Phew, what a scorcher!

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It’s been lovely out there today and a real heatwave up here in North Yorkshire. So much so that all the feral whippets and ferrets are resting in the shade, and everyone outside of Leeds has their sleeves and trousers rolled up, but naturally are still wearing their flat caps.

I’ve taken to watering the allotment in the mornings before I go to work. It does mean that I get abit less sleep (but as I’m usually awake anyway thanks to the dawn chorus) it’s not too much of an issue. It also means that the crops can hopefully get the best of the water for the day. Normally I am on the allotment at about 5 or 6pm and there is still a lot of heat left in the day, so if I water in the morning I may end up burning less of the plants. I’ll still water things like courgettes and tomatoes in the evening as well. Mind you last night I had a very strange evening. I was watering the allotment while the thunder was crashing around me almost constantly. It felt odd to water when there was a thunderstorm nearby, but I am glad I did.

This afternoon has been a quiet day. I took the afternoon off to go and do things, to have a relax and to lounge in the sunshine. It’s too hot to go tearing around doing busy rushing about things, and my knees are still not what they should be (thanks to the paintballing). So I decided to start the afternoon off by going and doing a bit of scrumping from National Trust land. I went over to Brimham Rocks on the way home and picked some bilberrys, which make lovely jam or are fabulous in a syrup.

It’s right at the start of the season there, the fruit is nice and plump, there’s a lot of it and a lot more that are green as well. And even though it was lovely and warm with the sun streaming down there was another roll or two of thunder. But after 2 hours picking I had 2 kilos of bilberries and so went for a little walk around Brimham Rocks. The place was nearly empty but was very nice.

Having turned my hands purple from the fruit picking I went home and despite the baking heat picked strawberries, raspberries, mange tout, french beans, peas (the first of the year) and dug up some spuds for dinner.

The chicken wire that was on top of the swede has been removed and they are free to grow as well. I’ve released the brassicas for a second time, so they are now free to the ravages of the evil pigeons.

The greenhouse was watered and looked after, and there are now 10 broad beans showing their heads above the soil. Give it a fortnight and there ought to be a few more up, so I’ll put them in the ground where the broad beans are at the moment.

The peas were originally just covered by chicken wire hoops but they are getting a bit tall for that, so I have removed the chicken wire and put netting over them and put in some stakes to allow them to grow upwards.

I noticed as well that there are small heads of calabrese (broccoli if you must) showing as well even though the plants have been devastated by the pigeons, so I am hopeful about that.

It was too hot to do any real weeding or watering so I’ll leave that for tomorrow or Friday.

Off home we go for a cold beer and a relax in the hammock … Enjoy the sunshine everyone.

• 2 Jul, 2009
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