Tuesday, 14-07-26

Morning, everyone.  So here we are, starting the third week of July and, already, the evenings feel a bit shorter and the early mornings a bit darker.  Sorry, but they really do.

This morning feels particularly gloomy as we have cloud overhead and, as every morning recently, it is delightfully cool.  I've felt the soil and there's no need to water this morning.  It was so nice using the hose again yesterday - I'm fully prepared to use my watering cans but I do feel I use less water with the hose, because the tap is on for less time and also because there's less splashing and, therefore, wasted water.  Still, rules is rules!

I can't believe how well the tomatoes are doing this year.  I guess they prefer the bed to pots, maybe it's the good feeding I gave the soil and I am sure the good weather has helped but just look . . .

(apologies for the poor light - as I said, it's a gloomy old start.)

Let's start with the Sweet Millions which are really living up to their name.  This mass of fruit is just two trusses, would you believe?

Two great big clusters of Alicante - they always seem to do well and are a standard purchase for me.

Romas have never done that well for me but this year - wow.  I'll use them for cooking (they're great for soup) and hope to freeze some for winter meals.

And finally, this is misleading.  The tomato on the left and the one behind it are both larger than the palm of my hand.

It's called Red Plum and it was an accidental purchase.  It had been put in the wrong place and I put it in my trolley thinking it was something else.  When I checked out, I nearly put it back but couldn't be bothered and I'm so glad I didn't.
I can't find anything specific about it on Google but time will reveal its flavour, etc.

Did I ever say how much I love tomatoes?

And while I am on the subject - the first meal where they are all from the garden!  

OK, so not loads but they were lovely!

The Y6 show yesterday, Gigglebox' , was absolutely fantastic; I think it was the best I have ever seen from them.  It was a show in the old style with lots of in-jokes about teachers, school routines, etc, with scenes' such as 'Playground Casualty' where they made great use of ice packs, kitchen towel and water, 'Our School's Got Talent where pupils were auditioning for places in the school choir and which finished off with a very funny version of 'When a Knight Won His Spurs' such sooooo sweetly that I was envious - I rarely got my choir to sing so beautifully in the Good Old Days - and an absolutely hilarious one about one of the Y6 teachers having a breakdown because her Pritt-Stick had dried up and she had to use sellotape (so unprofessional!!!) - I forget what show that was a take on, it might have been 'Educating Chelmsford'.

It finished off with a song that brought tears to the eyes - all about moving on but never forgetting the memories and friends they had made over the years.  Half the children had tears rolling down their cheeks as they sang.

It was just brilliant.

Today, the only thing in the diary is Groove (and the walk there and back with Chris) so I will be doing home-based stuff.  All the usual things like changing my bedding, washing, ironing, bit of gardening, etc.  And I must send off an email to Jen (the head teacher) about how much I enjoyed the show.

Better go and do my social media stuff now.  Have a lovely day, everyone, whatever your plans are.  See you tomorrow.  xx