Mayfield Lavender Farm

A very last minute arrangement - a trip to Mayfield Lavender Farm with a friend.

The big field of lavender is quite a spectacular sight and it's lovely to be able to walk between the rows.

Shelters are dotted around the field 

One has a vine growing up it

A tiny snail on one of the lavender flowers.  The butterflies and bees wouldn't sit still for long enough  to have their photos taken.

 The shelters look as if they are floating on purple clouds

At the lower end of the fields the lavender is more fully open and some is being cut - but at the top end it's only just beginning to open. My friend found an informative notice that said there are three varieties of lavender at Mayfield Lavender Farm and they open at slightly different times.

It looks as if the part of the field at the top with the slower opening lavender has been lightly dusted with purple

In a corner at the bottom of the field the variety of lavender that is further developed is being cut leaving little neat green mounds 

The men who were cutting the lavender tied it in bunches as they cut - leaving the bunches balanced on the top of the trimmed mounds until they were ready to collect them together.

All kinds of lavender products are sold in the shop and cafe, not only the lavender bunches. There is soap, shortbread, jams, candles, cakes, scones, biscuits, fudge, teas etc. all with lavender in.

Some of the visitors took advantage of the tractor tour. I like the way the red stands out against the lavender and a light puff of steam/smoke comes out of the tractor chimney

My friend and I enjoyed sitting chatting under the shade of a lavender coloured parasol drinking lavender punch and eating lavender biscuits and a lavender cake. I do like to try something different. The punch and the biscuits were delicately flavoured but I didn't have a cake  this time - I had one last year and wasn't overkeen on the uncooked lavender sprinkled on the icing.

Thank you very much for joining me. 

Poppies and other things at Coombe Wood

I'm supposed to be walking - the doctor said so - it's supposed to be good for me . .  so although I felt absolutely dreadful today I pushed myself and went for a walk. My body didn't feel any better but it did my spirit good.

Buds by the pond

"Spraying in process" (water) - I was so glad it was. I deliberately stood too close several times - it was very refreshing on such a hot day. Several children were playing in and out of the other water spray near the prairie bed - how lovely to be a child. 

Fabulous flower middles.

   

Yellow flowers - one transforming into a berry

Crumpled like pink tissue paper

 Tiny delicate bottle brush-like flowers

 A bee stocking up on pollen

Poppies - just look at all those buds waiting to open

Watering the prairie bed

Grasses flowering

Korean pine cone - not so blue now - this is only about an inch tall. What an amazing structure

The little pink flowers like umbrella's are crumpling and dying off now. Look at those anthers on the stamens - each one like a pair of tall slim vases joined together.

Looking closer at the foxglove patterns

I really like the shapes the seed pods make when they curl back to release their seeds - making unique little temporary natural sculptures.

Some of the smaller flowers are really fluffy . . .

. . . white fluff

 . . . and pink fluff

A friend told me that the centre of these will be doing more - so I'm keeping a close eye on them. The green bits in the middle are curling back a bit more now.

I'm waiting for this strange, almost furry bud to flower - you can just about see the first signs of purply colour near the base of it.

Geometric flower spike

Orangey red little flowers

White delphinium

Little round flowers on long stems - bobbing about in the breeze

Elegant white flowers

 A mass of pink - I don't think I've noticed these before

Strange yellow structures among the wild flowers

Petals . . . a perfect receptacle if your stamens fall off

More of the crumpled pale orange "bell" flowers are opening now. The leaves of this plant are mottled.

The inside of these pinky blue flowers have delicate pink stripes . . .

. . . bold stripes in these brightly coloured flowers

 Californian poppy

Gorgeous cloud of tiny pink flowers

The weight of the "Fab-lolly" bloom has bent the wide flat stem over but the triple width flower is still trying to grow towards the light - I'm sure there's a lesson here 

Thank you very much for joining me.