Sorry to have been away for so long, we’ve been a bit busy and I haven’t found the time or energy for writing, which is a shame, but sometimes life does just get in the way. Firstly, oh its hot isn’t it? It is 28.5 degrees C in my kitchen and its 2.30 a.m., which is why you have me! I couldn’t sleep, its just too hot.

Well what have we been up to? The allotment is going great guns. Hubby has been up there at least once a day to water and because of this we are starting to get crops. We have fellow allotmenteers who have a weed free plot, but don’t water like we do, their crops are far behind ours. Our weeds and our crops really benefit from the daily watering. Sorry to witter on about weeds, but they play on my mind especially when its just too hot to play in the dust and weed.

But I can show you a few piccies, they are taken in mid sun, so they are not great.Beetroot, we should be able to take a light picking this week. Our new potatoes with a couple of plants that are ready, with the Charlottes having over taken our Jersey Royals, or should I say International Kidney as they should be known in this country. Runner beans and French beans. Always so pretty. Our peas are combatting the regular attention of pigeons, I think we are starting to win now. This is the courgette and butternut squash patch with sweetcorn at the rear. The courgettes are going great guns, I’ve had to ask hubby to slow down on the watering as this home cook is not keeping up with the glut. I could make chutneys etc, but its just too hot to enjoy making it.The brassicas, lots of variety here, with lettuces, brussels, various cabbages, spring, summer and winter, cauliflower, broccoli and black kale to name but a few. The fruit patch. Even with all the grass through it, its done very well for us this year. We were very lucky to take over mature bushes from the previous tenant. This is our bed of Crown Prince, the most delicious of all pumpkins and it stores really well until Christmas, they are grafted plants and are doing really well, fingers crossed.  We also have rows of garlic, shallots and onions. Then we walk into the greenhouse. My favourite place, being the only person I know that has to eat tomatoes nearly every day. And they are just starting to do well.  I’m loving my marigolds to try and keep the white fly at bay.

So what have we been eating?We are eating lots of this, and quite a bit of this. One morning we got up to the plot for 7.30 a.m. to pick all of our fruit before midday… which was a brilliant morning. Whilst at the plot I thought to myself, what we need is an ice cream maker… so I ordered one while I was sat having a lemonade and it came the next day! And now we are eating an unseemly amount of this, the most delicious blackcurrant ripple ice cream you ever did see.