Reflecting on my week #89

Thankfully the weather has improved since last week, though I’m still carrying my umbrella in my handbag just in case. There’s thunderstorms threatened and some more rain, but somehow in London we’ve got to that stage where a thunderstorm to clear the air would be welcomed, as it’s already got to the “too hot” stage for some. I could do with less muggy-ness, but I’m pleased it’s warming up.

There’s been a sudden burst of fruit activity in our garden and we’re regularly picking - and eating - handfuls of strawberries. I love it when plants just carry on producing when left to their own devices, it’s the best type of home grown veg. Short on effort, but long on flavour.

It’s been a funny week in Greenwich. There’s been a couple of big events at the Old Royal Naval College, where a tremendous amount of fantastic flowers have been brought in to make a stunning place look even better. Then on Friday some cattle arrived and took up residency in a large gilt picture frame as part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival.

They were hefty old cattle and while I was keen to have a peek I stayed firmly on the outside of the picture frame and did my best not to make eye contact. There was an electric fence, but let’s face it this city girl wasn’t going to put that to the test. It was quite an attraction though, and without the cattle I’d have happily tried the picture frame seat for size.

On Sunday we realised why people have those collapsible fold-up chairs for picnics and such like. We headed over to Greenwich Park for one of the first Bandstand concerts of the year. Sunday wasn’t as nice as Saturday, but armed with a picnic blanket and an impromptu picnic which mostly contained cheese, which was perfectly fine by me. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to a concert in the park, and in those years it seems the ground has got a lot harder, and a lot more uncomfortable!

There’s plenty more bandstand concerts to come throughout the summer, and we’re hoping to go along to more where we can. Each weekend there’s a different ‘flavour’ to the music, this week was country. The one I’m hoping to get along to sounds as if it might be more Cuban, with a band name of Here to Havana, i think there’s a fair chance, don’t you?

The other thing we’ve been picking from the garden over the past week, while enjoying the heady jasmine smells, is cherries. We’ve bowlfuls of them - the pigeons have stripped the top of the tree, but seem reluctant so far to strip the tree bare. So we’re making the most of it, and of my photo editing software as you’ll see below.

I’d been wondering how we could use them, as while some are sweet enough to eat as they are, I prefer them cooked. Today, while having a bit of a browse of the Craft Gin Club site I spotted a recipe for a boozy gin and cherry trifle. Yes, i know, I wasn’t really looking for this, but once I’d found it I knew it would be useful. While we could make our own swiss roll and custard, I’ve opted for some specially made for us by Marks & Sparks, so we can concentrate on the main event, i’ll let you know how we get on!

A wander around my garden

Our garden this year has taken a bit of a back seat with everything else that’s gone on, and with the warmer weather, but a few bursts of rain and it’s (thankfully) bouncing back, and growing some more, so today I’m sharing photos from my garden this month.

The herbs that I bought from RHS Hyde Hall in Essex in July are doing well, especially the mint - I clearly need some warmer weather back, as I’ve mojitos to drink... 

We’ve been treated to some pretty looking berries this year from the Chilean potato plant, usually the plant is tamed way before the berry stage, but not this year.  I’m hoping to buy a new garden ladder, and this is one of the plants I want it for so I’m holding out to use it for that. The berries have brought increased bird activity to this part of the garden, some of it unwanted, “fighting” pigeons anyone? They’ve also encouraged smaller birds, blackbirds, tits and robins, which have all been welcome, so I’m thinking there has to be a happy compromise for next year.

The ferns are looking a little crunchy, but no less pretty, especially against the slate.

Our honesty plants are also doing their thing, helped along I’m sure by the weather. I liked how these look already, and the detail that my iPhone has picked up.

Our lettuces are basking in the sun, and have mostly repelled the slugs and snails. We need to get on with eating it though, as I’m sure there’ll come a time when it’s a race between us and the mollusks.

My outdoor tomatoes are ripening, and with regular feeds the greenhouse tomatoes are coming on nicely. I know our tomatoes are usually later in the season, with our north facing garden, and they’re getting there, and are well worth the wait.

Outside the greenhouse, the heucheras from dad are thriving and their purple leaves bring a different shade to our garden. 

My succulent trug has got some invaders, but ones that I’m happy with as I think they’re self-seeded foxgloves, so when the weather is a little more forgiving I’ll move them to where I want them to grow as there’s nothing better than free plants. 

There’s some rather large pears on our pear tree, and I suspect they’re as hard as usual, which most probably makes them cookers. We never get to find out as the squirrels forget this and either help themselves and have a bit of a nibble before moving onto something more tasty. 

The strawberries have, on the whole, recovered and they’ll be moving on again once I sort out new pots for my growing space. 

The olive tree has recovered with some lush green growth over the frost-tipped leaves, so that’s a relief. 

Elsewhere in the garden there’s a couple of clues that autumn’s not too far away.

More berries, this time elderberries, but just look at the vibrant stems and the sedums. They’re not yet turning pink, but I don’t expect it will be long.

What are the signs that your garden gives to let you know it’s preparing for autumn?

Love this #80: Mini seed tins

I shared a snippet of these on Monday, and told you how they played to my organisation obsession and my love of tins, which rivals that of notebooks.  And they're full of seeds too and while they're available from Suttons individually, it's better value if you're buying a few tins to opt for one of the two sets.  

Individual tins are £4.95 each, but the salad or root vegetable collection of six tins cost £24.  That sounds a lot, and you're right it is a lot for seeds, but each tin has three packets of seeds in, so that doesn't make it quite so bad.

And of course there's six tins which look like seed packets, that could be used for things other than seeds.

RARING TO GROW

I chose the salad collection and now have plenty of seeds for pak choi, spring onion, chard, lettuce, leaf salad and rocket.  Lucky that they're all things we eat plenty of, and the type of crop that I expect to grow more of once my new pots arrive (that's another story!)

The root vegetable collection contains two varieties of beetroot, two of carrot and two of radish, which might work better for you.  I suspect my tins will be around for a long time, and not necessarily always for seeds.

What would you use them for?

This isn't a collaborative post, I saw them, bought them and love them.  And that's without eating the evidence - yet!