It won't be long until the blackberries are ripe & ready for picking. Which means that every time I go for a walk along a country lane or down to the allotment, I'll go armed with either an empty sandwich box or a plastic bag. Before long the freezer will be full to overflowing with berries, and I'll have enough soft fruit to add to my breakfast porridge to last the winter. But in the meantime ... During this third heatwave of the summer I'm largely staying indoors. Which seems a shame when the sun's shining brightly, but it's so hot I feel like I'm going to melt. I've started reading this historical novel, set during the reign of Henry IV, and it's very enjoyable so far. The heroine's self assured and strong willed, and determined to safeguard her family's precarious wealth and social position. She's not especially likeable, but sometimes characters are more interesting if the reader's doesn't wholly like or admire ...
The hot weather continues, and Yorkshire Water's finally declared a hosepipe ban. Frankly, they should've done that weeks ago given how little rain we've had for the best part of three months. Anyhow, better late than never. The catananche are looking so pretty, as are the hollyhocks. Clumps of sweet marjoram on the allotment are alive with butterflies and bees. That kind of makes up for the total lack of courgettes. They need lots of sunshine and lots of water, and while the courgette plants have had the sun they've been starved of water. Never mind, the local supermarket will have them in stock, I don't doubt, and there's always next year ... At home, I've finished reading 'Scarlet Town' by Leonora Nattrass. It's a terrific read. She's one of those authors who are reliably good, and even a couple of pages into the book I had the feeling I was in safe hands. Another kind of book. I'm still ...