Alexandra Oakley 
August always has a slightly different rhythm once the school holidays arrive. The house is busier, the living room is never tidy for long and the gardening has to fit around everything else.
Out in the garden, the dahlias are thankfully picking up the slack because the snapdragons have not really covered themselves in glory this year. Rust and general sulking have been a bit of a theme.
Hydrangea Annabelle is doing what it does best, and I had a lovely visit to West Dean which gave me that useful combination of inspiration and the vague sense that I need to come home and rearrange everything.
Even with the usual August juggle, there is still so much beauty out there at the moment that it is hard to complain too much.
