Virtual punting

I had a virtual punt party this afternoon.

A group of us who were at Oxford generally meet up in the summer and go punting. We are supplemented by a new generation - the kids have now got to university age themselves. Anyway, not much chance to meet up in Oxford this year so we did the best we could to replicate our usual punt party and picnic virtually from our homes and gardens.

I did at least do my best to dress up for the occasion.

And this was punting on screen from back gardens.

 Peter however won best hat competition by a mile.

Anyway, it relieved the tedium of lockdown a bit. 

I also had a nice video chat earlier on in the week with another university friend of mine. At the end of it I realised we had been talking for more than two hours. As we discussed, the only problem with all these calls is we have nothing to talk about other than the thing we really don't want to spend our time discussing, the C-word.

There was one slightly disconcerting visual element to this. Like just about everyone apart from me Mike has taken to growing a beard, and being a man of my age it is best described as salt and pepper in colour. One would expect a little grey. That is not the disconcerting part. For all the time I have known him, he has had a chipped front tooth, which is not obvious because he has a cap on it. Unfortunately that cap has chosen this time to fall out. And of course you can't now find a dentist to put it back on given it isn't exactly an emergency. But it is a little odd to be staring at the face of a distinguished mature man with a beard, but the smile of a seven year old awaiting the tooth fairy!

Anyway, that was all the excitement for the week. Rest is just photos from the garden. It was a reasonably nice week if not very warm. 

Alium

Cistus - I have several of these. Nice big flowers which only last a day but there are always more to follow. Also they are quite drought resistant and generally low maintenance

 

 I bought several foxgloves this year. Just think they have stunning flowers. 

 

Geum. Another easy plant to grow which throws up loads of flowers

 

  

Snapdragons are a nice bedding plant- good shape and very colourful

 

The central bedding area is starting to get to its full colour potential

 

 

even got a visit from a red admiral butterfly.

And last but not least, my hallway display