Meeting some amazing people

As I work on a market stall on Mondays and Fridays I am always meeting new people. 

Yesterday two women were admiring the plants on my stall - in particular a foxglove 'Illumination' that did sell very well. It is a beautiful colour. I got talking to these women who had just been to badminton at Brixton Recreation Centre, they go regularly. We chatted about their love of plants and their active lifestyle, both were around my age I think. I told them I missed yoga - I used to go to Yoga Point up near Brockwell Park - Dalberg Road I think - but the classes are Mondays and Fridays and I now work on both days. They told me about a class in Ferndale Centre, Nursery Road, which is also for older bodies so I just registered and booked a class 11-12.30 for tomorrow. So looking forward to stretching out these old muscles! Thanks ladies!

On sale now are beautiful penstemons, gentian sage, scabious, red verbena, pink sedums, japanese anenomes, bamboo, aliums and much more. Oh and a tray of the most vibrant chilli peppers that everyone stopped to admire.

Blackbird in trouble

Over the past few days the female blackbird that has been nesting in the grape vine since early spring has been sitting still for hours on various branches near the house.

I first noticed her a week or more ago, in fact I commented to my daughter that this bird is behaving strangely.

Yesterday I had a garden day - tidying up, mowing the lawn, watering and there she was, sitting in the beech tree, still, huddled, puffed out. She was chirping but it was a mournful, quiet kind of chirp, weak and plaintive. Her mate kept flying in, landing next to her with morsels of food in his mouth. He tried, unsuccessfully, to feed her only for her to turn her head each time in refusal. He spent a good deal of time sitting on the larger cherry tree just watching her from afar.

At twilight I checked to see if she was still there, she was not. I walked up the garden for my final look of the day, admiring the runner beans that cascade down from the supports, I heard a rustling near my feet and there she was - she'd been in amongst the swiss chard. She hopped away and slid under the tomatoes and courgettes. I left her to it.

When I had observed her and her mate yesterday I spent time near her sending her some healing energy - I couldn't help her any other way.

This morning I went out at 7am to check the place she usually sits - she wasn't there - I turned to come back inside the house and as I turned I saw her, sitting in the Indian bean tree right at eye level. She looked at me, blinked, looked around but didn't move other than that, she was so close I could have touched her. She does look ill and must be so, or she would have flown off when I talked to her.
I pray she manages to get through whatever is troubling her.

Today the garden is hosting a family lunch - so I'll be cooking all day - Italian fish stew, roast beetroot, butternut squash and artichoke pasta, lamb potatoes and salad - and I have two massages to give before then - both full body. My good friend from Amsterdam is staying for a week so we will have a fantastic day - the weather promises to behave, we will have sun. My garden looks ready to host the day.