Late summer at the allotment

There is definitely a change in the air. I had to put on a warm cardigan this morning, swap my flip flops for a pair of shoes and wipe the windows of my car, before heading to the garden. When I arrived there, it felt cool and damp. A mist seemed to have settled over it. Everything looked a bit hazy. I think you can even see it in my photographs. It must be the first signs of autumn.

I have been picking tomatoes for some time now. There are not many more left on the branches. Perhaps one or two more weeks, before I can empty the greenhouse. It feels sort of early for the time of year. I must say that I have never had such a huge crop before.. It will probably be because of  all the sun we have had!

The dahlia's look beautiful! I love their bright colours and different shapes. Unfortunately, I lost some over the winter. The result being that I have several gaps in my Dahlia patch. I guess that's the risk you take, when you leave the tubers in the ground. 

When I look at my garden, I realise what it lacks is a bit more colour. I need more late summer flowers. I did not plant any cosmos this year, which I really regret, and my Zinnia's are still quite small. Hopefully they will give me some flowers in September. If you have any suggestions of other late summer flowers to plant, I would love to hear! Especially ones which are suitable for my cutting patch.

How does your garden look at the moment?

Happy week ahead!

Love,

Madelief x


* Did I tell you that my brother replaced part of the old (rotten) wood of the raised beds by reclaimed scaffolding boards?! It looks absolutely amazing! A bis kiss and hug to Pat. xox

The queen of watering places

When in England, we went on a day trip to the Queen of watering places, as the English poet and novelist Horace Smith, once used to call Brighton.  It wasn't our first visit.

We never actually walked to the end of the pier, which now we did (very photogenic) and took a stroll through The Lanes and the North Laines area. What a colourful and lively part of Brighton the area aournd the North Laines is. We all liked it.

As the temperatures were high, really more suitable for splashing around in the water, we headed straight for Snoopers paradise in Kensington gardens, after our walk on the pier. This place is vintage heaven. If it had not been so warm, I could easily have spent here all day. There is so much to see!

I found some lovely porcelain, which you can see on my last photo, and regret not having taken a closer look at the blue dress with the white embroidery, which you can see on the 5th photo.

Hope you are all well and enjoying your summer, at least on this part of the hemisphere :-)

A warm hello, from a humid and rainy Rotterdam,

Love,

Madelief x

A feast for the senses

We had glorious weather in Rotterdam this weekend. They said it was going to rain, but it stayed dry all day. I managed to do a lot of work in the garden. In between I did some vintage shopping.

The garden is a riot of colour. Lots of pinks, purples, oranges and reds. The Dahlia's and Sweet peas are in flower and there is an abundance of fruit and vegetables, that are ripe for the picking. The smell is heavenly. The fallen plums give the back garden a sweet scent, whereas the sweet peas at the front almost intoxicate me while  sitting in my chair on the veranda. Several of the roses bloom for a second time, like the Rhapsody in blue, Tom Tom and Coral Dawn. I pick bunch after bunch, to take home with me or give to loved ones.

In between today's flowers and fruit, some vintage finds from English and Dutch thrift and Junk stores and the Rotterdam flea market.

Thank you for your enthusiastic comments on last weeks post. Glad you liked it! Hope you all had a pleasant weekend too?

Wishing you a happy week ahead!

Love,

Madelief x

* Do you have a Parakeet problem in your garden as well? These cheeky birds eat the ripe fruit on my trees and throw it on the ground when they have only taken one bite. Such a shame.... No home made plum chutney this year....