A summer's day

Pickings from the garden. Our first tomatoes, hooray! And zucchinis, which we like to eat when they're small.

Elsa likes them raw but I like them sauteed, with flowers attached, in olive oil with garlic and parsley.

Some indoor dress up fun. Too hot to play outside.

A princess costume, Elsa made herself, so clever.

Late this afternoon, we turned the sprinkler on under the trampoline to cool off. Did I mention it's so very hot today? The poor chooks are still panting.

Hope you're keeping cool.

In the garden...

.....we've been very busy.

Building the brick oven.

Finishing new raised beds with gravel paths.

Watching lupins and poppies bloom.

And scoffing strawberries!

My place & yours :: my collection

Whilst admiring Kate's theme for My place and yours this week, at first I struggled to find anything I collect really worth sharing :: bills? laundry? dust bunnies? I had to think harder. Then in the garden this morning, I realised I was surrounded by my collection, and it's certainly worthy of a post, considering there's such exciting developments.

My collection is driven largely by gluttony. I collect fruit trees. I'm addicted and I can't stop. In particular, I love heirloom apple varieties, especially anything with a silly name. I'm rapidly running out of space to plant my collection, thank goodness for espaliers. In the three year since we've been in our home I've planted::
kentish cherry
morello cherry

cats head apple

sturmer apple
mutsu apple
cox's orange pippin apple
bramley's seedling apple
geeveston fanny apple
pine golden pippin apple
fenoiullet gris apple
espopus spitzenberger apple
pomme de neige apple
calville blanc d'hiver apple
court pendu plat apple
smyrna quince
van de man quince
beurre hardy pear
blood orange
lisbon lemon
black turkish fig
pomegranate
peacans
pine nut
chestut
frantoio olives

huonville crabapple
john downey crabapple
white mulberry
damson plum
golden drop plum
greengage
sloe (for gin)
juniper (for more gin)

I think that's all. Next winter I'd like to plant some apple stepovers - they are so cute. And a peasgood's nonsuch apple, with a name like that, who wouldn't want one in their collection?

Oh, and the exciting development? Why fruit of course! Whilst most of my collection are mere sticks, my apples have started to fruit this season. Already! And I can't wait to pluck a ripe apple from a tree that I planted and bite into the sweet crunchy fruit, from my very own collection.

Thanks to this week's theme queen Kate and to Pip for hosting such an ace game.

My place & yours:: blog HQ

Yikes! What a mess! Two macs, one vintage singer, and a load of papers:: children's drawings, photos, bills, seeds, books, magazines and notepads. Wallpaper, that I've tried to tear off to see what's underneath. Oh dear. It will go one day. We bought the trestle table at a junk shop and painted it. It runs the width of the room and makes a great work space when it's a bit more organised.The best thing about hq is the view from the window of our garden. Apple blossoms, garlic, strawberries and poppies. Very nice.

Thanks to Ninon for this week's theme and Miss Pip for hosting.