As you all know, we officially started summer last weekend and to prove it, yes, you’ve guessed, the seasonal change has been marked in my household by my mother’s latest tea cosy, every house should have one. Here is her Summer 2015 model – it is all blue skies and summer flowers. And,  on the other side…

Well, it’s June and nearly time for Wimbledon – so what better than a tennis court  to mark the new season. Wimbledon, of course, means rain in the first week if not the second but we had that yesterday here in Lewes, UK, and the forecast is for dry weather and, believe it or not, warmer weather  is on the way.

My garden looks ready for summer but, sorry to gripe, it’s just not hot enough out there yet. Come on England, you can do better than this in June. If you don’t get a move on I shall be forced to get out one of my winter tea cosies.

I’m hopeful about this summer though after hearing the cheerful forecast from one of the BBC’s weathermen, Tomasz Schafernaker who says that it will soon be dry and hot. Hope you’re right Mr Schafernaker,  but it’s not unknown for you to go to pieces on your national bulletins. Edinburgh? Where’s that?

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Just when I’d begun to think that summer had deserted these shores, the weather turned the heat up again.   I live in the small town of Lewes, UK and, after a couple of disappointingly cool weeks with a lot of rain and far too many black clouds, it all got back to how it ought to be here in my urban garden.

I’m told the temperatures are going to rise even more next week as high air pressure arrives from across the Atlantic. I’m glad about this not just because i like to spend as much time as I can out of doors but all those annual plants were beginning o think it was past their packing in time. Instead they’ve all perked up prepared to give flowering at least another chance.

The garden is looking just as I planned it – slightly mad, you might think, but I like that spirit of controlled chaos that is actually more difficult to achieve than you might think. It makes me happy anyway – especially when the nasturtiums go on their late summer rampage.

I was even content enough to sit out there without having to referee the battle between the dahlias and the gladioli. I hope the sun shines on you all too. I’m going to enjoy it while I can. My old Borsalino hat agrees.

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Well, I sacrificed the bullock and did some pagan rituals with my neighbours, so I am hoping that Sun God Apollo will do his part of the bargain here in southern England. I did some research into naked orgies and Apollonian sacrifical rites and I think we got it more or less right. If it was slightly inaccurate then at least it was fun.

 So I hope the weather will imrpove now here in my small Lewes garden. I hope this doesn’t sound too selfish but, you have to understand that we have had terrible weather for August in these parts.

So far, so good. The sun rose in its full slpendour this morning whilst I was doing my taichi practice beginning with the appropriately named move, The Salute To The Sun.  My garden is already thanks, Apollo. I am ignoring those distant black clouds and the more than breezy wind because I am an optimist and that sun god is supposed to stick to his side of the deal. Besides, my passion flowers have opened their petals and the bees are a-buzzing.

My golden rose, Celebration is back with its second burst of blooms…….

..as is the splendidly plummaged and richly perfumed, Falstaff….

My roses are back but, at this time of year, they have to fight for their position in the sun with my abundant crop of clematis plants which have created their own star-studded hedgerow….

 Those rows of pots contain my various chilli pepper plants grown from seed and only now coming into flower.

My tomatoes, also grown from seed,  are slow as well this year……..

but, if Apollo, keeps his promise, I am hopeful, just, that there will be a good September crop….

..to go with my lettuces…….

and plentiful runner beans.

So let’s have some heat Apollo, this is still summer you know.

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