Quintisential

These wild strawberries grow with the mint just near my door. When browsing amongst the leaves to find them the aroma of the mint is realeased, it's divine.

Usually there are just a few ripe at a time that make a spot of gardening all the more interesting, but the recent combination of warmth and rain has produced a couple of handfulls.

While picking them I could hear the sound of leather on willow in the background and the odd shout of 'Ow wazzeee?' The cricket pitch is just through the wood, opposite the pub. I love middle England.

This evening I'm going to a BBQ at my neighbours at the farmhouse, so I'm making a pavlova - with eggs from my hens, and these sweet, yet tart berries -It should be delicious.

I'm also making a 'Plifered Mooslum bean salad' -

That's Tim's name for it, because it's made with illegally acquired (sneakily picked) field beans, which according to the lad at the farm are harvested for consumption at Ramadan in Luton. Where he got that from I've no idea, as they are actually used for making high protein animal feed!!!

Blanched, with an oil and garlic dressing they are absolutely scrummy for humans.

The sky is clearing and its warm out, this will be the 1st BBQ of the summer!

Tweseldown is well chuffed with all the lovely comments made yesterday. She's having a chill out day today in the sun.

For those who asked she is nearly 2 years old, and a little reluctant to discuss her parentage.

Her mum, a beautiful Labrador, belonging to a friend, went up the lane to find a bit of rough, in the guise of a lurcher. The resulting puppies including Twesel were born by emergency C section, carried out by our daughters while we were away galavanting!!