This morning the clear sky was peppered with the acrobatic antics of hundreds of House Martins. I watched them as they gathered, their excited chatter filling the air as they prepared for their long migratory journey south.

After a few minutes they were gone and for a short time the only sound was the heady drone of bumble bees around the lavender and cosmos.

The cosmos have journeyed as well - not quite so far - only Shrewsbury and back, and despite a bit of battering they still look good.

It seems an age since they adorned ‘The Lupus Garden’ at The Shrewsbury Flower Show. This was a garden designed specifically for the Lupus sufferer - ‘calm and relaxing with still water and shaded bower to sit beneath’. It won much more than a Silver Award, it opened the eyes for many people about Lupus and it was gratifying to see so many of the Lupus UK leaflets read and pocketed.

The dismal weather at the end of the show meant that nearly all of the plants were bought back. Happily, they all have homes now, some in our own garden and others in the gardens of my clients.

It’s always sad to dismantle a garden that looks so permanent, so treasured, but like the House Martins, we move on. Some will return next year. Some won’t.