Berry picking

It's been awful weather this week, but I've tried to avoid the subject in my blips as there's been quite enough moaning about it elsewhere.

But the extreme levels of rainfall were difficult to avoid today as we wanted to pick a few fresh berries for our weekend meals, and we'd decide to venture out to Craigie's Farm, to the north west of Edinburgh, to pick some strawberries and raspberries.

The PYO strawberries were out in the open fields, and were in a bit of a sorry state as they haven't had enough sun to fully ripen them. The ones we managed to find we're delicious, and there are plenty still to come if you're thinking of going there soon.

The raspberries are grown in polytunnels, and were just the perfect balance between tart and sweet.

When we arrived we had to wait while a lady in front of us in the queue was having her haul of berries weighed. She was complaining about the amount of nettles which were around the plants, and the fact that it was so muddy in the field. The farmer was explaining that there had been a river running down the hillside earlier in the week.

We didn't notice the nettles, but my choice of footwear was somewhat suspect. Returned with mud oozing between my toes which wasn't really the look I wanted to be sporting when making our next stop at The Gyle. Those new-fangled hand dryers in M&S toilets are pretty awkward if you're trying to dry your feet in them :)