The mock orange petals have not so much fallen as blown away. The sky darkens. In the next garden, a wood pigeon hoots like an owl.
Tuesday June 18, 2019
The new geranium has opened its first two flowers: deep purple trumpets. A bee flies in and swiftly out again, but the rain isn’t as picky.
Monday June 17, 2019
Sunny, breezy and cool: a classic English summer day. Re-potting a small bay tree, I displace a sleeping snail from the potting soil.
Sunday June 16, 2019
During a bright period, a blackbird gorges on the neighbor’s cherries, swinging from a lower branch, yellow bill drilling the red fruit.
Saturday June 15, 2019
A mouse climbs the wall behind me and disappears into the neighbors’ garden. The lonely dog at the end of the block barks on and on.
Friday June 14, 2019
Chased in by the rain again, I watch from the kitchen as sudden sunlight blazes on wet slate roofs, black clouds behind.
Thursday June 13, 2019
The rain stops. I go outside to read, a builder hammers, and the next-door neighbor steps out for a smoke. Then a raindrop lands on page 43.
Wednesday June 12, 2019
My wife observes that it’s a morning for wrens and not for sparrows. A new pile of dogshit has acquired an entourage of green bottle flies.
Tuesday June 11, 2019
5:30 AM. The torrential rain past, tits and sparrows crowd the feeders. The neighbor’s cherry tree sways under the raids of wood pigeons.
Monday June 10, 2019
The resident terrier braves the rain to charge at a pigeon. A bus stopping in the next street makes a sound like a sigh.