Clary sage is a biennial or short lived perennial. Showy white flowers, with pink bracts and lavender hoods tower above the leaves.
The plant has an excitable look to me, as if it is holding out a whole series of arms to claim our attention, as well it might.
Need I say this post was prompted by the final day of Becky’s SquarePerspectives? I do wish this particular perspective of Rosemoor’s lovely garden was within reach of my doorstep. I may be living under a beautiful blue sky today, but I was shocked to note how many leaves had browned and fallen yesterday. Autumn approaches.
If you just want to pleasantly dream about walking in this garden, stop reading now with my blessing.
Further steps have been taken in parts of Northern England to prevent Covid-19 from coming back in force as it was obviously set to do. Announced on yesterday’s late night news (just as Eid started) to come into force at midnight, I found it depressing. Very late, in my opinion, and announced carelessly. These things matter.
Still wide awake, intent on knowing exactly what the government was saying and prepared to do some digging, I could only gather the gist of the instructions. Northerners, it seems, don’t need any details. Details are wasted on us – so much so that the government had been telling us for over 3 months that our infection rate was relatively low, then suddenly tripled it on the official website at the start of July when pillar 2 testing (tests carried out by contractors) was added in. It’s easy to criticise, but what the heck? Our local director of public heath didn’t even know.
Today the government’s message is clearer but full of holes. Just one instance: we can go to pubs without mixing with other households. That might work in London, but have these people spent time in a northern pub? When has six feet prevented a northerner from mixing with other households? Meanwhile, the law is to be enforced by local police, 22 of whom have been told to quarantine because 9 of them went to a retirement party where someone later tested positive. You couldn’t make it up.
Susan Rushton 
I am growing Calry Sage, which I love the look of but it has been a bit needy of a lot of attention – slugs love it and it seems very thirsty.
As to your situation re Covid – our Government seem to be a complete shambles! I am sorry you are in this situation – I guess it is only a matter of time until we are in the same boat here in the South. I’m staying virtually locked down til there is a vaccine available – I don’t trust anybody! Thinking of you. Stay safe. xx
I appreciate your kind words. I hope that we’ll prove example enough for other parts of the UK. I’m glad you’re keeping safe.
I really love these pictures of Clary Sage and especially your comment about the arms reaching out for attention! Covid policies and restrictions are so confusing and inconsistent. Here in the U.S. there are wide ranges between the states. I sympathize with you.
Sympathy feels good at the moment and I’m sending the same to you. We need all the clarity we can get in a naturally unclear situation. I don’t think it would be hard to have a central public service website with clear and consistent instructions, written for the average human being, plus versions written for children, and translated for those who speak another language. There could be versions for people who want as many facts as possible, and summary versions for those who only care to read the basics. OK, it would take a little effort, but would be a chance to persuade and encourage and it’s neither so hard nor so costly as dealing with an explosion of cases.
It was a whole lot clearer when we could only go out for essential shopping and one hour exercise close to home. I understand that we can’t live like that, but if we had done as NZ and Taiwan did and close the international borders, or even country borders (as Australia did with the states) then 12 weeks of lockdown could have saved an awful lot of lives and stopped the spread at the start. Now it seems everyone feels that they are entitled to a holiday whether home or abroad, and go out to restaurants and the pub as normal. Life is not normal. It won’t be for a long time, but it could have been possible to keep things running if we’d acted quicker in the beginning. I’m sorry to hear about your circumstances and agree that this should have communicated better and through a televised broadcast yesterday, not today. It’s still not clear to me who people in the NW and W Yorks can meet with and they don’t appear to be restricted to stay local. What I do know is whilst Cornwall is open to tourists from anywhere in the world then I am sticking to semi-lockdown. One or two quick visits to the supermarket and that’s me done! Thankfully the lanes are quieter now, though there were 10 cars parked near the hill this morning! Apologies for MY rant!!
I’m with you. Surely someone in power can see it is inconsistent to be quarantined when returning from cities abroad with relatively few cases, but can travel around freely from UK hotspots? Of course I do not want to be quarantined or restricted, but it’s clear that only swift, decisive action can stop this in the absence of a vaccine. Covid-19 hacks freedom.
I watched the Panorama programme on care homes last night and was already upset merely from observing, let alone having my hands in the nitty gritty of it, when the news came on with another half-baked announcement.
The country is run by idiots. We need someone who is strong enough to make firm decisions, not one who reduces everything to a sound bite. Hands, face, space! I ask you! What will he come up with next!
Becky mentioned the new slogan too. The lack of respect for the general public implied in the decision that all important messages need to be conveyed in three words is scary. I can only think someone has placed a 10-1 bet that they could make them use it. The 100-1 option, of course, would have been to persuade them to go with ‘Waste Of Space’ (Waste no moment, Of stopping Covid-19, Space yourselves out). That’s a missed opportunity.
Stunning plant . . . and as for the Covid19 situation I despair of our government. They are making it as complex and difficult to understand as they possibly can, and then blame all of us when it spreads. His latest – hands, face, space – would be a farcical if this was on stage
I had not heard that one as I missed the now randomly timed daily briefing. Perhaps they should alter it slightly to: ‘Hands over your face because there’s space between my ears’.
They are terribly badly advised by their PR team (assuming they listen at all to any professional advice).
Hee hee your alteration is clearly what they meant!
The words in between would need to be smaller, of course. Sounds like a good use for a sharpie pen.
LOL!!! Tish we need to vote you in so you can take charge
errr sorry laughing so much I wrote tish for some reason, think it was probably the noise I was making!!!!
And all the multitasking you are doing as a host. 🙂
yeah that accounts for so much too!
Yes to yours and all the rants on this page. Back-of-an-envelope government will not do, especially at the moment. And I’m told that a certain national newspaper says that 77% of its readers think Johnson is doing a good job. I can only think they’ve been fed very partial information.
It will not do, yet it’s what we have. Help!
Please, please rant away! It is good for us all! And I think the beautiful sage is a perfect graphic, waving its arms in solidarity. We are awash in flim-flam. Competence is vilified. “Fact” is a dirty four-letter word. You and the sage speak for many. Thank you. And cling to sanity best you can.
I like your idea of the sage waving in solidarity. Rather than cling to sanity, I’m going to cling to sarcasm. I imagine I’ll be feeling a bit better by tomorrow, every day being a new day, and all that. The rose hips are turning black, by the way.
And I like the idea of clinging to sarcasm. Very useful, that. The hips have blackened. Wow. Maybe they will be featured some day?
I took a picture, but it wasn’t up to much. They are held singly rather than in clusters.
A single black hip sounds rather glamorous. I can see how it would be a tough photo, though. Darn. Now you have me wondering if I can make a post out of my old drawing of rose hips, which my then-toddler granddaughter almost obliterated. Maybe we both can figure out the how-to.
Neat flowers 🙂 I should plant some of that Clary Sage across my back property line 😉
𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕪 𝕊𝕒𝕗𝕖 𝕆𝕦𝕥 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖
I donned my haz-mat suit this am for grocery shopping and am set till October. ‘Chewy’ is delivering Kitty kibbles, Cat food and litter Tuesday❗️ More time to spend on the .blog now 😉
Thank you! It’s good to know that someone has things under control. 🙂
It’s good to have a rant particularly in these strange times.
I agree with you, no one seems to have a grasp of the situation. Hancock’s interview this morning highlighted that. He is better suited to Twitter.
I’m just on the edge in Preston but rely on my own knowledge and common sense to keep myself as safe as possible.
Take care.
Thank you. You too! I hope Preston will be spared. Your gravatar got me thinking that rock climbing is a great form of social distancing.
Well, a lying, cheating, narcissist was elected to head the government so what you see is what you get. Johnson was never a man for all seasons, he is a dilettante and completely out of his depth in the current situation and with only yes-men/women behind him we are in a truly bad way.
But your image of the salvia is lovely and very cheering on an overcast evening so let’s concentrate on that.
I love the way you left me with a positive. I have grumbled a fair bit, so have got some of my perplexities out of myself, to quote Marcus Aurelius.
Let’s get this right, you can go to the pub but you can’t go to a friend’s home. And today after the biggest rise in cases for a month shielders can go out.
I love this salvia although it smells disgusting. I read an old gardening book where it was called ‘ hot housemaids’ which to our modern ears is offensive on so many levels.
Shielders in our area have to continue shielding for at least two more weeks. Most of us can’t visit friends or parents at home, although single households who have formed a social bubble can continue to meet. If our friends or parents are not shielding, we can arrange to meet them in an outdoor space, providing it is not their private garden. We can go to the pub or a restaurant anywhere in the country, but can not sit with other households.
I hadn’t heard that name for salvia. I’ve been skim reading an old book about animal intelligence I found online as I am interested in that. Some of the other passages in it beggar belief – I have never read anything so offensive in my life.