Finally there are some things to eat from the garden!
Sally was a very good helper with the podding of peas (I think her grandma has been training her).
Thursday is my day not at work - I hesitate to say day off as it rarely feels like that - and we managed to get to my friend's allotment to pick some of her raspberry glut. This was after the Tesco shop, returning the costumes from our Shakespeare night (Sally is in wonder at the Aladdin's cave of sparkly dresses and costumes rising on three tiered racks to the ceiling), as well as lunch and playing with her buddy (fighting over turns on the swing and carefully spreading almost the entire contents of her room over the floor (they did this last week in her friend's bedroom, so it was entirely expected) and then sitting forlorn when it was time to go saying 'but I miss her' in her most pitiful voice).
So of course it made perfect sense at three o'clock for me to cajole Sally into her cycle helmet to go to the allotments. They are only 5 minutes walk for a normal human, but when accompanied by an almost four year old on a bike, it can in fact take almost an eternity. It was lovely when we got there though, and the best bits of Sally and Mummy time today have definitely been spent harvesting food. There were raspberries in abundance, many of which made it in the box we brought - at least from the ones I picked, most of Sally's went in her tummy whilst Pip merrily wandered about removing the bricks holding down the plastic sheeting on the neighbouring allotment. oops.
The payment for raspberries is obvious - water the allotment. Again, less easy with two small helpers. Also significantly less easy when one of the watering cans is split along the bottom. It was rather warm, so I suppose I should have been happy that I drenched one leg of my jeans...
The haul from our own garden wasn't quite so impressive - but the peas are definitely tasty. It was a bit of a surprise that there were any left to go in the pan for dinner as they were so sweet raw. There were a few more than this picture suggests, but Pip kept running up and grabbing handfuls (those are his grubby knees)
In the moments between Pip running up and trying to help in a somewhat hamfisted fashion, me and Sally got some really nice time together. Garden, sunshine, daughter and peas - a lovely recipe right?
I love the leafy greenness in the garden - tomorrow the men come to cut down the trees so it might look a little sorry for itself then. But we will plant new trees, and the magnolia in the pot that's been resting on the sack truck for ages will finally find it's home in the front garden.
Of the two trees being felled, one is old, hollow and in reality a bit dangerous - its a hawthorn and whilst it produces a beautiful crown of pink in spring it's become rather misshapen and is also probably dangerous being so close to the house and the street. The other, a Swedish birch is the one rising up behind Sally's head in the photo above - it needs to go as that is where the garden office will be. And for all that it looks nice, it swarms with greenfly and rains sap throughout the summer, neither of which are desperately pleasant!
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