Large Rose Sawfly

Not that you can see the caterpillars of this rose pest, but the leaf skeletons they have left behind are quite noticeable. Online it says remove them, so I have clipped off any leaves with caterpillars attached. The rose is a lovely one called 'Tranquility' bought for me as a leaving present from one kind friend in Cambridge. It blooms beautifully every year, even though I prune it quite hard each autumn. But I always send my friend a photo of the first blooms as they flower, which he appreciates.

My other two roses are not as strong, but they are in pots. I think I am going to move my rose 'Brenton' named after my dad, into the ground and will give it a good prune. There are a couple more buds just forming, so I hope I will get one last red rose of the season. It does, however, have a lot of black spot which I keep picking off, but I think I will go out and spray it when I've done this. My last rose, also a present from a dear friend after passed, is about to flower again. It is Harlow Carr- a lovely small pink flower which didn't like the extreme heat, but I've kept nurturing it, and it has proved the right thing to do.

At work I had a long chat with a work friend who is off sick at the moment. It was really nice to catch up with her, and I hadn't realised how much time had gone by without contact. I felt guilty about that. We allow work to take over, which is difficult to avoid.

Jon cooked dinner and has now gone to scouts. Henry is climbing, and Mollie has gone out to meet Josh who has started his teaching job this week. So I am home alone...