Mellow yellow

Phew.

I miss June. I really do. I miss all the hedgerows going bonkers with wildflowers. I miss the surge, the potential, the lengthening days. I miss silly things like still having the chance to sow a few last minute flower and veg seeds still. I miss nesting birds and the energy and noise of the spring dawn chorus.
But despite all the freshness, crispness and striking green of late spring and early summer, there is something really mellow and relaxed and well-rounded about a good July day. Everything seems to sigh after the chaos of spring. And - eventually - today was a good July day.

We've had a few damp and overcast days here recently, but finally, around lunchtime, it started hotting up. I baked bread and did some washing and generally pootled this morning, then, after lunch, Richard started cutting the hedge that runs all around the back and side of our house. I followed him around with a rake and cleared up after him. We both worked up quite a sweat.
Someone from another house in the village was visiting our neighbour and came over to introduce himself, then our neighbours came by for a chat. I felt really sticky and unattractive.

I spent a bit of time tending to my veg and doing a bit of hand-strimming around the place late this afternoon. Some mystery veg that I got mixed up and could have been courgette, or squash, or cucumber or pumpkin are beginning to show what they are so I am planting them out now. Then we left Joel and Tess in front of plates of pasta while Richard and I took the dog for a walk up the hill behind us this evening - which is where I took this photo.

After more gardening and some watering, I made Richard and me a late dinner with 2 home-grown courgettes. One was becoming quite marrow-esque.
I cut open the larger (Nigel Slater calls them "accidental marrows") and stuffed it with pine nuts and feta, and then made a rice and lentil and sun-dried tomato mix with the other. YUMMY!

Mostly good stuff but a couple of sad things:
Ash die-back has been found in east Devon, so it's probably only a matter of time before it arrives here. Such a shame.
When we got back from our walk I found a dead sparrow in the garden. Probably yet another cat-casualty.

I'm now tired, itchy (sun reaction!), sweaty and smelly, and heading off for a shower before bed.

Phew again.