Through the garden gate ...

and to the beach...

My garden is looking particularly lovely right now, and I can’t help but survey it with the satisfaction of one who has realised the pleasure that gardening brings rather late in life and I'm eager to catch up on what I've been missing all these years! I have been playing around with the flowers, constantly picking the sweet peas and the cornflowers. I’ve been a bit wary of picking my verbena bonariensis because they are so stately and regal looking that I don’t want to spoil the look of them as they sway to and fro in my little patch of cottage flower heaven! The vivid pink flowers I grew from seed which I might have received as a free gift and I cannot remember what they are called. They have multiplied abundantly and they are really beautiful and indeed a great cutting flower, if only I could get myself to cut more of them!   I have therefore also decided to participate in ‘through the garden gate’ but instead of leaving it in the garden, we shall go beyond the gate to visit my local beach.

The photos of the garden were taken the same day as the beach photos, in fact when I finished taking the photos of the garden, a little weeding and a little watering, I hurriedly packed my panniers with my beach staples; a blanket, a small cushion, kindle, flask of tea and my sunhat. The day didn’t offer up much in the way of sunshine, it was cloudy but warm and almost no wind, which is unusual when you live at the coast.  I spend a lot of hours cycling along this beach and it’s my favourite way to unwind. It clears my head, gives me much need exercise and makes me grateful for a whole lot of things. The cycle path along the promenade is long and almost straight, so one is free to view the beach on your left as you cycle with no fear of being knocked off or hooted out of the way by frantic traffic.

There is always something to see along the way, dog walkers, fellow cyclists, most of whom will give a friendly nod as they pass you by, windsurfers and the occasional speed boats.  But today was very quiet. Two lone fisherman sat staring out to sea, waiting for the big catch, hardly moving from their chairs. Shortly after I arrived, two ladies arrived with 8 children and they noisily splashed in the dark moody water for some time before it got too cold for them. The vast emptiness of the ocean looked so serene, so tranquil. It was hard to imagine that two weekends ago, the heatwave had us all outside and the beach was jam packed with people of every shape and size, umbrellas up, picnics out and plenty of noise. If you like people watching the beach is a great place to indulge in this without it being too obvious, but if you like reading, then it’s best to find somewhere else to sit unless like today, the rolling clouds guaranteed an almost deserted beach.

Does anyone know what this pretty purple flower is, it's grown very tall, about 5"10 with the tiniest of flowers.

The hollyhock is just about to flower, since taking these pics the buds have opened slightly and I can see the delicate peachy pink of the flesh. It's now about 5"10 high.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my vintage Italian coffee set.

Have a great week!

Sharon