And that means the first of my forced rhubarb 'to play with' in my kitchen. And because my mind tends to go blank with wot to do with my harvests, I started a number of very sad reference books, (completely for my own use, obviously) a while back, that logs every single recipe in all of the books that I own, so that I don't have to waste time every season, searching endlessly through each and every to find out how best to use and preserve it?.... Now, I just open my reference book, search through all of my listed recipes, whether it be Rhubarb, Crab Apples, Jerusalem Fartichokes, Parsnips or Leeks, and choose which recipe best takes my fancy that day of harvest .
I must admit to having wanted to throw in the towel on occasions when I've been compiling the references, but I'm applauding my own anorakness and perseverence now, because as my harvests increase, so does my culinary repertoire. Unfortunately, so does Trousers' waistline?!
I couldn't even begin to tell you what variety of Mint this is, but it's the best Mint I've ever tasted, and I've neglected it for two years now, so I thought I'd pretend that it'd won the lottery, so divided it, replanting it in a redundant recycling container - which seemed rather fitting, so that it can go forth and multiply itself.
Fert'n'Liza look as 'cream crackered' children as Wellie is feeling this evening, because they've mowed The Orchard. And the reason they did that, was because much much later in the season, the sheeps won't be eating this grass here, the fruits fall, the Heffers aren't sposed to be let in here, but somehow they magically appear, and then lick all the fruit, trample all the windfalls, and Wellie completely loses the will to live......(!) So, this year, I thought we'd NOT have that happen, if I can help it?!
And, having picked up, and removed large stones, I'm confident now to keep The Orchard floor more manageable so as not to wreck the mower. (Of course every time I mow, I'm hoovering up Sheep droppings too, so whether I'm putting the grass clippings on the compost heap, earthing up my potatoes, or mulching any of my vegetable beds, I'm adding valuable and totally free nutrients to my productive plot......
(Clever Wellie?!)
Okay..... Now this greenhouse, last year, and the year before was completely dominated by overgrown Grapevine, Nectarine and Peach, and it was an unruly mess from years' of neglect. You can't have things like that destroying the structure of a greenhouse, growing through the sides and roof, so this year, I'm trying to bring a sense of decorum..... (no laughing at the back now kids?!)
Ooh! and what a surprise! Wellie's Gardening Cat is strutting her latest on The Cat Walk?!
Having not been able to capture the male Black Cap Bird in my garden for you on film (gutted, obviously), I was rather thrilled to have captured this lovely moment (Worcesterberry/Chockerberry - never can remember which!!), but not hugely in focus (Bum. Bum. See Wellie Jump up'n'down with clenched fists kiddie-winkies?)
And I'm going to leave you on this rather sad note: I used to wonder why one never saw a juvenile Pigeon, and today, rather sadly, I learned the answer....
A SparrowHawk flew into the nest, grabbed a hold of the baby Pigeon, and I saw it fly off with it.
I have never felt so gutted for a parent pigeon in my life as I watched it come to terms with its loss, not only immediatly, but for the next half hour or so.......
and then it spent the next hour 'comfort eating' the ivy berries around its nest.......
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