I wasn’t expecting anyone at the workday on Saturday but there’s a lot to do at this time, and it wasn’t raining, so had to go.

Lovely to find Vicky and daughter there working away. They couldn’t stay long but helped with the netting and did some weeding. I planted out the PSB, some autumn broccoli and the next lot of beetroot. Protecting everything with netting is a tiresome job but we’re in the cabbage white season as well as those pesky pheasants after everything I plant! There were a couple of dodgy potato plants to dig up but most are looking really good and in full flower.

Around 3 o’clock the Angel Vicky unexpectedly returned with supplies of sausages and bacon! She lit a fire and cooked while the kids played in the stream. She, the kids and I all enjoyed a fry up with freshly harvested (v small) potatoes, broad beans and onions. The most delicious meal! And then, to finish off she made me tea. Morgan wanted peppermint tea and we had no peppermint bags so we picked it fresh from the stream and made it with that – hope he liked it.

I harvested another batch of garlic and Lexy helped me make a frame to dry it (after a bit of hoola hooping!).

The harvest at Cilcain is slow this year but it is happening – the broccoli is forming florets, the broad beans are ready (small, succulent white ones), the onions are good, the shallots are swelling, sugarsnaps are filling, courgettes are finally flowering and the rainbow chard looks great. The ladybird larvae are hard at work on the aphids and the bees are enjoying the borage.

Thank you, Vicky – you made my day!

Nikki