I’m close to the edge. I’m pooped. All in. Cream crackered. I’m spent. If I was lazing on a beach somewhere (not that I do that) on my holiday I would welcome, indeed relish, these fantastic days of wall to wall sunshine and giddy temperatures, but I’m not on a beach and I’m not on holiday, and I’m getting worn down by the relentless struggle to deal with the consequences of a long dry spring and early summer. The week past was particularly demanding because the days were long and hot, compounded by uncomfortably high night-time temperatures making good quality sleep difficult, so I have been getting up tired without my batteries having been recharged. It’s not sustainable. I realise that some of it is mental as well as physical fatigue. Just looking at the garden in the mess that it is in is enough to take the wind out of an already loosely flapping sail – parched struggling plants, stands of thistles that ‘do’ whatever the conditions, baked hard soil, and a list of jobs to do as long as my arm.

Forgive my outpouring of self pity, but I like to be straight with you and that’s how I feel at the moment. But things will improve, of course they will, and I will emerge from my funk like a butterfly breaking free from its chrysalis, energised and enthused.

However, until that time I am not inclined to sit here for too long hunched over a hot laptop computer, so this week’s blog will be concise.

I did harvest the garlic last week and laid it out to dry in chitting trays. Ordinarily I would have put it inside to dry, but conditions were so good that I left it outside and it has done very well. Generally the quality of the bulbs is good, a range of sizes, and once the drying process is complete I will wait for a wet day to clean them up ready for selling. I had the sprinkler going for most of the week, concentrating mostly on newly planted crops that are struggling to establish. The broccoli really came on last week much faster than expected, so there was no shortage, I just hope that it holds on for the coming week. I picked the first tomatoes last week and took them to the market yesterday, there are still not yet enough of them for me to add them to the shop but I am hopeful that I will be able to this time next week. Cucumbers are producing well now, but courgettes are slow.

I have not ordered mushrooms this week, and won’t again until the weather cools down because they don’t travel well in the heat, and last week I had to dispose of quite a few because they arrived very sweaty. I probably won’t order aubergines again after this week for the same reason. These quality issues don’t do anything to improve my humour.

I’m going now. I have things to do and cricket to listen to. See you back here the same time next week when I will no doubt be more cheerful.

Phil