First Pickings

This evening saw the first harvest of the vegetable patch. My prize peas were ready for the picking, so armed with a pint of Gin & Tonic, I went about stripping the first batch from the plants. As a first time veggie grower I haven't really got a clue what I'm doing and am learning as I go. I read earlier in the week that you should pick the peas as soon as they're ready to make them flower more thus, producing more peas. Also, they tend not to be as sweet if left on the plant. I think a few had gone this way but they were still bloody yummy!

I had some help in the garden whilst prancing in and out of the pea sticks. The girls and the lovely Basil were enjoying an evening stroll on a bug hunt. They definatley have their own language and communicate to eachother in a series of heated and hasty clucks. If one of them finds a little insect treat they will cluck unstoppably until the others have gathered round to look at the findings. Basil is the best at this, he will let his ladies know that there is a morsel to be had where the ladies usually keep quiet and get it down their necks as quickly as possible without a sound ...I have to say I'm not unlike this when it comes to Ben & Jerry's!

After my rich pickings I sat on the railway sleeper next to our makeshift pond and shelled the peas. The girls showed a lot of interest and Betty kept trying to steal the finished product, very fond of a pea or two! Naughty bad chookie!

The pond is well established now and has 6 fishies in it. Five of the fish were found in an inch of water at the bottom of this trough at the bottom of the fields when the last people renting the land for horses left. I thought I was seeing things at first one day on my stroll around the farm, then another one, oh and another one and two little white ones! I went and got a bucket full of water and rescued the little blighters as they had about a week at best in what water they were in.

A month later we hauled the galvanised steal trough up the fields and put it in place where it now sits. We ended up putting our house fish in there too as he would have some company at least instead of staring at the side of a microwave and a bread bin for the rest of his life! He was immediatley at home when we put him in. It gives you that "I've so done the right thing" feeling! As I'm writing this I can smell the fig chutney cooking away and it's making me really hungry ...give me cheese!!!