IAVOM ~ 'A Frog He Would A - Wooing Go'

Today's flowers for ' In A Vase On Monday' were picked from my little herb patch. They are allium tuberosum also known as white garlic chives and are a perennial herb flowering here at the same time the ordinary chives get their second flush of flowers. As the name suggests they smell and have taste of mild garlic. They are also a good pollinator magnet. 

The vase was a treat to myself on the first of our two short holidays this year. We visited 'The Hirsel' in Coldstream, Scotland which was the childhood home of a former British Prime Minister, Sir Alec Douglas - Home. 'The Hirsel' is now a 500 acre park open to the public all year round with a large artificial lake and river in the grounds. There is also a woodland area and a late 19th century rhododendron and azalea woodland garden but it was too late in the year for us to see this at its peak. We enjoyed a memorable walk around the perimeter of the lake, where we had the magical experience of seeing seething masses of hundreds but more probably thousands of newly emerged baby frogs hopping along lakeside. My post title was inspired by an old folk song which originated in Scotland in 1549 albeit with different words to the song we learnt as children. Sadly the frog one Antony Rowley was gobbled up by a lily-white duck before he could have any fun.  It was quite a challenge for us not to step on any of them with himself's size 12 feet and my size 7. We walked slowly and with great caution before wending our way back to the homestead, where as well as a café there are various craft workshops including a small ceramics studio, which is were my vase came from.

Thanks as always to the lovely Cathy who blogs over at 'Rambling In The Garden' for getting us together every Monday to share our vases. There's been no time for gardening activities today and won't be until later in the week when I plan to give the greenhouse a good autumn clean. I hope that you can all get out into your green spaces this week.