A First

OK, so they’re still less than a centimetre big but even so these are our very first, own-grown gooseberries. If the birds don’t get them and they survive the weather vagaries of the next month then I’ll need the thickest gloves I’ve got to pick them - the thorns on this bush are brutal! Less success on the seedling front; one of the courgettes is a goner. I think the wind must have damaged it and the snails did the rest (sad pic in extras). I’ve protected the sole survivor as best I can by building it a glass cloche but even if it makes it we certainly won’t be getting a bumper courgette crop this year! However, I picked more rocket and spinach today and plenty other stuff is growing away happily enough too. Only the runner beans have yet to make an appearance.

As we start to ease out of lockdown, the golf courses will be open from this weekend. Lots of restrictions in force but have to say I’m pretty pleased. The clubhouses and locker rooms stay shut though, so this morning the club‘s booking system gave me a four minute slot to nip up and grab my clubs from my locker. Timed it so that I’d be there at the same time as Neil (one of my oldest friends but who I almost never play golf with!) so had a distant chat with him and D. A face to face chat! I was so inspired that I swung past big sis‘s for a wee driveway chat. Then just before home I passed our golf pro and his family who were out for a walk so stopped for an over-the-top-of-the-car chat. As I said cheerio to them an allotment neighbour appeared, out to get some air after a stupefyingly frustrating online meeting. Cue a through-the-car-window chat. I was getting hyper by the end of all that.
I just need to point out that although this 3 mile trip undoubtedly broke the lockdown rules, my natural instinct was to ignore them for my own personal gain. There must be some unpublished small-print allowing that surely? And I held my breath the whole time. Honest.