What have we been up too?

Where we live we have a wonderful green with an old oak tree in the middle of it. We seem to have spent alot of time out playing under it's boughs recently. Sophie loves playing with the older children of the Close, and I love having an excuse to sit on the grass and watch them play whilst crafting, or stripping red currants. I get some of the children coming and sitting with me, helping, asking questions, and then going off to play again. It really is delightful. The other evening, every child from the Close was out playing until about 9pm, they had a great time, even if getting up for school the next day was a bit of a struggle!

We have also been accumulating camping stuff ready for our first adventure, there has been a certain amount of drooling too over a bell tent, perhaps one day we will get one!

I have been nuturing my plants, I am so proud of these tomato plants, grown from seed, and looking so healthy.

Can you see my first ever bell pepper, it's very small, but steadily growing day by day. Is it wrong that such things should get me so excited?!

Another proud mama to a lettuce, yes, a whole lettuce that has not been eaten by slugs or chickens. I'd better get in there quick!

My first crop of blueberries, well, we won't count the solitary blueberry that got eaten by the chickens last year! They have been moved to the front garden now, well out of the reach of the chooks!!

Spring onions, another first for me. Looking forward to those on a cheese toasty... mmmmm....

So whilst there has been alot of playing going on, I have been busy too. Elderflower cordial, there was much more, but it has either been drunk or gifted away.

Strawberry jam. It had to be done really, how else can we get through a punnet a day?

Stuart went to his sisters to collect this beautiful piece of furniture her husband made for us.

An idea shamelessly stolen from Shell (sorry Shell), a pressie for Alec's upcoming 9th birthday, crafted under the oak tree.

And more strawberries, this time as a cheesecake recipe from Sharon's blog "Making Stuff". It is declared by Stuart that this is "the best cheesecake ever". I can see it being topped with all kinds of different fruits, very easy, and very tasty!

Staying on the strawberry theme, we have also been eating them raw, or cooked with rhubarb in crumble, juiced and frozen into orange and strawberry ice lollies, blitzed with milk into strawberry milkshakes. But Sophie's favourite is still fresh from the plant!

We have also harvested 1.1kg of blackcurrants so far (another of Sophie's favourites fresh from the bush!), not bad for what I thought was a failed harvest! Redcurrants, the garlic that I thought was failed has suprised me with some decent bulbs, more rhubarb, a courgette, peas, and it looks like the potatoes are nearly ready. It's no wonder Im dreaming of fruit and veg at night!!

Hope you are all having a lovely summer. If anyone has any spare rain, could they send it to the Midlands, please... but not until after the weekend!!