Well today has been an incredibly hot day - such a contrast to what it's been like up til now. I thought it would be more sensible to go out in the morning to look at the driveway, while it wasn't so hot - er no!!!!! It must have been close to 28-29C!!!! If that was the morning temperatures - I'm really glad I didn't go out in the afternoon - it must have been around 30F which is very rare in the UK. I know you all in the US have had incredible heatwaves, but that is something we don't suffer from thankfully.

Anyway I thought I'd go up the driveway and look at the Spirea which I noticed when I went out to the hospital last week. It's amazing it's such a small flower, but the details of it is stunning. So many tiny flowers all crammed together to form the flower.....

The bush of the Spirea has grown....

The Spirea is about 8ft high.

Amazing flower of the Spirea

You can see what I mean here - all these tiny flowers all crammed together to form just one flower - stunning. Well the bush (which I first saw about 5 years ago) was only a small bush then, but now it must be close to 10ft high!!!!

Looks as if there are more flowers coming

You can make out the different tiny flowers

Can you make out the different flowers?

I also noticed that the purple loosestrife was growing rampantly up the driveway - I think I'll have to ask Emily to cut it back up there - it's silly size!!

The loosestrife is also growing in other places on the drive

This purple loosestrife is encroaching on the driveway

You can see it here - how big it's become right on the corner of the drive!!!! Of course I was escorted as per usual on my trip out - guess who??


Pippin in his usual place when I go out

Poor lad - he found it so hot and uncomfortable - which he would being black and wearing a fur coat in these temperatures. He just wouldn't take it off though - despite the heat!!!!

I decided that I was hot enough and I'd probably lost about a kilo in sweat while I was out!!! I saw that the blackberries were growing so quickly too - not seen them as virulent before. So Emily is going to be busy picking all the berries soon!!!!

Some white flowers of the blackberries.

I'm so glad I never put out my petunias out in the garden - my other trough is completely empty. Whereas every time I open the back door, I smell the petunias, and that's amazing.

The mixed petunias in my back porch

Some more of the petunias in my back porch

Well that just about covers my jaunt outside today - I really wish I had a car, because I'd have been down to the sea and paddled all day! Instead I made several pairs of earrings!!! Not quite the same thing is it?