The annual open day at the allotment followed hot on the heels of our open day.  The sun shone, home made wine was drunk and the BIG EVENT was our plucky MP, Amber Edwards, who officially cut the loo roll to inaugurate our new solar-powered, state-of-the-art composting loo -  and it was her birthday!

The shallots have been harvested and ideally I would have planted the chard where they were growing but the parsnip foliage is well over 3ft tall and shading the bed so I will have to put them in a pot.

The tomatoes are ripening apace and the delicious Brandywines are the star performers – huge and delicious.  I’m currently addicted to tomato sandwiches.  The turbo peppers from Suttons are also performing well – far better than the non-grafted varieties.

In yesterday’s Independent Stanley Johnson (father of blonde bombshell Boris) wrote a fine feature about the danger of eco-tourism destroying this unique habitat. Instead of travelling to the furthest side of the world damaging the planet as you go, why not leave that to David Attenborough and the BBC’s wildlife photographers (and HD television) and explore the wildlife in your own back garden instead.  All you need is a good hand lens and the time to examine the flora and fauna in close-up.   You will be amazed what you find when you really start to look.  Birds in Your Garden and Collins Complete Guide - British Insects and The Wildflowers of Britain and Ireland will help with identification and you can learn more on the subject at www.wildlifegardener.co.uk and uksafari.com.