Taking some unexpected cuttings.

I picked a bunch of basil from the polytunnel and I didn't use it all , so I shoved the stems in some water to keep it fresh...and look what happened!


I never thought of growing basil from cuttings like this, but I am going to pot these up as an experiment and see how they grow.

Will let you know what happens ( oh the giddy whirl of excitement which is my life... ;-)

The new Hens!

Yesterday our new hens arrived.

4 of them, called Tuesday and Wednesday (Maran X ?) and Thursday and Friday ( Ex battery hens, not sure of the breed?). These lovely hens needed a new home and so I said we would love to have them. And today Hen from the INEBG forum came over with them and she and her ( soon to be husband!) stayed for a cuppa and a chat and watched the new girls settle in...



Compostgirl thinks they are LOVELY!







Hen's other half with one of the Marans on his shoulder...I think Wednesday?


And the new girls in the Eglu..."oooh we like it in here!"

and they did! so much so that when I went out after Dr Who, Wednesday had laid an egg!

A walk around the pool in the rain

I went for a wander around our pool in the rain tonight, I don't do this nearly as much as I should, we live in THE MOST amazing place, with suroundings to die for, and so much of the time I am too bloomin' busy to appreciate it?

So I MADE myself take 10 mins and my camera, to go AND SEE.....








Its beautiful :-)

We had visitors today and as usual their reaction to the lovelyness we are surrounded by, reminded me I should really feel much more grateful to live where I do.








We ALL should make time, as the saying goes, to go and smell, not roses in this case but, the scent of damp meadow grass and Meadowsweet and Loosestrife and Scabious and Sweetpeas and a wildflower meadow.....

wonderful.....

Harvesting the fruit!

We have a couple of gooseberry bushes, one dessert, one for cooking, a couple of blackcurrent bushes and one redcurrent bush...and this year we have had a mixed crop.

The gooseberries were ok but not many on the bushes.

The blackcurrent bushes...one has none, the other is loaded...and the redcurrant bush is also laden.

Compostman rigged up a fruit cage over the redcurrant bush again this year ( no prizes for working out what it was in a former life!) ...as the birds really love the redcurrent and leave the blackcurrents alone in preference...



























SO...jam, jelly and chutney on the way I guess!

Summer in the garden.

It is SO wonderful this time of year!

The polytunnel is full of plants all starting to produce fruit (aubergines, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and various herbs and salads as well as the blueberries and strawberries








Here is a wire cover compostman made to keep the squirrels out of the polytunnel as they had started to invade and eat the crops...not content with stripping bare 2 apple trees and 2 pear trees of ALL the fruit..grrr....

Lettuce leaf Basil..mmm wonderful in salads or with tomatos and mozarrella drizzled with olive oil..mmm


The last few blueberries left on the bush...we have eaten all the rest!











And the last two photos were what I went and picked/dug for our lunch a few days ago, beans, potatos, carrots, salad and fruit ....all fresh .....from "plot to plate" in less than 5 mins...along with home made bread and butter and boiled eggs laid by the hens....mmm food feet, not miles!!

And that is the way it SHOULD be...