Changes Afoot

The combines have hit the fields, and already the lower one has been shorn of its barley ears, the remnants turned into neat bales and hauled away. It should feel sad, as if summer is on the way out, but it is anything but. Lovely hot days have been the norm for weeks now, with the odd period of heavy rain keeping everything fresh looking. Today as I sat in the bath three swifts played in the sky outside my window, darting hither and thither, meeting up for what seemed to be a quick kiss and darting off again at high speed. Compared to the normal garden birds they are so striking, moving like quicksilver to reveal bright colouring. I wish they had lodged with me for once but they don't seem to be drawn here. It was a double pleasure therefore to have them visit for ten minutes.

The garden is looking quite different now from its heyday in June. Gone are the crazy displays of delphiniums and lupins, the first flowering over and the plants cut down to the ground. New growth is already showing but it won't be as impressive the second time around. The roses too have floundered after their voluptuous abundance when you could barely see the leaves for the fleshy flowers. They'll be back as well, but they're past their best. And as for the lawn, the plague of leatherjackets and the explosion of red thread have between them left it bare and patchy, a pale imitation of its old self. I've decided not to keep paying out for expensive treatments but just continue with the normal weed-and-feed routine that Green Thumb apply four times a year. Hang the bowling green ambitions. I could let film sets use it as a cheap substitute for the dust bowl of Kansas.

The newly-engaged couple visited this weekend, and the three of us together were as comfortable and happy as could be. What a delight and pleasure it is to have two such nice sons-in-law, or their equivalent. John and Ian - same name really. You never know what you're getting, but I've struck lucky twice now. We quaffed champagne to celebrate the engagement, and spent ages discussing wedding plans, guest lists, dresses. I'm as thrilled as can be. But eventually the bride-to-be had had enough and she retired to the sofa where Hugo joined her for a siesta. Ian and I? We did the crossword together. Perfect.