Life is good

We have had a lot of rain recently. I mean, a lot of rain. I can’t actually tell you how much rain, but I know it was a lot. I have a rainwater gauge. It sits on my terrace, wide open to the sky, no trees or anything overhanging it to give a false reading. It just sits there. In the middle of the terrace, and when it rains, it collects the water.

Every Sunday morning I go out and check, then empty it. I’ve done this for months now. Ever since I installed the gauge back in January. Every Sunday morning. I did miss one Sunday, I was away in the UK and my arms weren’t long enough to reach back and empty it! But else, every Sunday morning, check, empty, record – like clockwork.

It’s Wednesday today as I write this piece. Earlier this evening I thought I’ll go and check the gauge and write it up in my blog!

The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

Oh, sorry, I got side-tracked by a vociferous Scot! Thank you Robert.

So the rain water gauge. I went to read it but I couldn’t. Like I said earlier, I had emptied it on Sunday morning, as I do every Sunday morning, but this afternoon, Wednesday afternoon, just a half a week later, the rainwater gauge was full. That is to say it was very full. That is to say, in fact, it had overflowed!

So I can’t tell you how much rain we have had but I know it’s a lot.

Now in and around all this rain we have had a lot of sunshine. It has not got very hot, but from time to time it has got very bright.

So, what do plants need to grow?

This fab little powerpoint will tell you!
www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/powerpoint/plants.ppt

They need water, we’ve had plenty of that.

They need light – As I said it got very bright.

They need nutrients – which have been lovingly built into the soil

They need warmth – well when I said it was cold it wasn’t that cold

So the plants in my garden had everything they needed and boy did they use it!

• The grass grew several inches in just a couple of days
• The weeds grew beyond recognition.
• Oh, and my little seedlings really stood up to their big bully brothers
• My strawberries are now huge and looking very good
• Those red cabbages I bought in error are now flourishing and I’ve already cut some young leaves to eat in my salad bowl
• Both Onions and Garlic are shooting up with leaves reaching up to the sky. (I cut some of those as well)
• Lettuces are doing great. The Lollo Rosso is still waiting for the true Mediterranean heat to hit, but the batavia is going away strongly. I’m cutting leaves every day now.
• My radish are coming along nicely and all this rain has really swollen them.
• My Parsnips are – well best move along here - suffice to say that a few days after I sowed the parsnips I had some help weeding. And when the bed was finished, she asked what the string line was for!!
• My tomatoes, all indeterminate, are putting on at least an inch every day –maybe a foot!! Oh, for those metricists amongst us – it was an exaggeration anyway!

My tomatoes…. I read something on a blog the other day – the guy described his tomatoes as indiscriminate. I don’t know whether this is right or wrong, but I sure as heck liked the idea! So, my indiscriminate tomatoes are growing indiscriminately.

• I have picked the first tentative young peas
• The bean plants are at last starting to look as though they are serious about growing this year. I had wondered if they had joined the bees and turned over and gone back to sleep. http://kitchengardeninfrance.blogspot.com/2008/05/those-bees-they-are-wise-you-know.html

So, at last, I’m beginning to enjoy the fruits of my labours. It’s been a bit tricky from time to time and I am very aware of the support I have received from all you people out there in blog land – encouraging comments are always well received!

My good friend Kate, who is probably too busy refreshing her French to even be reading this, created a tag line which I am going to steal for today. I’m sure she won’t mind – but if she does I’m also sure I’ll hear all about it!

Life is good, get there fast and then take it slow.

I’m not sure I got here fast, but maybe 5 months is not too bad a start. I’m certainly enjoying taking it slow now and yes -

Life is good!