It was like one of those Loony Tune cartoons when Wily Cayote or a similar hapless fall-guy has a one ton weight dropped on them, or are blown up by a bundle of Acme dynamite. I swayed on the spot, and I swear that a little halo of stars was hovering above my head. Very early yesterday morning when getting ready for the farmers’ market I purposefully made my way through the greenhouse to pick some Padron peppers, and in my haste as I opened one of the dividing doors, which is partly obscured by rampant fig foliage, I forged through the door before it was properly open and bashed my head right on the leading edge of it whilst walking at full tilt. I immediately felt a warm trickle down my temple, and then spent minutes that I could ill afford trying to stem the flow. I drove to Wyken with a wad of kitchen towel, constantly mopping the throbbing wound. I then spent the next 4 hours explaining to just about every customer what had occurred.

On that journey I counted 4 dead badgers on the A143 between Wickhambrook and Horringer – a distance of less than 8 miles. Even sadder than those fatalities was the sight of a beautiful roadkill Tawny Owl near Barnadiston.

Speaking of birds. Well you know that we are having a new kitchen fitted at the moment? Well it’s all going to plan so far, and we are still using the scout camp for cooking and eating. The novelty is wearing off a little, but it’s really not too bad. Anyway, foolishly I ordered a new garden shed to replace the one we have had for more than 30 years, which is literally falling down, to be delivered and constructed this coming Friday, right at the same time as the kitchen is being done. We have new appliances for the refurb, so the old ones have had to go, so the contents of our freezer have had to be relocated to the second freezer located in the tumbledown shed. That has meant that some of what was in the shed freezer has had to go to make way for fresher stuff. One of the casualties is….this is where we get back to birds….a Kingfisher! Yep, a beautiful Kingfisher that I picked up off the ice on a very frozen river Stour at the bottom of our hill at least 25 winters ago. I walked onto the ice (don’t do it kids!) and retrieved the perfect specimen and took it home in my pocket. It was put into a plastic tub and placed in the outside freezer awaiting….who knows what? Anyway, it has been there all those years, but apparently frozen peas are more important, so just today I dug a hole and buried it in the garden, which is probably what I should have done at the time. Before doing so I took its photograph, and whilst it’s not in pristine condition it is still a magnificent creature.

On Wednesday I attended Paul’s funeral in Biggleswade. It was so very sad. The church was packed, and the wake was rammed with people, a measure of just how popular a man he was. I didn’t get to speak to his wife Judy, she was very busy talking with friends and family, so I used that as justification to avoid her, because I didn’t trust myself, so emotional did I feel. I wouldn’t have been able to speak. I did have a few words with his daughter, and had a chat with his brother, but Judy would have been a different level. I did meet some old school friends not seen for 45 years or more, which was great – funerals are often very good social occasions, this one certainly was.

We’ve got ourselves an Indian summer! It’s going to be lovely this week and maybe beyond, making alfresco dining all the more enjoyable. The days are rapidly shortening, but warm, even hot daytime temperatures will be a nice extension to the summer. Have you noticed how it has coincided with the schools going back? 🙂 Well the ones that aren’t about to collapse!

The reducing daylight hours spells the decline of some of the summer crops, with courgettes and runner beans slowing down, though some of that is also to do with a lack of meaningful rain. I know that there has been some, and more around Bury and beyond than here, but it’s just been nuisance rain for me, just enough to get your boots muddy. There are plenty of French beans at the moment, and tomatoes galore, plus kale, lettuce, chard, limited sweet red peppers (square and long), onions, carrots, Charlotte salad potatoes and Alouette reds. I was asked at the market yesterday if they would roast, and having had some roasted for my dinner this evening I am able to confirm that they do indeed. I will have to harvest whatever winter squash are ripe early this week because I have noticed some vole damage on some of the skins already, and I don’t want to lose the crop after nurturing the plants for so long. I will be picking eating and cooking apples this week. I am hoping that there will be Portobello mushrooms this week, I have added them in the shop and will keep my fingers crossed.

Tomatoes ripening on the vine in the polytunnel today

What I failed to mention earlier when referring to the new shed was that I have to empty the contents of the current one, and demolish it by Thursday – eek! So I have had a day doing just that, and it’s surprising what you come across when having a clear out. I found the trophy shown below, awarded to me in 1984 for winning the Great Bardfield fun run. It’s a very cheap and tacky trophy, but I think that it might avoid being consigned to the skip….for reasons of nostalgia.

Enjoy the sunshine, see you soon.

Phil