I say 'summer' because, even though we're almost in July, it hasn't properly started yet, bar the odd day of blue skies and no rain. I know we're in Asturias, I know it rains here - otherwise it wouldn't be so lush and green and I wouldn't love the place so much - but please!
We wake up almost every day to grey cloudy skies and I have to say I'm fed up with it. We had so much rain in May and the start of June that half of our onions have given up and fallen over (their roots have rotted) and even the potato plants have started to die back, in June! The peppers, tomatoes and aubergines have been hanging on in there but are growing slowly, very slowly. I suspect we'll end up with tomatoes on Xmas day again, like last year (we were given cherry tomato plants last year but weren't told they were a bush variety, so we spent the first half of the summer getting rid of side shoots and then were puzzled as to why we had so few tomatoes. As soon as we left the plants alone they produced copious quantities of fruit and didn't die until January. I've never picked fresh tomoatoes on 25th December before, and from an outside plant at that).
Not wishing to end on a grumpy note, we have had our first harvest of currants, gooseberries and raspberries (one of my favourites) this year. The plants are still young so we only managed enough for a crumble, which Matt made for dinner last night. I have to say that Matt is a Crumble King. It was wondeerful to come home last night and have dinner almost ready and a scrumptious, mostly blackcurrant, crumble for dessert. He also makes a good one with mango and grated ginger and the latest experiment was a kiwi crumble, which turned out surprisingly well.
Crumble ingredients
Also, all the new trees and shrubs that we planted this spring are enjoying the weather, which means less watering work for us.
And, and this is exciting - for me anyway- we have our first mandarins forming on our one citrus tree, hopefully they won't fall off before they ripen (which is what happened to the cherries).
All in all, I suppose I shouldn't really complain but I want my summer!
We wake up almost every day to grey cloudy skies and I have to say I'm fed up with it. We had so much rain in May and the start of June that half of our onions have given up and fallen over (their roots have rotted) and even the potato plants have started to die back, in June! The peppers, tomatoes and aubergines have been hanging on in there but are growing slowly, very slowly. I suspect we'll end up with tomatoes on Xmas day again, like last year (we were given cherry tomato plants last year but weren't told they were a bush variety, so we spent the first half of the summer getting rid of side shoots and then were puzzled as to why we had so few tomatoes. As soon as we left the plants alone they produced copious quantities of fruit and didn't die until January. I've never picked fresh tomoatoes on 25th December before, and from an outside plant at that).
Not wishing to end on a grumpy note, we have had our first harvest of currants, gooseberries and raspberries (one of my favourites) this year. The plants are still young so we only managed enough for a crumble, which Matt made for dinner last night. I have to say that Matt is a Crumble King. It was wondeerful to come home last night and have dinner almost ready and a scrumptious, mostly blackcurrant, crumble for dessert. He also makes a good one with mango and grated ginger and the latest experiment was a kiwi crumble, which turned out surprisingly well.
Crumble ingredients
Also, all the new trees and shrubs that we planted this spring are enjoying the weather, which means less watering work for us.
And, and this is exciting - for me anyway- we have our first mandarins forming on our one citrus tree, hopefully they won't fall off before they ripen (which is what happened to the cherries).
All in all, I suppose I shouldn't really complain but I want my summer!
6 comments:
Serves u right! The weather here in Swansea is .... yea, well ... er ... OK. It's ruddy rainin!
You know, I know EXACTLY what you mean. EXACTLY! I too am sick of waking up to grey skies and I'm itching to see those beautiful blue days again! They say they are on their way. I'll believe it when I see it.
Melody, yes but it´s supposed to be summer here. At least it´s winter there!
Not just in Swansea dickiebo, but in Macclesfield too. Lawn is soggy, flowers bent over with weight of rain. More rain forecast, but at least we are not in Sheffield!
My mother took a month out of our rotten winter for a taste of english summer with my sister (Ju) who is recently engaged.
But alas, no summer up there on top of the world either.
i have just updated my blog to put the matter of my so called bravery straight!
Post a Comment