Evening in the Country

This is the end of my August Break.  It's been a lot of fun and I don't think I've ever posted this much in one month!  Thanks so much for playing along ... I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I did.  A warm welcome to my newest readers ... I'm so glad you're here!
 

Queen Anne's Lace

Spun Gold

This grass grows everywhere and I can't seem to stop photographing it!  I love the color and texture and the way it moves with the breeze.

Goldenrod

Feathery goldenrod by an old weathered fence post.

Ethereal

Hay bales on a hill

In my garden ... clematis

There are just a few blooms left on my Jackmanii clematis but it was just gorgeous this year.  It now needs two trellises, side by side, to hold it.  In a summer where most of the garden was scorched, this thrived in the shade.

Behind the barn

A broken and abandoned wagon wheel sits behind an old barn.

p.s. - thanks for your lovely feedback on my blog's makeover! xo

Stillness

I frequently drive past this old barn and have wanted to photograph it for ages.  A few weeks ago, I finally did.  This is one of my favourite shots from that session.

Have a lovely weekend!  xo

Country Lace

I love seeing Queen Anne's Lace growing everywhere in August.  It's so pretty and delicate and hardly deserves to be classed as a weed.  I found this patch growing by the pond near my home.



Edited to add: My blog has been given a bit of a makeover. I was planning on adding a sidebar but it looked much too cluttered so I've kept the layout the same. My categories are now in a drop-down menu at the top of the page, along with links to my online sites. The blog archive remains at the bottom of the page but it's now easier to read. I've also updated my banner slideshow (long overdue!) and tidied things up a bit. Let me know what you think!

Windowbox

Roses

Pale pink David Austin "Evelyn" roses from my garden ...

Refreshing

Watching the rain from my front porch ... seeing the parched leaves turn upwards to catch the raindrops and the earth swallowing the water in big thirsty gulps.  It's been a dry summer.

Garden angel

Roses and peonies

Locked

Wishing and hoping ...

Attic Window

A lovely spot for a picnic

Lavender

Pink Hydrangeas

It hasn't been a great summer for gardening. Extremely hot temperatures (for us) and very little rain has left my garden scorched, in spite of almost daily watering. After surviving the winter, my blue hydrangeas just couldn't take the heat and have stopped blooming. I've mulched their roots and watered them, sometimes twice daily. Maybe once it cools down, they'll start flowering again.

But my pink hydrangea has performed beautifully! I've never had blooms as large as I have this year. I planted it about 4 years ago and even though I've had to water it almost daily, its roots are a little deeper now than the blue ones. Maybe that's helped it survive these hot days.

I've tried and tried but still can't dry my hydrangeas. Can anyone let me in on the secret? I was told to cut them and place them in a jar with an inch or so of water. Once they've taken all the water, they're supposed to dry but mine just wilt! What am I doing wrong?

On another note, starting tomorrow, I'll be participating in Susannah Conway's August Break. For the rest of August, I'll be sharing a photo a day from Monday to Friday, no words just photos (okay, maybe the occasional word!). If you want to join in, click here for all the details.

One last thing ... there's a blog makeover in the works. Hopefully it will all go smoothly. :)