A very special dinner and a garden update

Yesterday I had a special dinner for one. Was this in celebration of anything? Well yes it was really. It was a celebration of own produce. I had a glass of my home made limoncello to start with, then a glass of home made elderflower cordial to accompany my own home grown salad (first ever food pickings from the garden), home made chutney and home made bread. I added some cheese and some corned beef and I was happy as larry to feel that I was finally beginning to taste what food can be like when you have spent your own time growing, making and concocting.

Notice all my bottles of elderflower cordial in the background.

It was an immensely satisfying time.

My garden is loving this rainy weather it seems. I guess because I am on a hill I have lovely very well drained soil so all this rain is just simply making the plants very happy. It all looks lush, green and beautiful.

Happy tomatoes, finally and rosemary.

 My blurry basket of pea shoots, grown specially for salad from the leftover pea seeds.

I'm growing ivy around a ball of wire coathangers. Hopefully one day, when they are all trained around it will look pretty.

An old bread bin filled with my cut and come again salad.

Plum tree, happy but a year or so off having fruit, and my rescued lupins in the background.

It going to be a great crop of potatoes.

Climbing rose (Zepherine Drouhin) covered in buds.

Rose (Tess of the D'Urbivilles) going to look glorious when they open.

And my small golden wedding rose in the front.

The rhubarb has taken nicely, I've been warned not to use it in the first year, but it looks so tasty........

And finally, my bramley apple tree. Looking great.

I am thrilled with the way everything has come on for my first season here. There are other glorious plants, such as the enormous purple geranium that has just come into magnificent flower and all the peas are in flower now and will soon be providing their sweet wonderful taste into my salads

Tomorrow morning I am going away again, this time, Warwickshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire. Home Saturday night after another very late drive from Oxford. Only home for one day this time though :-(