Yesterday was a most beautiful and warm day, about 25C which is rather warm for these parts, absolutely delighted! I got a lot done in the garden which at this stage is so abundant with blossoms and flowers, flourishing vegetables and ripening tender berries, that it is just a delight to be among it all. And I’m never on my own either as the resident robin and wren keep me company, often singing a little tune. There is also a stray cat lurking about with whom I am not well pleased as she/he did her business among the vegetables which I find intolerable though I guess to her it is normal. Anyway, there was lots going on yesterday and a delightful day it was. I planted out leeks, parsley, coriander, basil, sweetpeas, lettuce, and more French beans hoping that the slugs will leave us some to grow to maturity (which I am sure they will).  Hawthorn is abundantly in flower, and not only in our own garden but also in the surrounding area, which adds to our abundance.

We live here in an old terraced house in a very quiet street just above the town of Skibbereen in West Cork, South West of Ireland.  The part of our street has a lovely view towards the forested Knockomagh Hill, and towards Lick Hill which separates the town and surrounding area from the sea.  The landscape is green, flowing and pastoral.  The small town lies below, and at night especially this can be very pretty.  Though the houses and gardens are not very large, there is a lot that can be achieved and enjoyed about living here.  Certainly there is enough space to at least provide a good enough supply of vegetables during the year, and some space for flowers, compost bin, sheds, and if wanted chickens too.  It is all a matter of organisation.  I am learning to sow vegetables in succession so that the beans and peas last for longer than one picking season.  Of herbs there are plenty and more than we can use ourselves.  There is also space for experiments like the South American Oka which I am growing this year for the first time.  And there is space for table and chairs to enjoy eating outside on the patio.  There is even a small piece of grass for the moment and space to dry the washing 🙂 What I am trying to say is that one does not need to have acres of land to be able to make a go of things and totally enjoy the experience.  But I guess that it is different for everyone, and this place certainly would never be large enough to do a smallholding, that is for sure.  I am also very lucky in that, because I am retired,  I can totally devote my time to growing things.

I had an interesting experience yesterday too, after posting one of my photos of the bitter gourds which I am growing (an experiment), on the ‘Organic Terrace Growing’ Facebook group, one of it’s members pointed out to me that she could see a greenfly on one of the leafs, I had not seen it all, so I took my magnifying glass and went checking, and indeed I found five more of the creatures.  Thank goodness she spotted it otherwise my delicate gourd plants may have been in trouble and I treasure them.

The peas doing well, and a lone foxglove plant coming into flower.  The elder berry tree I planted out yesterday.

A chunk of wild chestnut tree which was cut down last winter has started to sprout again, too nice to use as firewood.  The young little plant is my okra seedling, it is now doing ok, it is also an experiment as never grown it before and only saw these plants in India and Mauritius.

The sweet peas will flower soon I think.  And dandelion roots cut up and ready to be stir-fried, delicious.

The trellis belongs to my bitter gourd plant, quite impressed with it’s art work.

Here you can spot my invader, the greenfly!  I had not spotted it myself at all.