A good place to be

The garden is a pleasant place to be at this time of year.  It’s always a pleasure when subjects one cultivates, like the roses and the aquilegias grown from saved seed, put on a show.  But every bit as satisfying are the uninvited visitors, such as the eschscholzia that sowed itself next to the sage in the raised bed, and the foxgloves all over the place. 

As well as enjoying the garden ourselves, we’ve been able to show it off to friends: even if it hasn’t been the weather for al fresco meals, the view from the dining room is pretty, and it has been sunny enough in the afternoons to allow a stroll round despite the breeze.  Kate and John braved the strike-inflated traffic last Saturday, and we had a flying visit yesterday from Claire and Richard.

The food side isn’t doing badly either.  The Sweet Olive tomatoes are fruiting well, and the San Marzano fruit are growing before our eyes.  Just hope they all ripen.  Rocket, spinach, dill, leeks and runner beans seem to be doing all right, and a lot of fruit have set on the Bramley apple tree.

Meanwhile in the kitchen we are learning to play with a new toy: a two-drawer air fryer.  So far, we’re quite impressed.  Although it will take a little time to master the split timing controls, we have successfully done a chicken with roast veggies, and in half the time it takes in the ordinary oven.  We have been using a smaller air fryer for a couple of years with good results on a more limited scale.  We like our gadgets, but are starting to have trouble finding room for them all!