
flower

butterfly

by Lucy
I do like to put things on t shirts…
both in shop…

about the size of a medium tomato
Was amazed to notice this morning, that one of the tiny melons has swelled into a potentially viable fruit! Back when planting, I did read about the ‘proper’ way to grow melons, cutting them right back and only leaving 2 or 3 fruits for the energy and nutrients to focus upon. But the plant vined all round, with lots of lovely little pea sized melons and was so beautiful that I didn’t have the heart to do that.

melon plant in the porch

still flowering
maybe we will eat melon yet

cake chocolate brambles
chocolate recipes including chocolate cake. More cake recipes here :D
setting the above as my desktop (click for bigger image – creative commons so anyone can download)
doing: 5 Tibetans
listening: Gregorian Chant (CD bought on our visit to Pluscarden Abbey a couple of years ago)
reading: The Abundance Book and The Wine of Angels
off to pick almost the last of the blackcurrants for a smoothie
We have 3 new ones for next season, hopefully one more to come
Planning to give over the whole allotment bit at the bottom of the garden to potatoes next year, with the chives, rhubarb and some other bits (maybe leeks? nasturtiums?) for biodiversity.

the four big beds, all made of reclaimed wood and old tiles from the roof
It’s been really noticable this year that the more food we grow, the smaller are our shopping bills, also much more work, but it’s very joyful
So now, my baby bed in detail…

just created
It’s in “the hot place”, a sunbathing area of near tropical climes, the place of the toolbox of lettuce (actually mixed salad leaves this year) with house walls to the North and East, shelter from trees and shrubs all round and refelective light walls too – I think I could probably lay cookies out to bake there on a hot day!
All the beds are layered up thus:

a layer of kitchen compost, should be thicker really but wanted to get this one going

seaweed from the beach, mainly kelp

4 growbags chucked in the top
Having observed the propensity of lettuce to survive even the fiercest winters I have planted winter density seeds in there and also garlic round the edges. There may be something unsightly done with bubble wrap and wire as it gets colder.
and randomly:

blackcurrant and apple pie
oatly less artistically arranged this time… we highly recommend growing blackcurrants – the abundance! the easy jam making! the easy freezing! the gorgeous smoothies… and pies…
and a mother sheep feeding lambs behind barbed wire:

beautiful horns she has

cliffs and blue sky

more cliffs

rocks and water

beach

rocks and deeper water

limpets

various sea vegetables

flame and bubbles
Angel party playing The Transformation Game, a spookily accurate spiritual game devised at Findhorn. Wonderfully light humour pervades it.

Toby thoroughly enjoyed it

Freedom

playing snacking laughing

chocolate buttons, walnut and crisps

bubbles and trees

loch and tree reflections
Had a lovely day out with friends at Millbuies Country Park

beautiful paths

Iona's pretty foot!

damsel fly

and another

paddling in a stream

little trout

beautiful old tree
Oddly, I took the photo of the butterfly on a buddliea plant in the post below while waiting to meet up with our friends at a garden centre. They later bought that plant!