Lyme Regis in England

 We stayed at the Kersbrook B&B in Lyme Regis and it had a thatched roof. Some of the thatched roofs I saw had some kind of mesh or wire laid on top of the thatch, but ours did not. I wondered if the mesh was to keep birds off, but really have no other explanation. The tiny garden behind the B&B was wonderful.
The hills are very steep coming up from the harbor, and almost anywhere you go you will be going straight up or down. When we arrived and had to walk up to our B&B, I thought I would never be able to make it dragging that heavy rock filled suitcase. Each time after that it was easier. I suspect it may have gotten easier  because I had a better idea of how far it was and also because I was not dragging those rocks!

This is a picture of the harbor at Lyme Regis with the boats, all so picturesque. We had walked around sightseeing and then went to lunch for about an hour. When we came out what we saw in in the picture below. The harbor wall in both pictures is called The Cobb and was made famous by Jane Austen's book Persuasion. The aquarium is the building on the seaward side of the wall in the third picture.

The boats were all sitting on the bottom and there was NO water. I was pretty startled. The man who ran the aquarium laughed and started telling people that we came from a place that had no tides. They have 12-16 foot tides (whereas the Gulf has 2-3 foot tides) and this is a daily occurrence there. A boat had tried to come into the harbor while the tide was too low and got stuck in the shallow water. A tractor drove out to the harbor entrance and pulled it in. All rock bottom, it seems.

Flower Bed in Early July

The flower bed changes so much as the days pass. One thing ends it's bloom, another begins. Some things melt in the heat, others thrive. In the foreground you can see the purple heart that is just coming into its own. Beside it, to the left is a  hibiscus that I grew from seed collected on a trip to the Gulf several years ago. It has grown into a nice plant through the years. It will soon start to bloom and has pale pink flowers about 2 inches in diameter. For the first couple years after I germinated it, I kept it in a pot and it was not happy. I finally gave up and committed it to the ground to live or die, and see what happened. The horseshoe table is a creation of Mr. Roy Hood. I use it as an odd trellis to hold up droopy plants. The bird bath to the upper right has almost been overtopped by the pink lilies that passed by mid-June.

Hula Hoop Video

I promised you that you would get chance to see this Now here it is!

On another note this rain is completely beyond anything pleasant. Six inches since night before last- about 36 hours. Now the prediction is for more tomorrow. The jokes about boats and paddles no longer sound funny.
But all the rain and these warm temperatures have really started to hurry things along. The daffodils are opening up so fast I can almost see them and the butter and eggs are carefully opening a petal or two.
Somehow February always lulls me into thinking I have plenty of time to start seeds and cuttings and get my yard cleaned up and the beds ready for plants. Then! blam!Spring is here and I am behind. Again. Those cold rainy days make me want to snuggle up under a quilt and read and have soup and hot cocoa, when I should be starting seeds. but then the greenhouse is too cold and when I have started seed in February they often do not germinate. I suppose they rot. I keep the greenhouse as cool as I can and still keep the tropicals alive because the gas is so expensive.
My big news is that my website is up and functioning.