Great British Summer

June is almost over now...we had two really hot days last week and boy was it hot. The pollen was high and the bees in the field up the road were in seventh heaven. I went for an afternoon walk and walked over fields and through hedgerows to the neighbouring village of Methwold. I must have walked at least 15 miles as I had to follow the road back to Feltwell via Methwold Hythe as the shortcut through the old aerodromme was closed off by Darby's Nursery. I learnt how the pigs in the farm were managed as I walked past and I saw the recycling plant too. I also walked past fields of wheat and sugar beet too.

Farming is very much a part of this area and the weather dictates the crops and their growth. Asparagus was late this year and Norfolk produced some beautiful tender stems which we had for about two weeks. However, I had to check the country of origin labels at the supermarket when buying strawberries yesterday. As it was the second day of Wimbledon, I watched Nadal play and scoffed a bowl of strawberries with cream. It was in front of the telly but it did feel like a Wimbledon summer and yes, it felt good.

So what will July hold for us? All I know is that this year our English summer has been the wettest on record. When I go shopping these days I take with me the shopping bag I bought after the Jubilee celebrations. It has a union jack emblazoned on it and 'Great British Summer' written over it and it will remind me to enjoy each day of sunshine and rain as it comes. Nature is telling us that we must respect the land and look after what we have. We are fortunate to have all that nature provides and even if the harvest is poor this year, we will just have to make do. Happy British summer everyone!

Laid back Gozo

Gozitans pride themselves on being relaxed and easy going. During my week's stay here in Gozo, I have got to know most of the people who live on Triq dun Luqa quite well. Everyone knows each other or of each other. Sounds and noise from every house is carried over rooftops and through courtyards. The bells of the local church peal throughout the day and street sellers honk their wares as people emerge from their houses to buy fish, bread, fruit and vegetables.

This morning, I awoke at 6 am and went up on to the roof top and watched the day begin for our neighbours. The woman behind us was crocheting in her front courtyard and the man across the road was inspecting his sunflowers and collecting seeds. The next door neighbour is polishing her husband's shoes and collecting yesterday's washing whilst whistling a little tune. I call out to her from above and she and I share some thoughts about life on Gozo compared to Malta. She has just driven her daughter to catch the first ferry to Malta. She tells me that employment in Gozo is not easy to find so many people commute or work in Malta and come home back to Gozo at the weekend. Perhaps things will change when and if a bridge is built between Gozo and Malta. Like all island communities which are secluded and sheltered from external influences, the bridge will open new challenges and opportunities which they will have to face in order to survive the recession that Europe is currently experiencing.

Malta is a member of the European Community and it has also contributed its share of euros to bail out Greece. This little island is not protected from the outside world but for as long as they can they will make sure that their communities and way of life are maintained. It is a cosy, friendly and peaceful place because the sweet air makes one become as laid back as the Gozitans.

Fence celebrations

To celebrate the completion of our fence between our houses, our neighbours, Bob and Elaine decided to mark the occasion with a party that coincided with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The fence was a superb structure of stained wooden planks 2 metres high and 50 metres long. It spanned our long drive and separated our two house where we previously had a mixed hedge of conifers, ivy and laurel. Unfurtunately, the hedge died a death and had to be removed and by March there was nothing to separate our two houses. Bob worked on it throughout the month of May in adverse weather conditions from early morn to dusk to complete it by June. It was to be a long and slow process because of the heavy downpours of torrential rain that we experienced in May. May was the wettest month in a long time and whenever there was any small bit of sunshine, Bob would be seen out there with his hammer and measuring level trying to put up a few planks; whilst Elaine helped by staining the wooded planks on the other side. Finally, the last plank was put up on Saturday and we were all quietly relieved but a little sad as we missed seeing them. Over the course of the time that the fence was being erected, Elaine and I became quite comfortable speaking to each other from our drives and I would nip across and pop in for a chat or to share some of my home baking. So with the Jubilee weekend celebrations looming, Elaine and I went into the village to buy some bunting to decorate our fence. We were pleased that we managed to get the last of the bunting at the newsagents as everywhere else was sold out! On the day of the party, it was wet and cold but it did not put a dampener on our spirits as Pete and I went over next door to celebrate with a lovely spread that Elaine had laid out. It was a superb way to finish the day of celebrations to mark our fench and the Jubilee. As we left we noticed that the orange balloons looked wind swept and the bunting was soaked, but felt that the fence was the bond that has built a fantastic friendship with Bob and Elaine that would never have happened if the hedge had not come down.