Cob nuts or no cob nuts?

Suirrel-devoured cob nuts!

An article in this week's Metro answered my question about whether my tree is a hazelnut or cob.   It's a cob.  But my disquiet at the thought of cutting it down and loosing the lovely harvests of nuts was rather settled last night when I went down the garden to find shredded cob nut calyxes and nutshells all around.   A squirrel - or more! - has beaten me to it.   (I know it's squirrel damage rather than mice as they simply tear the whole thing apart and bite into the shell any old how.   Mice do it nice and neatly making a little round hole - goodness only knows how.   I don't have an issue with the mice - they are not so greedy!

Cl Princess Diana

The torrential rain during the week had beater some of my favourite dahlias to the ground but they seem to have forgiven me and have survived being tied upright again - much more securely.   They have shot up during the past few weeks.   Of the two clematis I planted in pots Diana seems to be doing best.   Charles seems to be sulking - I may have to move him.

There was a good dish of raspberries to be picked and I climbed up my ladder to pick the best of the Cox's which were threatening to fall on the greenhouse.

Aquilegia seeds from Sicard in France are coming up well.

The seeds I have been planting are coming up both in and out of the greenhouse.   I am intrigued to know how well things will do planted this season for next.   An unwelcome discovery was that the seeds I have been nurturing indoors for about a year have not come up - the earth is just growing moss!   I am thinking of just sticking them outside to let them take their chances - they couldn't do worse!