Desperation is creeping in

   The weather continues to be dry although the temperature has fallen a little and there has been some cloud cover but no rain. I am please about the clouds. They enabled me to shift this years wood delivery without loosing too much bodily fluid! Mind you a pint of shandy afterwards helped to put the balance back!
   On the animal front the sheep are having to be fed hay every day. The chickens are being chickens and the chicks are becoming more independent.

2016 Wood delivery

   Despite the weather I am still picking tomatoes from inside the poly tunnel and of course, jalapeno peppers! Other than that the Black Crimea tomatoes that I have nurtured outside are doing well and I am picking a tomato from the vines most days. All the other outside tomatoes have now died off. A poor year despite a lot of promise at the beginning. The rats have finished off my "animal" sweet corn and I am now looking at the Bantam sweet corn as it comes in flower and cobs start to set. I am determined to get to them before they do! What is the betting that they will not 

Throwing the wood over the fence!

Hen laying her egg

like that sweet corn? I am still digging up carrots of a good size and I have to admit that they have been watered quite regularly.
 The lettuce I bought from the local market a couple of weeks ago, despite being watered, from a growing point of view has just stood still. It seems to be going no where. The squash is maturing well and the giant squash is getting bigger and bigger! Looks more like a pumpkin that a squash. The parsnips look a little tired and they have been watered but not so regularly. Hopefully they will pull through and I will get some. The winter cabbage looks drought struck with very pale almost blue looking coloured leaves a sign of lack of water. One advantage of the drought - no grass cutting!