The rose in the photo is... odd. Usually the roses on this bush are larger with smoother edged petals. I wondered if it was a response to the heat. I did water this rose during the drought - it's in a pot - and in fact this year it has produced more blossoms than in the past. But while the first one was 'normal', this one was... kind of tense. It still smelt wonderful. The rose is an old fashioned variety, not bred for colour or shape, so it has maintained its fragrance. One of the blooms is in my currently fermenting mead.
Another interesting thing is that one of my six baby hybrid poplars does seem to be variegated. There is no such thing as a variegated poplar and I did not take a cutting from a variegated poplar. But this fellow is definitely... odd. In addition, it is growing far more slowly than the others.
A good thing is that after the relative silence of the worst of the drought, the birds are singing again. And I hear the magpies complaining and crows nearby.
Finally, mice. Now, we have seen the mouse climbing the bamboo and I posted the dead mouse I found in the garden maybe a month ago. There was another dead mouse last week - half of it on the path and the other half being consumed by flies on the lawn. This morning, yet another. How come I am suddenly being given these unwanted gifts? I left the lawn/path mouse were its two halves were hoping the fox would eat it, but the fox did not. So, I threw the latest one onto the mess of cuttings in the back of the garden. Is this a sign of more mice or of a new cat?
Leanne gave me new instructions for the trail camera so I will try to set it up in a sensible place and find out something.
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