The tempestuous morn - the disappearing castle

According to Matthew Arnold's poem, 'Thrysis', the tempestuous morn is meant to happen in early June. Our June this year has been tempestuous all the way through. Looking back at last year's posts I discover that June was drenched then as well - see Tempestuous morn in Stobo.
So, some tempestuous morn in early June,
When the year's primal burst of bloom is o'er,
Before the roses and the longest day -
When garden-walks and all the grassy floor
With blossoms red and white of fallen May
And chestnut-flowers are strewn -
So have I heard the cuckoo's parting cry,
From the wet field, through the vext garden-trees,
Come with the volleying rain and tossing breeze;
The bloom is gone, and with the bloom go I!
In the city centre there is less evidence of strewn blossom, although plenty of volleying rain and tossing breeze. I wonder if Matthew Arnold would have worked in a disappearing castle, Scott Monument and clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel to his poem?





Excuse the blurry shot below, but the tossing breeze was pretty brisk at that point. This was the only piper braving the rain, on a deserted Royal Mile.





The flood defences along the Water of Leith have themselves been flooded. Below, the construction work at Canonmills on a calm day.





After yet more rain:

Bossing The Blooms

No, I haven’t found a magical way to make peonies grow in Austin – these flowers appear by permission of my youngest sister - she took their photos in her Illinois garden. They’re lovely, fragrant, old-fashioned, doubled peonies, ready to cut for vases.
My sister said she wished she could hold back the peonies until out-of-state guests arrive in a couple of weeks. That reminded me of an old trick for keeping peonies in storage, ready for June graduations and parties. Maybe you already know about it? Or is this another of those things that longtime gardeners mistakenly think everyone knows? Please let me know if you’ve done this, too.
The hard part is that you have to live where peonies grow – which eliminates many of us! And you need a couple of established peony plants like my sister’s. If I were at her house we’d go out and cut stems about 10 or 12 inches long, with buds that show some petal color, and are just starting to swell – something bigger than a golf ball – smaller than a tennis ball. There are several good buds at lower right in the photo below.

The flower buds need to be perfectly dry so you don’t get mold! Remove any leaves. Wrap each stem individually in paper towels or newspaper, bundle 6 or 8 stems together and slip them in a plastic bag. I used to use the sleeves in which the newspaper arrived. Cut a few more than you need, since some may be duds.
The bundles go on a refrigerator shelf, with the heads facing in. About twenty-four to thirty-six hours before you want to arrange them for your table, you take the peonies out, recut the ends and put them in water and most of them will be fine and unfold. Then make your arrangement, adding fresh peony foliage to make them look just cut. Be amused as your friends search your garden looking for the peony plant that blooms after all the others are done.
You can use this technique to delay peony bloom for a couple of weeks… wait too long and they'll probably still open, but the flower petals get dry on the edges. Have fun!

Reminder - Black Hill Fat Tire Festival

Three weeks to the Black Hill Fat Tire Festival. Last year I attended - the first year for the festival and the first festival I had attended.
Those that came last year - there are some new trails, rides, and functions. The big one for me is the Mickelson Trail Ride Friday and Saturday. The Mickelson is an old railroad bed and runs for 109 miles.
For you singletrack racers, there are races galore - downhill, xc, hill climb and more.
Singletrack tours are held a couple of times a day (you need to sign up before the ride). Tour rides are "no one left behind" and lead by members of BHMBA (Black Hills Mountain Bike Association).
Another addition for this year's festival is a film festival. There will also be a showing of Season the new film from The Collective.
You need to take part in Beer-muda Triangle. You earn raffle tickets for attending functions and making purchases at sponsors (stuff you will need anyway - like gas, food, and souvenirs).
I had a great time last (even if the trails were over my ability). I have been told that they have new trails, including an easier trail. This will be a great way to checkout my new bike!
Good trails, good friends, good food, good scenery - a great festival. Check out my photos from last year's Festival.
While you are in the area, check out Mt Rushmore, Badlands, Needles Highway (Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway), and Custer State Park.
Hope you can attend - looking forward to meet you there...

Setting up

The German market is taking shape on the plainstones beside the National Gallery. As I passed through tonight the place was a bustle of activity ahead of Thursday's switching on of Edinburgh's Christmas lights and the market opening. Much unpacking of boxes, tapping of hammers, fixing up lightbulbs, and animated chat in German.





It all reminded me of the chapter in The Wind in the Willows where the Rat encounters animals and birds making ready to hibernate or migrate - except in reverse. "Many were digging and tunnelling busily; others, gathered together in small groups, examined plans and drawings of small flats...Some were hauling out dusty trunks and dress-baskets, others were already elbow-deep packing their belongings; while everywhere piles and bundles of wheat, oats, barley, beechmast and nuts, lay about ready for transport."

I always wonder - what do German Christmas markets do for the rest of the year?

What Constitutes a Necessity?

I saw this list on the web today and found it interesting. They were making the point that lots of things today that we think of as necessities aren't. How many of them do you have?
Some things our grandparents lived without, that are really not necessary:
microwave-*dishwasher-*SUV-*Luxury carfood processor-*smart phoneiPad or other tabletflat-screen TVrefrigerators with ice makers (or perhaps refrigeration at all)-*air conditioning-*central heating-*dryers-*Roombashair dryers-*workout machinesKindletoaster oven
All the items with * by them are the ones I have. The only things I consider to be absolute necessities are air conditioning and a refrigerator. I can't imagine south Georgia in the summer time without them. All the rest are, to me, just conveniences. One other item I consider a necessity which didn't even make the list is a washing machine.
What do you think? What do you consider to be a necessity?

Sea Palms at Shore Acres State Park

During our recent trip out west we visited Shore Acres State Park, one of the best places along the Oregon coast to watch the ocean waves. As I was photographing the surf breaking over the near-shore rocks I noticed these little ocean shrubs that looked like miniature palm trees. I think they add a bit of whimsy to this photo.

Retirement Presents

Originally I was looking for Roy Strong's Destruction of Country Houses, but whenever I did find a copy it was $75.00 on up. I didn't want it that badly. I'll keep looking though. Part of the thrill for me is the hunt. Excess testosterone, I guess!
These two treasures came in the mail yesterday as part of a 'retirement present' I'm giving myself for 28 years of homeschooling our five children. I don't need a gold watch.