Tuesday 27 July 2021

Where are the wild raspberries?

 



I have a burning question. Where are all the wild raspberries? I keep hearing people talk about picking them but they just don't seem to exist around here. And blackberries simply aren't in the same league. 

The garden raspberries are lovely, but there aren't many of them. Just enough for me :) The strawberries are thin on the ground as well. I shall pull out the plants and replace them this year. I am micro-gardening in short bursts of time whenever I can, just to stop it all going rogue.

The pond is lovely, I quite often stand and watch the newts swimming up to the surface and the waterlily is happy after spending last year under a carpet of duck weed. There have been more birds than ever in the garden this year, enjoying the blueberries and drinking from the pond. Every garden should have a pond I think, it's such a necessity for wildlife.

I've been enjoying the wildflower verges that have popped up this year. There's a tiny patch of grass I go past on my evening dog walk, nothing special at all, surrounded by the concrete of suburbia, but I have become quite obsessed with counting the number of flower species just in this little three metre square patch. Nine or ten at least I think. 

Otherwise, I am trying to stay sane during the sensory bombardment that is the littlest boy when he doesn't have school. Which is basically constant demands for screentime and food. I am starting to despair. Has it really only been four days?

Fortunately he does make me laugh though. He is prone to spectacular nosebleeds, and came home with a shirt needing to be washed last week. I shoved it in the machine on its own before things set, and we stood there watching it go round and round. It puffed up and the water was all bubbly and it was somehow calm and restful and lovely. (You will recall I don't get out much). I said, 'It's very satisfying watching a machine do all the work.' The littlest boy said, 'It's very satisfying, watching a mother do all the work.' As I say, I laughed, but I fear there is rather too much truth in that.

I hope you are enjoying the summer at your end, if indeed it is summer at your end. The hot weather was a bit hot for me, my energy levels dip, which I don't much like. But otherwise the summer is just glorious. I love looking at everyone's gardens on my dog walking rounds. And I love the light evenings and also the sound of rain on all that foliage. 

I treated myself to a steamer chair for the garden, which I've wanted for ages, the other day. It needs assembling though (eugh) and I haven't had time to do it yet. When I imagine I'll ever have time to loll about on a steamer chair reading a book I don't know, but it was a nice idea. It was an Aldi special offer, for which I went there at 8 o'clock in the morning. The children were incredulous. 'Are you actually???' Yes, I was. I did a work-out first by way of a warm up in case it got lively. In the end it was all most civilised and a nice man who had two in his trolley even offered to give me a hand getting mine in. They were selling like hot cakes though, so just as well I went at 8. When I finally assemble it, I shall not allow anyone else to lie on it. It has a cream cushion. It will be just me. All alone with my raspberries. Happy sigh. I shall let you know how it goes.



15 comments:

  1. I love steamer chairs and I very much look forward to seeing yours. Hopefully you will have your eldest boys give you a hand to assemble it. I used to love watching my washing machine twirl round. Sadly it lives in the garage now so I don’t feel I should spend time out there staring lol! No wild raspberries here either and all my strawberries have finished too. I’m not rushing the summer but I could do with some blackberries soon as youngest has just taken my last jar of blackberry jam. They do that when they leave home. Have a good week. B x

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  2. Like Barbara, my washing machine lives in the garage now but I used to sit on the floor with a cup of tea and watch it do its stuff! It had a similarly calming effect on my girls - I could park their baby seat in front of it and they'd be perfectly happy whilst I got on with making dinner or whatever. I haven't seen any wild raspberries either. :O( I love the idea of your steamer chair - well done for getting there early! Jeremy Clarkson blasted his with a gun! He lay in wait one night, hoping to get the fox that had been terrorising his chickens and bagged his wife's steamer chair instead! Enjoy your week. xx

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  3. Raspberries and cream cushions? The boys might get the last laugh there.... Worth a try though!

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  4. I've never come across wild raspberries, which is a pity this year as my own ones haven't done too well. The strawberries did well but I'm not that fussed about them.
    I agree that every garden, and plot, should have a pond.
    It's been too warm for me, and I really prefer spring and autumn.
    I like the sound of the steamer chair, so enjoy when you do get it sorted out. xx

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  5. Those are beautiful photos, but now I need to Google ‘steamer chair’. I have an image in my head, but that can’t be right as it doesn’t seem at all comfortable

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  6. Ooh, a steamer chair! What a treat. A chance of getting those boys to do some work by assembling it for you, or is the idea of them anywhere near it with a screwdriver too much??
    I haven't found any wild raspberries but the ones on the plot finally came up with enough for me to have a handful while I was up there yesterday. Everything, not just the humans, is slow this year.
    Those are some lovely pictures at the top, by the way, especially the 4th one. Enjoy all the raspberries, gardens and newts. Tx

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    1. It would be good to have it assembled for me, but would it be sound..? I can imagine it collapsing and how cross I would be and how they would laugh. Well done on the plot raspberries, and thank you for your lovely comment. CJ xx

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  7. We normally have lots of wild raspberries on a patch of riverbank near us but there haven't fruited this year not sure why. The garden ones are going great guns definitely our best garden fruit along with currants. Good luck with the summer entertaining and lazy afternoons on the steamer chair.

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  8. Stunning photos. I love raspberries, I used to grow them on an allotment but I gave it up a few years ago, it was too much work. I don't miss the allotment but I do miss the raspberries, shop bought ones are good though.

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  9. I wonder if I could sit next to you while you lounge on the chair, all I need is a bit of grass or a stone or two to sit on. I'd love a beautiful garden to sit in besides my own where it is too hot and humid to be out more than 2 minutes.

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  10. Nothing wrong with watching the washing machine go round and round. Our neighbour (same age as Annie) used to come over to watch ours spin, apparently it was a more satisfying spin than the one his own machine produced. I must say, the wild raspberry season has been a little disappointing this year, although in all fairness, it is my own fault. In normal years I cycle past the raspberries on my way to work and I would pick a small box each day. With working from home, I completely missed this. I hope you finished assembling your lounger. Sounds just right for a few minutes of relaxation. Just two more weeks of summer holiday here, a relief. Have a super week xx

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  11. I've never come across wild raspberries but then again I've never heard of a steamer chair either,

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  12. The sweet peas look beautiful. Maybe next year on the orange ones. We have a holiday rule which is called 3 til 4 when everyone does what they want but you can't speak to anyone else! Been doing it for years. Might that help?? Jo x

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  14. I have a steamer chair that no one else is allowed near. Guard yours carefully! Wild raspberries this way? Nope. Scotland maybe?

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