Summer surprise

℃Surprise! Summer is here.
First there was neverending winter, then there were few days of spring and BAM! Summer is here.
In three weeks we have gone from wintery spring to complete mid summer, and nature hasn't coped very well. Birches have large leaves and they are blossoming at the same time. Liverworts, wood anemones and coltsfoot bursted simultaneously and now we have fields full of dandelions. Bird cherries are blossoming. Air is heavy with scent of birch leaves (I love it).
Only thin missing is lily of the valleys, they usually bloom early june so maybe next week we'll have them as well.

Birds are practically screaming! On strange thing though, they have been quiet in the mornings. It is very odd to wake up in silence.

'Suma has been busy. Three four pair of slippers/sandals. Two pairs of heavy duty working boots. Two pairs of sneakers. A watering can. A toy car. Countless numbers of odds and ends like pencils, sharpeners, rulers, boot socks, big comes of sewing threads... Once she had a lighter in her mouth, but fortunately it was empty!

I just can't turn my back to her for a second! I have been chasing her because she has had a large knife in her mouth, some aluminium piping, electrical wires, bras, socks.
Heat makes her restless. It's too hot for a black dog to go for a walk (+29℃!!! In MAY!!! Last summer there weren't that hot not once during the whole summer and now we have had six days of heat). Even in the woods there is too hot, so she can get to walkies only in the morning and in the evening, and that is so not enough for a puppy. The first week of may was lovely, mild and nice and I was able to take 'Suma for long walks and she was so nice little puppy. But now she's a toothmonster!
She might have been bored duirng the cold spell in february, but it was nothing.

I got a new polytunnel, it's not up yet (read above why). I thought it was identicalt to the remains I already had, but they had altered the desing. So I had to dismantle the whole old frame, and it took two days (Where's my wrench? No, don't take the screwdriver! Let go of my cloves!!!)
Then I chased her around to get all the new nuts and bolts back.
Then it took a day to find enough of solid wood for foundations ( had to cut it to measure). So how did I spent my Mother's Day???

Then I had to go to work.

At least veg plot has been tilled. Hb did it a week ago, but I haven't had a chance to sow anything. Potatoes are still chitting inside, but at least I have them chitting.
Glass greenhouse is once more inhabited bu small seedlings. For the first time I have precultivated broad beans, I hope I'll get some harvester earlier.
I haven't sown any other beans, I should I know, but... There is sweet corn (just germinated), pumpkins and courgettes, chilies and a pepper, sunflowers, marigolds and nasturtiums.
Some salady stuff like arugula, chard and spinach.

And my garlics! I planted all cloves of six bulbs I had, and most of them seem to survived the winter. Some of them however didn't survive 'Suma.
My strawberries are ok, there was even a flower. I'm not expecting any berries this summer, I just got them planted in autunm. Anyway, nine plants won't produce much.

Then there is the never-ending fight against giant hogweed in our neighbours garden. He is in his 90's, widowed and had a heart attack some time ago, so he can't do it himself. So in exchange on currants and rhubarb I'll fight this fight for him.
I use glyphosate, as instructed by local enviromental authorities. There is far too many plants for me to dig them up. First two years I tried just to cutting flowering heads, but because these plants are perennials, it didn't do much damage to the growth. So I started to cut off flowering heads and then spraying the rest of leaves with weedkiller. It did help, but not enough - aim is to have it all gone, not just under control.
So now I'm spraying all plants with glyphosate at least twice every summer.
Unfortunately we had our electrical wires digged underground two years ago, so now there is hundreds of seedlings because of the endless seedbank in the soil. Individual big plants are easy to spot, but these little seedlings are horrible - the don't even resemble hogweed, they have leaves like maple, a bit rounder. Seed remain viable at least 8 years, so I guess if I play safe, there is no longer viable seeds after ten years...
I had a giant hogweed plant- but because my unbelieveable gardening skills (green thumb? never seen one) it died. Lucky me😎

Exotic fruits.

Pretty Boy's owners went to a week-long vacation to warmer place, and Pretty Boy wasn't happy for not to get on that trip. So he choose to do what he thinks is the second best option - he travelled three miles of wet fields and forests. In the early hours he was waiting outside our house, hb fed him ("I gave him two pouches and he's still howlig for more!"). Housesitter had let him out.
I think he might as well stay here as long as he likes, because anyway he'll be back as soon as he can get out of the door. The owner very much agreed with me. So Pretty Boy in here to stay, for now. If he wants to go home, he is free to go. At the moment he is happily sleeping in our porch.

We might not have much edibles to forage at the moment, but there is still some strange fruits growing in trees.

 

 And on the ground.

The balloon I get - it has got away, it happens. But furniture - you can take them for free to recycling center without driving 5 miles of muddy pothole filled gravel road and they help you to unload!

 If you really want to drive offroad... Don't leave the road!