The solstice has passed and we enjoyed a sneaky bonfire and a bottle of wine. You need a permit out here for bonfires but barbecues are allowed and on the night of San Juan everyone has bonfires to celebrate the pagan midsummer and drive away evils by jumping over the fire. We didn't jump over ours but we got rid of a lot of last year's brush and waste. A month on from the last pic and the veggies are doing well despite the rather cold and rainy June. The grass and weeds have grown well as have the slug and snail population but local corn is struggling and tomatoes and peppers are very behind.
My sweetcorn is doing quite well but I started it in the polytunnel early this year and it has paid off. I also had good germination on the edible lupins so fingers crossed they will do well. I am a bit worried about snails but nothing awful has happened yet.
The polytunnel has yielded our first tomato of the year yesterday and we are eating loganberries for breakfast. I spotted a flower on a courgette yesterday as well so hoping for a good squash year.
Our lovely chickens are growing fast and are now fed twice a day. They adore Tim, but perhaps it is the jug in his hand that attracts them to him. Whenever he passes by the fence they run to him excitedly, wings flapping to give them extra speed.
It looks as though the heat wave forecast for most of Europe is going to miss us here in Galicia. We have a low pressure hanging off the coast which is pushing the heat past us and we are all grateful for that. The forecast is for low twenties which is enough for me. Finally a pic of Nosher who is making the most of his straw bale whilst he can. We use the straw for mulching in the summer and he is always disappointed when we take it away. Dreaming of 'ratting' perhaps?
Edited to add that we have our view back. Unusually they have been cutting back deciduous woodland this week and we just noticed that the woodland at the bottom of our land has gone so we can see for miles again. Unfortunately this was mixed oak woodland as well as pine and probably full of nesting birds at this time of year. We are hoping that they replant with native species but I expect it will be pine or eucalyptus, neither of which is any good for wildlife.
