Summer is over

Would you believe it, we are bathed in autumn sunshine today.  Schools are back, September is here and  summer is over but is it? The London 2012 Paralympics are still on and everyone who watches it is amazed at the paralympians' sporting abilities.  Their tenacity and determination to overcome disability above all odds and to excel in their chosen sport shows those couch potatoes amongst us that anything is possible.  I watched the wheelchair rugby this afternoon and it was vicious.  I am no expert but wheelchair rugby is more than touch sport it is a killer sport! Looks like my barbeque will be brought out this weekend as the weather looks like it's going to be hot. At last all those months of rain and more rain is being replaced by dry sunny weather.  As they say nothing is as unpredictable as the weather (apart from children, animals and those of us who choose the path less travelled). That's my  thought for the day! 

Great British Summer at last!

We have had almost a week of summer here in Norfolk and the south of England.  It has been so hot and dry with temperatures as high as 30 celsius in London that it seems unreal that only last week, it bucketed down every day.  This mini heatwave is not expected to last so we are basking in it while we can.  Pete bought a fan for the conservatory as it was too hot to sit in it, even with all the windows and door open.  Every window and door in the house is open so we can get some ventilation.  I even made some iced green tea with elderflower cordial.  Delicious and so refreshing!  I worked on Monday and Tuesday and had the rest of the week off and feel like I am on holiday at home - I have brought out my sunglasses, sun hat, flip flops, skimpy top and shorts.  No need to wait in airport queues, change foreign currency or get stressed for a place in the Mediterranean sun.  It's here - our very own summer holiday at home. I hear a song coming on....bring back those lazy,crazy days of summer...can't remember how the rest goes...!

What is it about Yard Sales?

Yesterday I went to our annual village yard sale. There were over 80 yard sales dotted all over the village. I went twice! The first time was first thing in the morning after my early morning walk and people were just setting up and feeling generous and keen to sell. I picked up a twin set DVD of the film The Mission for 50 pence, a willow pattern ginger jar for 50 pence and an Ehrman tapestry for £2. The sellers were happy at their early sales and I was delighted. The second time I went with friends a couple of hours later when there were more buyers. I was more circumspect this time round and looked at the items more carefully and considered the seller's attitude and openess to bargaining. This time I bought a heater/fan for a £1. All were bargains and it was fun. Buying other people's unwanted items might appear cheap but as the saying goes, "other people's junk is another person's treasure".

The feeling of getting something cheap and a bargain gives one a thrill. I think yard sales say a lot about the climate we are living in at the moment. People feel the need to sell things and get ready cash. They sell things which they no longer need and buyers buy things which they feel they need. Buyers varied in their emotions about selling personal belongings and those that sold easily were people who wanted to share and sell their things cheaply and to de-clutter. Others who were out to make a profit appeared to be less generous of spirit. Capitalism is ingrained in all of us.... I think yard sales are great and a wonderful way of meeting your neighbours, re-cycling goods and a form of spreading our 'wealth'. In this throw away society that we live in, yard sales are the way to go!

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.

Bee happy

Last Sunday I had my first taste of what beekeeping was all about. I joined a group of people at the West Norfolk and Kings Lynn Beekeeping Association's apiary at Blackborough End to " get a really good look at bees." It was a coolish day so not ideal for bees as they do not like the cold. We donned our bee suits and made sure that every bit of bare flesh was covered, particularly hands and feet. Barry, the apiary manager showed us three hives. The first hive looked healthy and the bees were busy working away on the foundation frames. There was a pest control tray at the very bottom to spot the dreaded varroa mite which destroyed half our bee population in the last few years. Then we were shown the brooding chamber where the queen hatches her larvae and on top were placed the supers or honey making chambers. Each of these chambers contained thousands of busy honey bees making honey with the pollen which they collected, brought back to the hive to convert into honey and to then store in sealed beeswax combs on the foundation frames. We were shown the queen bee in the second hive by her distinct striped tail and larger size, compared to the smaller worker bees. Then there were the drones which were larger than the worker bees and darker in colour. I saw some brown cells on one frame where larvae were hatched. Judy, our tutor explained that each hive could only have one queen bee and she would mate with the drones to produce worker bees. If another queen was hatched, then the beekeeper would have to be vigilant to remove the second queen by splitting the hive. The hive centres on the queen and if she dies or is killed by the another queen then the hive is de-stabilised and the bees could swarm and leave the hive. Not good news for any bee keeper! I was fascinated by the way bees worked and the dynamics of their community. Lastly, Barry showed us a top bar hive where bees are kept in as natural a habitat as possible - without man-made foundation frames, sugar feeders and pest tray. These bees made their own foundation and the shape of their honey comb would be as found in nature; several small cells together hanging down in the shape of a triangle. Amazing! I thought I might be frightened of the bees in their large numbers but seeing how they worked, smelling the beeswax and feeling the warmth of their activity has whetted my appetite to learn more about bees and beekeeping. They are such clever little insects with a capacity to produce the most natural food that has been known never to perish given the right conditions. Apparently honey has been found in the tombs of the Pharoahs in Egypt, in good condition and even edible! So if I can partake in the making of honey and promote the well being of bees and their ecosystem, I will certainly try, the next step is to go a bee keeping course and talk to my friend Brian, the beekeeper. Can't wait!