A taste of things to
come,
Every day as I open
the gate to the walled garden I am taken aback by just how much is happening
despite the somewhat cool and very wet summer we have had. Strawberries are
coming down to the kitchen by the bucket load, cucumbers swelling in the
polytunnel and flowers blooming for the table.
We have had our share of
ups and downs. Terrible wind caused many sunflowers to snap and left the whole
garden looking bruised and sorry for itself. It soon recovered, new heads have
grown on the sunflowers and the runner beans are at last beginning to run,
albeit slowly. I’m sure like the rest of us they must be waiting for a bit of warmth,
then there will be no stopping them.
Sometimes when things
are not going as planned and nature seems to conspire against you, it’s easy to
count your losses and feel disheartened. But in every situation there are
winners and losers. It’s been a great season for lettuce, the chard looks good
and beetroot is also a winner.
Looking forward, we took delivery of 12 goslings,
which are grazing, safe and snug behind an electric fence, under the orchard
canopy. When they arrived, on a cold rainy June day they seemed small and
featherless. In a matter of a few short weeks of grazing on our lush grass they
are turning into plump white geese. 
Another new arrival is
four beehives, situated outside the north wall of the garden. The bees have
settled in rather well and I often watch them feeding on the nectar of our cut
flowers, borage being a particular favourite.
No doubt their services will come in extremely handy when our autumn raspberries
are in bloom. So far it looks tantalisingly close to summer!