QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

It is not often we get periods like this but it has rained and blown right through the Long Weekend.  At times I thought the chimney was going to come down the wind was so strong.  We barely went outside the door for the whole weekend.  Looking through the window  the Tithonia Diversifolia or Mexican Sunflower that is just coming into flower was getting blown in the wind.  It is taller than me so catches the wind at the best of times.

Yesterday, Tuesday, there was a break in the weather and we ventured outside to survey any damage before going out to do various errands.  The above had some small branches broken so we removed them and put them in as cuttings.

The main damage was to the poor mandarin tree.

As it is still connected to the trunk we are hoping that by leaving it there the fruit will continue to ripen.

So the weekend was spent mainly by the fire reading.  Luckily on Friday I noticed these very late roses on an extremely tall stem still in bud and picked them and they are opening very nicely.  They would be battered if I had left them.

The weather is now showers rather than continuous rain and I just noticed a Monarch Butterfly on the Mexican Sunflower.