Southern Hawker

- Aeshna cyanea.
At last!! A photo of a Southern Hawker. They don't hang around once they've spotted you so I was extremely lucky to sneak up on this beauty, while Indie squeaking ... " Come on, I'm bored". Love her!!
An early visit to the plot after pegging the laundry out. I turned the ground for the leek bed, added the last of the homemade compost on top, then a layer of well rotted manure. Now covered and ready for planting. I picked peas, pulled beetroot, cut courgettes, plus a few stems of lavender, & a bunch of anemones for home.
Down to CK, walked Indie, lots of butterflies on the buddleia on Acorn Field Lane, picked and ate my first 2023 blackberries. Back to base had coffee with Mum, did a couple of jobs in the garden together, then headed home with the hedge trimmer.
Pruned the Salix Mt Aso, the growth is so vigorous that it needs a hard prune, (second pruning this year). Did some dead heading etc, in the garden at home, then time for lunch. Wrote out the plant labels for the stock I'm giving to a friend of a friend for her FORCE open weekend. Although I have always done plant sales for Rowcroft Hospice wich is linked to Torbay Hospital, I underwent my cancer treatment at R.D.& E hospital in Exeter. Their support group is FORCE cancer charity, so it's good  to be able to donate plants & support wherever possible.
After lunch I cut the field boundary hedge at the back of my allotment plot, had a good tidy up. Prepared the ground for the 'Saxa' French bean plants that I've propogated in the greenhouse. Lifted a couple of 'Gemson' potato hulms, small salad potatoes, & picked THE first runner beans of 2023. Whoop whoop!! Love a runner bean or 3 :-))