Last Post for A While

Well the mystery of the missing pane of glass that flew off the greenhouse in the storm hasn’t been solved for sure. I searched neighbouring fields but no sign. My theory is that it blew into the track and smashed into millions of bits that the flood washed down to the main road.

As well as the track to the side of us, our path to the house has suffered a fair bit of damage. A lot of the surface tarmacadam has washed away. Still, compared with what so many people have had to put up with, we’ve nothing to really complain about.

That doesn’t stop me moaning though! It’s been the worst year on the plot I can remember. 2007 was pretty bad with floods in the summer drowning plants but this year was worse. Not least the plague of slugs, the worst year for blight in goodness knows how long and my utter failure to grow any carrots apart from an early container in the greenhouse! Add in the other things that hit us and 2012 was our ‘Annus Horribillis’

Even in a rotten year, some things work out. For a start we’ve had some sharp frosts which sweetens the parsnips. I love parsnips, a really under-rated vegetable. Roasted, especially with a honey glaze, they’re unbeatable. Three barrel sections will supply enough for us.

Better still, the recent frosts and below zero temperatures will have killed off lots of pests, especially the slugs and snails. They’ll still be a pest, but not to the same extent they’ve been this year after the really mild preceding winter.

My leeks are doing OK. Not the best I’ve ever grown but acceptable quality – at least as good as the supermarket leeks we saw at (are you sitting down) £3.40 a kilo!! Anyway, that’s a vegetable we won’t be buying.

This will be my last entry for a bit, we’re going on holiday on the 6^th December for a fortnight in Lanzarote. It’s our first break since June 2009 and we’re even staying in the same hotel. The weather won’t be as nice as it was then, no doubt, but it’s bound to be better than here.