Bakewell Organic Garden members came on an evening visit to our allotment and garden on Tuesday evening. Very pleasant people, several with beards, enjoyed a ginger beer with me in our hut and looked round the various enterprises. Jayne’s side of the plot was absolutely wonderfully tidy as she and Linda had spent all of Sunday clearing out every weed. Mine was a verdant jungle as I have been in London so much, and had my last all-day session there on Monday, but at least I had loads of things growing.  Jayne never appeared, but several were very interested in her bee hive so she would have enjoyed talking to them if she had.  They are starting a new bee club in Grindleford, only three miles from us. I must chase up Jayne. 

 It is our annual flower and vegetable show at Chatsworth on Saturday. I am not at all optimistic. For example, I put in for onions over 8oz and only have two that size, where you need three, the potatoes have a funny scabby thing on each one, and my marrows are bendy.   But at least they are big. Growing a big marrow is the least skillful thing in horticulture. I bet other people’s are bigger though.

We have a large experienced hen who is raising three tiny late chicks. When David went to close them up for the night it was obvious she had been in serious battle with something as her feathers were all over the pen.  Sparrow hawk?  Stoat?  But all three babies were safe, so she must have won the dust-up. Good for her.  Power of motherhood triumphs again.  (see last post)