Good morning folks!

It is nearly 10:00 hours here in good old Norfolk. The sky is blue, barely a cloud to be seen, the sun is hot and it is already 23 celsius in the shade. Think we might be in for a hot and humid day. I have done 1/2 an hour of weeding but it is just getting too hot.

The large awning over the back of the bungalow is out to keep not only the bedrooms cool but give us a little shade (top half only) in which to sit and 'chill'.

I have pruned my gooseberries and given them a feed in the hope that they will make a recovery but am not hopeful as there is now barely a leaf to be seen and it is not due to gooseberry sawfly! The strawberries however, still seem to be alive and I am taking a baby from each one as it forms to get some new plants. The blueberries are still producing and looking good despite not being in acidic soil. However, they may not be happy as each year progresses so I am giving them a feed of seaweed and iron extract to try and keep them fit and well. 

 

My little tomatoes Red Robin are at last fruiting, each fruit around 1” in size, quite sweet but with a slight acidic twang. The Ferline ones have one truss of fruit each but I think that will be all they will produce an they too look stressed.

Some golden beetroot have bolted but the red ones have been given a feed to try and swell their marble sized flesh – not going to be a good year for them methinks!

Lettuce not great and even the newly sown ones are now finding it a struggle in the heat.

We have finished our first Raspberry cloud cake but the one I was saving for our B-B-Q will also be eaten. It has been postponed for a couple of weeks and even though the cake will keep for a month, it becomes gradually more dense and marshmallow like (still lovely though) as it ages in the freezer.

We have decided in future not to do the base as it is very hard to eat it straight from the freezer and also, everyone who has tried it has said it isn't particularly nice. I gave B the recipe just for the top part and she has made a strawberry one which is apparently lovely despite it splattering all over her and her walls. (I think she didn't mush the fruit first which you must do when using fresh fruit).