Dog days

The mornings are quieter - only a few rowdy gulls protecting their young on a few of our neighbours roof tops and the odd straggler blackbird - we will have to wait until next year now for such a wonderful cacophony of noise each morning. The straggler blackbird has been with us for weeks - so constant has his presence been that one of the children whistles his song throughout the day........it's tattooed on my brain and I like that. 

I am also on my last brewing of this years elderflower champagne. One more gallon to go and another reminder of natures calendar. I love trying friends brews and have managed a few this year. Ferney's was good on the hottest day of the year, no excellent in fact and the one pictured below was a huge treat due to me forgetting that I had it.

You could class it as vintage, it was from smallholder extraordinaire Steve Cullen and was gifted to me last year - The Captain found it in the fridge and my goodness me it was amazing! Ice cold, light, crisp, not too sweet and refreshing. Mine on the other hand is a slightly more haphazard affair involving tea strainers and all round ridicule from the household - "drink at your peril, it will give you the threepenny bits" - charming!

The scent on my walk to the river however gets better each evening. I haven't done much fly fishing this season for one reason or another - just can't seem to get in the groove, but I still manage to walk the river each day and the scent from this display of dog rose and honeysuckle knocks you out from the head of the path. It gets better each day as the wild calendar plods on through the dog days of summer.