Thursday, 22 July 2010

Heads Spinning

The last week has seen Mr D and myself both engrossed in our own projects. Every evening we have been beavering away.
We haven't had the best success with our veg plot this year. We struggled to keep things watered enough in the heat of June and quite a lot of plants either wilted or bolted! As for the legumes which take over the majority of our plot they just seemed to stand still. The mangetout, which are usually rampant started to produce distorted  pods so after some research we discovered that we had pea thrips which explained why we weren't getting a yield of  sugar snaps and peas. So we decided to take the plants out. It wasn't an easy decision and it certainly was a frustrating one as its too late to do another sowing but we are hoping that we have caught it in time before it spreads to the broad beans.
On a cheerier note our soft fruit harvest has been amazing.


With a bountiful picking of these summer jewels,

With the kitchen full of baskets brimming with gooseberries, redcurrants and loganberries a decision had to be reached on what we are going to do with them. We still have so much jam and chutney from previous years that I can't imagine making any more for a while. And then whilst sampling our elderflower champagne a eureka moment happened, why not try our hand at fruit wines. Well let's just say Mr D has got rather engrossed in this new project.


 With our first batch of redcurrant wine happily bubbling and gurgling away in our under stairs cupboard and the faint smell of a brewery lingering in the air you could say we have been just a little distracted. So the fact that today is the last day of #1's first year of school seems to have just sprung up on us. The change in him both physically and emotionally is incredible,
he is incredible.
Without realising it he is paving the way for his brother and sister and he is doing a damn good job of it. A little shaky at times, and a wee bit stressful. But we got through this "major" event and watching him this morning run off with his friends happily giggling away brought one very proud mummy to shed a tear and to come to the conclusion "aren't children amazing!"

5 comments:

  1. Those gooseberries look delicious!

    I can't believe we're at the end of another school year either!

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  2. Sorry to hear about the peas, but what a great harvest you have of berries... I bet you can't wait to sample the finished wines :)

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  3. I hope there will be some wine left at the end of the year! Shame about the peas but the gooseberries more than make up for them!! Not so many on our bushes this year. Well done to you all for getting through #1`s first year at school so successfully. Like you, I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed.M. X

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  4. oooh wow- that wine looks incredible!

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  5. Sorry to read things have suffered from the heat, we are still patiently waiting for rain here in Kent; the grass and borders, which I don't water, are about dead.

    Lovely gooseberry crop, the birds got ours, but I didn't rush to save them as we were a bit gooseberried out last year (and I'll confess to still having some in the freezer!).

    As for the first school year, I agree, didn't that go fast? We were looking at photos of F's first day and seeing how much he's grown (in every way). Weird to think they wont be the 'little ones' next year isn't it? Bethx

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