I'm back!

You may have noticed that I've not been here and that's because I've been to England to see family.......

The sun was there too,  as were some gorgeous autumn colours as the leaves are changing,  I took an umbrella as a precaution and it only rained once,  that of course was the afternoon I left it indoors - I hadn't needed it so far and it's just one more thing to carry - and so the heavens opened!  Is that Sod's law?  What can go wrong will go wrong,  or some such phrase.

Back home yesterday via an overcrowded, under stocked supermarket.  Seemed to have caught them in the middle of the Christmas shelf stocking-up.  Nothing was where I expected it to be,  there were Christmas goodies where I thought the  sultanas used to live,  there were Christmas goodies where the beer should be,  I found that on the pet food aisle! At least Christmas comes to the shops later here,  I read that it appears in some UK shops even before Halloween and November 5th bonfire night.

So today I've done the washing - or rather loaded the machine twice - watered the chillies, peppers,  celeriac,  beans, peas and strawberries (you don't want to know do you?  another half kilo,  sliced, sugared and Muscateled for dessert tonight)  The runner beans are now beaning and the peas are way above their first supporting strings so I need to put another row of string on.  The peas I planted on the 31st October are just appearing today.  John's kohlrabi seedlings are looking very healthy as are his lettuce seedlings and coriander plants so we are going to plant them out this week.  We watered their new beds this afternoon,  so the ground will be nice and damp and warm for them.

Also currently ripening are our pomegranates,  and they are huge!  The trees are not that big and the branches are not that strong and so they are bowing (boughing?) maybe bending is better but whatever,  the branches have bent under the weight.   I like them,  and have eaten 3 so far,  last year we made grenadine but don't use it very often and don't need to make any more,  so it's a race to see who can eat them first, me or the birds.  As soon as they've split open the birds get in there pecking but - and  I must check this before I pick too many - I think they keep for quite a while if picked when ripe but not split.

Talking of warmth,  still 18 in the shade today, John says it's been like it all week as well,  and the forecast isn't any different.  So no heating on yet,  the windows are open all day to let the sun in and keep the temperature up indoors,  long may this last!