Peonies

I've been outdoors the last two days. On Monday I started the series of plant shots for the autumn flower show. I visited a local man who is an expert on growing competition fruit and veg. I photographed his seedling leeks, which will end up monsters, and the barrels he's sown with parsnips and carrots in order to achieve huge roots that look like torpedoes.

He collects soil from mole hills to grow his prizewinning roots in, as it is very fertile and has no stones. It all such a labour of love that you can only marvel at his skill and dedication - another demonstration that life needs to have a little passion/obssession in it to be worthwhile.

He has the most amazing plot, full of self built glasshouses, rows of barrels and apples trees with all sorts of varieties grafted on to a single tree. I'm going to visit him monthly up until the show. He gave me some onions for my own garden, but I doubt I'll be able to get them to monster size.

And yesterday I did a long coastal walk with a friend and our dogs. The thrift is flowering on all the rocks and it looked lovely. And for some reason the gannets were close to shore and we were able to sit and watch them streaming by on the wind.

These are some peonies from my own garden, bud to full flower. They are one of my favourite summer things.

I must go and catch up on the house now.