Free food, and adaptation

Many trees are struggling here this year with high temperatures and dry conditions but give a fig tree a shady wall to grow behind . . . and the results are incredible. Our neighbours ignore these gems but me, the starlings and blackbirds are delighted that they do. 

Just back from a dog walk and I've added to my mental fruit map a line of plum trees, pears and blackberries but I think the latter will not be very productive this year apart from the ones with their feet down into a source somewhere. 

Having lived here for a year and almost a half now I'm beginning to note what will grow and where, or rather what won't grow in places we assumed they would. So, next year, more hardy herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage. More apricot, peach trees, and olives; less apples! Rampent 'trumpet' vines, fruit vines, anything with greyish leaves, ornamental grasses - used to dislike these but they are sturdy as hell and will be featuring more in the top garden.

The 'bath' beds work very well, even in very sun-exposed spots, with their wooden box surrounds the heat stays out and water stays in. Someone donated us a super ugly white plastic one recently with odd raised areas but we'll make it work with some recycled bamboo cane or planks, and I'm on the lookout for more as chillies and, oddly, cucumbers seem to like the bath environment even in full sun.

Ok, off to water the strawberries, which I forgot last night.

Summer

The sudden dip in temperature has passed and we are back into vest tops and keeping water in the fridge. I daren't look at the weather to see how long this might go on, but it's wonderful while it lasts.
Apart from late spring, this must be the most beautiful time of year. Many overheated plants are making a comeback; the wild sages and marigolds re-flowering and bees cruising with new found vigour.
The figs have had an odd year. Many started to fruit, then after a cold spring they failed to produce ripe fruit. At last they have produced and people have been arriving daily on bikes to pick from the huge tree opposite our gate. The best tree around - may have something to do with the fact that our 'fosse septic' possibly gives it some super nourishment . . . Anyway, it's all good stuff, 90% vegetarian and all that.
Talking of such things, and this should perhaps be on my Post-Materialist blog . . . my granddad always used the 'household waste' on the garden; well rotted of course, but really how sensible, rather than using gallons of water all the time to flush it away into a reed bed somewhere. They didn't have a choice then anyway, and there certainly wasn't any kitten-soft, quilted, perfumed bog roll. If we could, we would have a composting toilet system, but we are rather stuck with the conventional 'mr crapper style' - one of the many reasons why it would be such a great thing to build a house from scratch.

How did I get to talking about poo. I'm not sure, anyway here is a picture of a lovely fig and feta salad.