Garden Plenty

It has been a poor summer in our garden. It has been a bit neglected. We were stuck here in the earlier part of the year as we had work done on our house and since then have been making up for lost time away. The garden has had to do its own thing in a not very easy summer. It is a good spring and early summer garden, but usually struggles its way through July and August. This year it has remained green (with an occasional flower) until now. Veg has not done; annual flowers have not done; the grass has grown but not with its usual vigour. Today however it yielded a surprisingly large harvest of plums and damsons (which it usually does only every second year). Accordingly we have been in chutney and damson gin production. My granny lived (indeed was born and brought up in) the Lyth Valley and both damsons and sloes (that other great gin flavourer) were plentiful in her house. I was surprised to find damsons growing in our garden, but will be happy to be able to toast their existence in a few month's time!