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We had planned to be at The Loweswater Agricultural Show today and to meet our friends there, but the show was cancelled.

High winds on the Friday night demolished the marquees and Sunday's (today's) forecast was for high winds and showers, so it was not to be.

Peter had come over on Saturday for the weekend and the plan was that Barbara, who travelled over today, would be his transport home.

She had brought two friends so they all stayed here and spent the afternoon in our garden instead.

Our visiting friends . . . John, Barbara, (myself), Elizabeth and Peter, down in the paddock.

Peter sitting on the slate seat down by the pond.

When I said originally that I fancied a weeping willow down at the water's edge,

Barbara offered the dwarf tree on the right which she no longer wanted in her drier suburban garden as it was not growing well.

Here it has a more moist environment and is thriving as she wanted it to do. The one on the left is a taller variety I had planted previously.

No great flower meadow this year as the grass has been too virulent.

It has drowned out all the seeds I scattered and all the young seedlings that I grew in the greenhouse and then planted out.

	- - - o o o - - - Next year I'm going to have to deal with the grass in some way, probably by creating informal flower beds by de-turfing several areas of the paddock and then spread seeds and plant seedlings early so the grass doesn't have chance to grow back. - - - o o o - - - John and Peter back up at the seat. Dylan has his serious photo-face look just to cheer up the picture ! - - - o o o - - -

Barbara and Elizabeth take time out on the swing seat.

Elizabeth was saying how she was an electrical engineer working on the Spitfires and Wellington bombers during the war.

That would make her one of the small and elite group of "Spitfire Girls".

Barbara's late husband was in the RAF and she and Elizabeth enjoyed a recent visit to an RAF base to see the old planes flying once again.

At 95 years of age, Elizabeth is still takes an interest in technology . . . checking the iPad that Barbara is using to take her photos.

From the seat there's a rather nice view of Grasmoor today.

In the paddock ahead of them, some small but plentiful apples on a young tree . . . this one a Kids orange (apple).



Yellow James Grieve apples . . . still a little under ripe.	Conference Pears, just a few and not yet ripe either.

Over the fence the farmer is grazing his Herdwicks.

They are "dressed to the nines" with traditional red ruddle on their coats and would have been ready for the Loweswater Show.

They can lazy on a sunny afternoon in the fields, instead of being penned on the show field.

Who knows they may have won a prize . . . but just like my loaves and photo entries, they pass un-recognised this year.

Looking around the garden . . . Colourful, edible nasturtiums growing in a pot by the seat. We haven't eaten the ones from this pot because there's a big supply of them in the veg patch and that has given us more than enough for our salads this year.

The blackberry season continues, with a good crop needing picking every few days.

In contrast the weather has failed my spinach seedlings.

These four quadrants of the flower bed reflect three subsequent plantings of spinach, but these later top-ups have hardly grown.



In contrast there are some really nice red cabbage . . .	. . . and the sprouts are developing well.

Ann and Peter take time out on the seat by the bay window . . . smile please Peter . . .

That's better . . . thanks.

We enjoyed a very relaxed afternoon in their company

and with Pete's overnight bag packed in the car, they left for the return journey across the Lakes to Staveley.

- - - o o o - - -

A few days later . . . we had two more visitors.

Chris and Linda were over in the Lakes for a visit and would have collected their 2020 calendars

but for the fact that we had posted them out last week.

Still . . . they stopped for coffee and a chat and a catch up on the world since they were last here in Loweswater.

- - - o o o - - -


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