there was almost no wind which gave me great reflections on the pond and it would have been perfect if I hadn’t forgotten to take a spare SD card! However, I managed to offload some of the older photos to create enough space to get some decent shots.

We had coffee and a scone each in a wobbly wee lean-to bench at the back of the booking hut. We walked up to the Fairy Houses that are still there and thankfully the sun was shining for a while. I think the visitors were impressed!

Drove home by a more sensible route and Jamie & Simonne got ready to drive over to see Andy and Cat and the children in the evening.

We stayed at home and watched the qualifying for the Monaco GP. A few bumps, but not as many as we suspected.

PoD was a trio of Rhododendron flowers from the Japanese Garden.

A sad day – 5 June 2026

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Today was Val’s funeral. Scamp and I were intending to bring Colin with us, to the crematorium in Falkirk, but in the end he decided to get his daughter to take him. The only folk I knew were Colin and Fred, although Fred knew a few of the teachers from Abronhill High who knew Val.

I nearly burst into tears when we were walking in to the crematorium because the music started playing Pink Floyd’s “Wish you were here”. The title says it all.

We didn’t go to the tea or the meal, I think we just drove home in silence.

Again I will say it. I’m so glad I went to see him and have a blether for one last time at the hospice.

Back in time – 3 June 2026

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In the morning Scamp went to the dentist to get a tooth repaired.

After the we opened up another of those magic boxes that take you back in time. This one was a DVD from 1991 and most of it was about a holiday in Wales. We saw Jamie and Hazy making clay pots, making waves on machines that explained how tidal waves worked. We watched steam trains, although I don’t think we actually went on the trains. Moving forward in time, we were driving up Quiraing and over the top, then down past Uig and onward to Portree, then home to Staffin. Watching that route now, the roads seemed very narrow and treacherous. There were a lot fewer cars on the road then but the roads are probably worse now with too many cars a far too many potholes.

Later that year we went to Hazy’s school concert where she played her clarinet to the parents and teachers and got to take a bow. Around the same time there was a ‘Rock’ concert near the primary school for Westfield Gala Day and Scamp remembers Jamie’s pals joining in.

Great memories. The quality of the movie cameras has moved on greatly, but watching those old videos was great fun once you settled down to remember places and faces.

Back in the present day, the weather was pretty poor. I had intended to go for a walk this afternoon, but didn’t want to get soaked, so today’s PoD turned out to be a photo of one of the Thalictrum plants in the back garden. This is the third or maybe the fourth year they have flowered.

Dinner was a cobbled together Fish Risotto that looked a bit rough, but which worked out fine.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to meet Alex for a walk if it’s dry or a pizza and a blether if it’s wet, Scamp may be meeting Shona for coffee.

Families Gathering – 1 June 2026

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It was a wet day and a sad day, despite everything.

Drove up to the car wash at Tesco. The owner must have thought I was mad. Who in their right mind would want their car washed on a day when it was lashing with rain. I would.

A quick lunch of a banana sandwich, then we were in the machine. That’s what it felt like. We three drove over to The Village and picked up Isobel. Then we drove to Cairntoul Court and dropped Scamp off to find her place in the ‘Big Car’. The car arrived and we all drove over to Daldowie and were ushered in.

The celebrant gave his speech which, if you were hearing it for the first time, would probably have been uplifting, but not today. Once the curtains closed it was all over. Nothing left to do but head back to the pub where the meal would be served.

The food I had was delicious. For the second day in a week, I had a chunky, lovely gammon steak with chips. We sat and listened to Ian and Isobel telling stories of times gone by, but the different groups kept to themselves and didn’t mix very much. Probably a Scottish way of dealing with a situation like this. Gradually everyone made their ways home, individually and in groups.

Back home the ladies had a laugh with a few drinks, remembering things that had happened over the years. It’s the Scottish tradition again.

Jackie is off home tomorrow and we’ll start straightening everything out and getting ready for our own lives to begin again.

Paul wasn’t a bad boy. A bit wild at times and out of his depth. May he rest in peace.

Tipping – 31 May 2026

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Not the tip you hope to get for work well done, more the tip that you put the old, broken and useless stuff in.

I drove over to the council tip an waited in the queue of cars for my turn to drop off our old Dyson carpet sweeper, drove round to the other side of the tip and loaded everything else into the waiting maws of the compactor, then drove home.

After lunch and after watching Laura Kuenssberg finding holes in Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that “She knew noting” about her husband’s alleged crimes, I pulled my boots on and went out for a walk, only to find Jackie walking up to the step. She was staying with us for the next few days.

I walked over to St Mo’s and found some Red Campion flowers that were growing by the side of the path. They provided a PoD and a last photo for May 2026. I wandered on past the yellow Irises that I’d photographed yesterday and bought some milk in M&S and some Jelly Babies in Iceland. On the way I found the new path that had been made to connect the retail park to the path to the football park. It’s taken the council at least two years to create that new path, but I shouldn’t complain, at least we got the path.

Dinner tonight was Roasted Chicken and Peas. A staple in this house and one that seemed to go down well with Jackie too. Her and Scamp had a chance to peruse the thirty odd photos we’d put together from old and very old photos we’d found in Paul’s house. Interesting stuff there.

Spoke to Jamie later and heard about their plans for coming up to Scotland soon. Looking forward to that.

Tomorrow looks wet, but I’m hoping to get the car through the car wash then drive a full car load over to say goodbye to Paul.

Angelic Iris – 30 May 2026

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It was a dull day with the occasional showers.

We started clearing up the back bedroom under Scamp’s control. It’s amazing the number of things we ( that means I ) hold on to useless wee things that I hadn’t used in years, but that “Might come in useful some day”. I fought my corner well, but I had to agree that most of the things that went in the ’Skip bag’ were well past their usefulness.

The highlight of the day was a drive to The Cotton House in Longcroft. The food is usually good, but although Scamp’s Chicken Chow Mein was fine for her, my Kung Po Chicken was hotter than I expected. My fault, not there’s. I almost forgot the wee tubs of jelly beans that they serve when you are finished. I remember one of my pals just eating the whole tub of them once when we were there. I think I only got one. It’s those additional touches that make us go back there again and again. Overall a good meal. Just right for a Saturday afternoon.

We did a bit of chopping and pruning when we got back to the house and a fair amount of moving pots from front to back and vice versa. The occasional rain shower sent us looking for shelter, but we did get a lot done. Also, Scamp got a chance to try out her new water fountain in the garden.

I did manage to get an hour or so in the garden later in the afternoon and got a surprise, because the Yellow Iris flowers were in bloom. I grabbed a photo of one of them that looked quite like a little fairy. That was easily the PoD.

Tomorrow we’re expecting Jackie to arrive for a few days. I imagine it will be a talking shop, but will give the sisters a chance to go over recent events.

I may go for a walk, and I think I may be chef for the day.

A scorcher! – 25 May 2026

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In the global stakes they don’t stand a chance, but today’s temperatures of 24ºc are impressive for Scotland.

We had a lazy start to the day, but we really must get some work done to the house. I thInk I need to sand down the back door and repaint it. The window sills also need a fresh coat of paint, front and back. The cupboard at the front of the house could do with a lick of paint too. I think that will be a good start. The carpets need to be cleaned and that seems to be where Scamp thinks we should start … hopefully tomorrow.

We watched a fairly interesting Canadian GP with a lot of mechanical failures catching drivers out. I almost felt sorry for George Russell. After his car ground to a halt at the side of the road, he threw his headrest away in disgust and that earned him an extra penalty! Not St George’s day. This new F1 rule book is catching a lot of drivers out and causing no end of misery for the ‘Old Team’. Good to see!

After the race was done, Scamp and I went for a walk down to the shops to get some essentials for lunch and for dinner later. That was when I began to feel the effect of the 24ºc and wondered how Hazy was surviving “Dahn Sarf”. Hope it wasn’t too hot for you.

After lunch and before dinner, we drove to the Town Centre for a sequence dance class. I can’t for the life of me remember its name, but we knew it well enough to dance the whole routine without listening to the teacher. That didn’t mean that we just ignored her, and we actually learned some of the finer details like the hold we should be using. Good work, Kirsty.

Back home there was just enough light to capture a bunch of Aquilegia flowers backlit by the sun. That made an easy PoD.

So tomorrow we’re intending getting the carpet cleaner out and do a ‘Scrub a dub dub’ on the living room carpet!

Sitting in the sun – 24 May 2026

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Scamp was out with Shona in the morning doing some shopping and I was off the leash for the day, or most of it at least!

We were running low on milk today and since Scamp and Shona had borrowed the car, I walked down to the shops. It was a warm day and I was regretting wearing a sweatshirt, even if it did describe perfectly the perspiration I was feeling. Back home I brought out one of the folding chairs and settled down to an hour’s reading of Brigands and Breadknives. It’s a bit strange reading ‘real’ books. They are great because the batteries never run down, but their downfall is that there is no light for reading at night. Life is full of these imperfections.

It was late morning before I realised I hadn’t had lunch, but as I wasn’t really hungry, a couple of slices of buttered bread sufficed. I’d found a couple of possible PoDs on my walk to the shops, but nothing I was totally sold on.

Scamp and Shona arrived in the late afternoon and Scamp suggested the Peony flowers in the living room might make a suitable subject and they did work. Half a dozen shots later I had my PoD.

While I was concentrating on the flowers, Scamp was making a stir-fry from some veg that was languishing in the fridge and a couple of chicken thighs. They filled the plates quite nicely.

Shona was going home to her house later with a couple of large bags containing today’s bargains from the shops. Just to be up sides with her, Scamp also managed to snag a dress and leggings. She also managed to get me a new pair of much needed jeans. So all of us were happy.

Spoke to Jamie and made final plans for their visit next month. Looking forward to that.

Tomorrow, for the first time in ages we really don’t have any plans!

Out to lunch today – 22 May 2026

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Investigating a restaurant in Paisley. Scamp had heard good reports from it.

It’s a complicated journey to Paisley from Cumbersheugh. Bus to Glasgow. The inevitable coffee in Nero and a walk through the streets, busy on a Friday morning. Then we needed tickets to take us on the train to Paisley. With tickets in our hands we just managed to get on to the train with seconds to spare. The train took us the four stops that we needed to get to Paisley Gilmour Street station and we walked into the sunshine of Paisley.

We did a quick wander round the shops in Paisley, just in case they had different shops that we have at home, and surprise, surprise they did have a dress the exact size for Scamp and another top that might just fit Shona. It looked like it was going to be a good day.

We were actually too early for lunch, but Scamp said she was sure they’d fit us in, and they did.

Scamp’s Lunch was: Cullen Skink Croquettes then Beer Battered Haddock washed down with a glass of red.

Mine was Crispy Chicken Tenders then Gourmet “Scampi” & Chips ( the Scampi was actually King Prawns, but it was clearly labelled as such, so no problems there) Also washed down with a glass of red!

To finish we had Vanilla Ice Cream with Homemade Tablet and Hot Caramel Sauce. Delicious.

We’ll be back!!

I had a view of Paisley Abbey and Scamp had a panoramic view of a wedding party walking into the restaurant in their finery.

We walked to the station and caught the train to Glasgow, then a coffee for me and a peppermint tea for Scamp before we got the bus home.

Quite a tiring day, I did over 11,000 steps and Scamp did a lot more.

PoD went to the Golden Torch Rhododendron that’s flowering in our garden.

I think we are possibly going to Brookfield for an hour and a half of dancing tomorrow.