Anya's Veg Patch

Whilst looking through some photos earlier this week, I discovered some of the Pumpkin Patch gardens - taken in June this year. This was after the spring heat wave and before the summer rains! Things started slowly in the spring due to the dry and hot weather, I doubted at one stage whether we'd get any decent crops at all!

The Pumpkin patches are a long way from any running water and so we have to use watering cans (Or 3 long hose pipes joined together!!) Anya planted up her pumpkin plants and sweetcorn and we really did just hope for the best!

Chickens and drought! A nightmare combination for any gardener!! As I planted the peas I'm sure the chickens were watching from a hidden location. No sooner had I planted them...... the chickens came and scratched them all up. If they missed one...it became succulent pea shoot, a chicken delicacy!

Nets and frames and tents became the solution, and so despite the chickens I have now finally enjoyed a crop of home grown peas (though none of them made it to the kitchen!)

I just love broad beans! An early crop of beans from the Autumn sown Aquadulce beans are a hit every year. Just like the peas though, they're planted to be munched in the garden as I stroll around!

Just the beginnings -just wait 'till you see it now!

Next time!

Summer Holiday Clubs 2010

Another school year over and it's time for the summer holiday clubs!
I love this time of year... lazy Saturday mornings, a real treat for me!
(no Pumpkin Patch!!)

Tuesday mornings however... a mad rush to prepare for the day's events! The Holiday club is a relaxed mix of preparing lunch ….following a very relaxed continental breakfast of Spanish tostadas and hot chocolate.

A country walk to collect hedgerow fruit and 'interesting' country finds is usually followed by a tidy up in the garden a little painting to freshen the raised beds and some cookies from the mornings kitchen efforts!

The day usually goes so fast it's hard to believe that 10 children have cooked, gardened and enjoyed the freedom of the outdoors... usually without a hitch!! Long may that continue!!

Adults join the Pumpkin Patch!!

At last!!! It's been two and a half years since the first Pumpkin Patch workshop, and about two years since Mums ans Dads started asking for something similar for themselves! Last May saw the first Baking day, a day specialising bread making.

In June we had 'the Supper Party', giving hints and tips and ideas on how to throw a stress free supper party for friends. The next will be held in October and will no doubt be full of ideas for winter... to book a place for yourself a friend or a group of you......please call.

Pumpkin Patch workshops start back in early September, please ring to confirm your place. Classes are now available for both primary and secondary age as well as adults... so nobody needs to miss out!

Ready Steady Cook!

Carnival day arrived...the equivalent of the village fate here in Nangaredig!

All the local children enjoy the freedom to roam about the village with friends whilst Mum and Mamgu sit and enjoy the fierce competition of Ready Steady Cook!!

It doesn't seem difficult to find a willing pair of celebrities in this rugby crazy part of the world! This year Rupert Moon and Sara Elgan were the volunteers, helped by Hazel Thomas and myself. last year I helped out with about twenty minutes warning!

This year.... I was given about two whole weeks to worry about it!!

Actor Julian Lewis Jones (Invictus actor and a local!) became judge for the afternoon and the whole event was held together brilliantly by Simon Wright of 'Y Polyn' top notch restaurant here in Nantgaredig. What an afternoon!!

Hard at work..trying to create a meal whilst talking to Rupert and Simon. Shame the camera didn't capture the crazy humour and fun we all had!

Yummy Scrummy and very Messy!

The Pumpkin Patch travelled to Llwynhendy recently to run cooking with the family classes for a group of Mums and toddlers. The Family Center at Llwynhendy was an amazing venue, well equiped, spacious with plenty of electric sockets for all the induction hobs and griddles that we needed!

We cooked savoury casseroles and pies and sweet fruit parcels, meat balls and burgers and we finished with a cup cake coffee morning!

Lisa (not me, but Lisa from Llwynhendy!) with her little daughter Natisha,

busy making and icing cup cakes!

Little Natisha mixing the butter icing

ready to decorate the cup cakes.

We hope to run another similar course in the Autumn...

maybe focusing on winter stews, soups and old fashioned puddings.

Mmm!!

It's Swarm in the Garden

These are the ones that got away!

One minute they were there and the very next... they were gone!

It was a hot, very hot Saturday in May. Thankfully The Pumpkin Patch workshop was just about to end... we'd just watered the greenhouse plants... very nearby and then the sky turned black and very noisy!!

Lucky for us, they quickly settled on to low bush of honeysuckle (ha ha!!)... the perfect place for us to catch them!! We phoned a friend for a spare hive to put them into and waited... took loads of photos and enjoyed the apparent calm of the swarming bees!

How silly we were! Why didn't I get a box, knock the branch and drop our bees into the box and close it up until the hive arrived????? I just took photos!!!! The bees in the meantime got ample time to gather their thoughts, calm down, do a headcount before leaving for pastures new!

Our friends arrived, took one look, gasped in amazement and watched as the whole swarm of bees broke up and once again turned the sky black and took off like a long black cloud. They were gone!

A sad day! An expensive day!

Thankfully we have been left with a good and strong hive, the queen has since been replaced by another younger model and we now know the cost of taking photos rather that taking action!

We now have four hives from the two we had last year. We had already successfully divided both hives during early May. One of the newly divided colonies soon ran out of space got a little congested and warm in a confined space and decided to take action... and move out.

The queen ensured that she laid plenty of good quality queen cells to replace her and off she went! I wonder where she is now?