An old shed door that the tide brought

Some years ago I 'beachcombed' a good deal of an old shed that had drifted in on the sea loch tide, including this shed door that is about to be used as a lawnmower ramp for our serviced and repaired machine. It's the one Toad uses. I use it occasionally but it's really too heavy for me on our never horizontal, bumpy lawns. Watching Toad push it, unpowered by its engine, up to the shed through lush wet grass that hasn't been mowed for at least six weeks, confirmed its heaviness–he was finding it tough going.

The other main use of the shed door has been to shelter the lower part of the wood pile from rain, at which job it has been very effective. Much of the rest of the shed has helped a few garden bonfires along.

Once the mower was put away (no mowing today), Toad buzzed off to his Saturday drawing group.

We had the mower serviced at Fraser C Robb, by Drymen. This is currently my favourite shop. It's an Aladdin's cave of Useful Stuff. I came away with a new scythe sharpening stone and WOLF-Garten window washer and squeegee. The shop is going to post me an extendable long handle next week. Up till now I've used a ladder to get at our downstairs outside windows whose sills are at my eye-level. I fell off the ladder last time. Apart from a few bruises, only my dignity was injured but future outdoor window cleanings will be sans ladder. Our upstairs windows open inwards to improve their get-at-ability; the downstairs ones don't.

I dead-headed the woodshed rose and what I call the truck buddleia and then had a wee welly damp shoe wander to see how the two new heathers and last year's tall lobelia were doing. The lobelia has had to be protected from deer munching if it was to flower at all.

Erica x darleyensis 'Ghost Hills'

Calluna vulgaris 'Hammondii Aureifolia'

I was pleased to see that the yellow loosestrife is finally looking less anaemic, and I really like the dying heads of the marguerites that a friend gave me.