Nature's Bounty

Yet again summer is here and we are overwhelmed with riches. The squashes are madly producing and you can see them visibly swelling from day to day.

The goats are now thriving and the kids are getting into mischief and playing endlessly on the long summer days.

The day lilies are a mass of flowers and make a tasty snack at any time whilst I am busy drying beans, peas and many other seeds in the sun for next year.

Catherine and I have been very busy this past week making hay whilst the sun shone. It is hard work in the heat and we had to spread the loads over a few days as it doesn't cool enough for heavy work until after 8pm. We managed to beat the rain which fell this weekend and hope that we have got enough stored to get us through the upcoming winter. Even in the midst of the summer minds turn to the winter to come. Our firewood was delivered last week. It is sitting outside in the sun drying for a few weeks prior to being loaded into the woodshed before the next rains fall. Again with winter in mind the jam making has continued. Our most recent batch was a tasty cherry and plum to add to the gooseberry and strawberry made earlier this year. Next I shall be making chutney and pickles with any vegetable gluts.

Finally the fruit trees are looking laden with fruit. We have our first quinces ripening on the larger of the two trees and apples and pears promise a good harvest, although there is still time for some of it to drop if we get a very hot August.