It has been a very mixed summer of weather here in the UK. My part of the country, East Anglia, is known as the driest region and earlier this summer the farmers did have their large-scale, agricultural sprinklers out for a while. However, it’s been all change for August with a significant low-pressure weather system bringing high winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms. Just the kind of weather we need for all those delicate flower blooms – not.
Continuing my recent resolution to try and see a silver lining to any negative situation, I decided that the loss of flowers in the backyard would be transformed into a gain of floral colour indoors.
To that end I cut several small bunches before the storms arrived . . . to brighten up my office . . . . . my workroom . . .
. . . and the kitchen.
Annoyingly, when I was cutting the dahlias I noticed an unstaked sunflower had already bitten the dust and the runner bean flowers were fairly bashed about too.
But I do have my fingers crossed that the delicate white flowers were already pollinated otherwise there won’t be any beans to pick in the coming weeks.
It is only the middle of August, but the cooler weather has reminded me that the autumn is just around the corner. Nevertheless for the time being this is my floral muddle on the kitchen table, scented and colourful – mustn’t grumble too much.
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Agnes Ashe 
The sight of the flowers made me happy, even in the circumstances. It’s nice to have indoor bouquets.
Yes, I like a splash of bright colour to cheer me up too.
A beautiful range of types and colour. My paternal grandmother was a dahlia expert , growing, showing and judging. her home town Portland is the dahlia capital of our state Victoria.
Ah how lovely to have a grandmother who was a judge of something so bright and exuberant as dahlias. They offer so many different colours and forms that I can see how it can turn into a serious enterprise and lifelong interest.
You’re helping me see dahlias in a new light. I’d always thought of them as great-auntish sort of flowers, stiffly poked into tall vases by members of the Church Ladies’ Flower Arranging Rota. But tumbled artlessly into jugs and glasses as you have done shows their variety and charm off to advantage.
Thank you for your comment and I agree with your sentiment re tall vases etc. My uncle used to grow dahlias in the 1970s and I remember as a teenager associating growing dahlias with a certain type of unadventurous man. I think the recent renaissance of dahlias has been partly down to Sarah Raven as she has been passionate about using them in less formal, overflowing displays. I like growing them as they do okay in pots and as you know I have a backyard of cheap concrete paving that needs ‘disguising’.
Gorgeous arrangements! Seems the rain comes in violent bursts here now…a new normal I think.
Thank you. Yes, the new normal is getting to be rather worrying. My daughter (a geophysicist) is a volunteer with Extinction Rebellion in London and the climate science is looking more and more grim.
You must be very proud of her stepping up to this crisis- it too often leaves me unable to react.
I am pleased she is taking action, but also concerned as she might be arrested on October 7th. She has been advised how to behave during non-violent civil disobedience events, but still it is worrying. I agree with your sentiment – I feel that humanity has probably failed. All our politicians are too small for the size of this crisis. Last night I watched Professor Will Steffen on ‘Tipping Points’ – it’s stunningly depressing.