The bonfire on the lower meadow was great. About 70 people came, both the BBQs were going at full pelt and I think we had enough wood to keep the fire going for the whole weekend if we’d wanted…!

My bottle of homemade sloe gin didn’t last long (neither did the cake and sparklers), but someone else had brought some pear slivovitsa and another some blackcurrant vodka and there was a vat of mulled wine, so getting home was more of a gentle stagger in the end. And getting up to help clear up next morning was an effort…

The land drain is doing its thing and the pond at the bottom is already full. I hadn’t realised that Andy had dug it in a heart-shape. Aaw!  The banks are being sown with wild flowers, so it will look really, really pretty in a few months. BUT the land drain has made no difference to my plot, which has its winter wardrobe of standing puddles already.  *cries*. I might have to see if I can get hold of some of the spare pipe and some pea shingle and add a T-junction. Or, given that that sounds like a helluva lot of work, just dig more ditches/a pond of my own…

On the plus side the oca looks like only the top was frosted and the foliage underneath is still ok. I’ve taken down the frosted achocha so the shed looks tidy outside and hacked down more of the blackthorn (am about half-way through the job). The broad beans are all looking good, though now I have fewer crimson ones. I was pulling up leeks and went over backwards…

Opened up my Queensland Blue squash on the weekend for Sunday roast. It was lovely – not quite as strong a flavour as the Potimarron, but still very tasty. It gave up 300+ fat seeds too, which are now drying on a big plate.