Disturbances in the force

I’m having a disturbing week:

Firstly I have found a new hair growing on my back...

Then yesterday was the Eurovision Song contests first semi final and only 4 of my favourite countries got through...not Malta or my new favourite which was Armenia with ‘Boom Boom’ chukka chukka...I love chew... (it could have been a new classic!)

Then it is still so dry, worryingly so. When I took out the forget me nots the ground looked more like an Ethiopian drought zone than England’s green and pleasant land. The ground was literally bone hard and cracked...so I was very good (I am opening for the NGS don’t you know) and dug in a lot of compost and sweated lots

However the worst thing was I found my first re-sprouting bramble root....black and wiry but with at least 4 growing points. It feels a little like the beginnings of a horror movie where they are all incubating under the soil to rise up, fight and reclaim the ground.

On a more positive note I’m almost on top of my planting....this is the fun and creative part of gardening as it’s all about thinking ahead. I have planted loads of stuff...still tons of seedlings to go, most of which are becoming etiolated (what a great word) but I must have put out about 20 Ricinus, 20 Tithonia, 15 Dahlias, 12 Zinnias. Almost getting there, I can just begin to see the exotic poking through....it’s just the brambles are giving me a poke back!