daytime

Sunday, 4 July 2021

4^th July 2021

Dear All,

Rumour has it that “Footballs Coming Home!” well possibly, and certainly watching England last night was more relaxing than the usual nervy 90 minutes! But there is still those pesky Italians!

We had a new shower fitted this week as the old one in the bathroom developed a split in the control box, which not only sprayed you with ice cold water, but also upset the electrics and tripped the fuses.

It has been hedge trimming week both here and at the allotment. Next door planted a hedge between us and it has shot up to about 8 feet. As husband Dave has departed daughter Caroline has been attempting to top it back a little. It is not a great benefit to the crops within a couple of metres and I have had to sink a barrier to restrict the roots.

Trimmed Hedge

French beans started this week and the summer cabbage look good. The allotment is full with potatoes, squash, Sweet Corn and winter brassicas and so far, so good. Kate is still battling bindweed on her patch but is picking fresh flowers every day.

First French beans

Our Thursday walk this week was a new one for us starting at Great Offley between Hitchin and Luton on the edge of the Chilterns – 42 miles away for us. There were more climbs than us Fen folk are used to, but it was an excellent walk in ideal conditions. The crops were good but strange in that apart from grass with a multitude of lambs to begin with we walked for 3.5 hours and only saw cereal crops – no beans, OSR, peas or any other break crop. Also, quite a few of the wheat crops were sown with mixed varieties. It was a Red Kite hotspot and at one site we saw 7 at once. Our leader lives in Hitchin and is responsible for maintenance in St Mary’s the largest church in the town and took us up the tower for a panoramic view of Hitchin and a close up of the bells.