Pesto

   I finally picked the garlic scapes yesterday. They were almost as tall as me. You can just see the seed pod just behind the kids' heads. I think I may have left them a bit too long as they were a bit woody. Nevertheless I made pesto with them and it smells deliciously garlicy. Now I just have to figure out ways of using it. It's in the freezer at the moment. 
 

 
 Here are the scapes ready for the food processor.

 
 After the first processing followed by the addition of grated parmesan and olive oil.

After a day in the freezer!

Wimbledon and a good book

   I have spent a lazy weekend watching the Wimbledon finals - both good matches but the Men's Final today was particularly exciting. The Brits finally have a home grown champion after 77 years! It was so close and tense at times I could hardly bear to watch, but finally Andy Murray (a Scot) prevailed over Novak Djokovic.

   We have had on-and-off rain today but, thankfully, I got the grass cut before the rain set in. This has also removed the need to water the garden or fill up the pool. In between times I have finished reading "Daughters of Mars", Thomas Keneally's novel of the Great War and the role of Australian nurses in tending the huge number of wounded soldiers from several countries at the front in Gallipoli and France. This included tending those who were gassed and who contracted a severe form of 'flu in an epidemic that took hold during the last months of the war. The number of casualties and dead was tremendous. Truly horrifying stuff!

   Now I am reading "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a complete contrast in content as it is set in the decade that followed the Great War and epitomizes a frivolous life style that was the complete opposite of the grittiness of war.

A Very Rainy Day

   The rain fell pretty continuously all day and put a damper on the 2nd. annual Wimbledon party at the tennis club. However, there was a good turnout and lots of food, even though the courts remained wet all day. Thankfully it wasn't raining at Wimbledon. The UK seems to be having an unusually nice and dry spell of weather. We watched the two semi-final matches on the clubhouse TV and cheered for our favourite players. Then we had a fine pot luck lunch followed by strawberries and cream on scones or shortcake. Only a light supper for me tonight! This is a tradition that I hope continues well into the future.

   I haven't been strawberry picking yet but hope to go on Monday. The berries should be big and juicy as we have had lots of rain in the last month. I will make some jam and a strawberry rhubarb pie. If there are any berries left after that, I will freeze them for the winter months when fresh produce is more expensive.

A New Lily

 
  Most of my blossoming flowers and bushes have very little perfume but today I was assailed by a very powerful aroma in my garden. I traced it to a lily in my raspberry patch - either I planted it there and the raspberry canes overtook it or those darned squirrels have been up to their tricks again. It is a gorgeous pink but will probably only last for a few days and it doesn't look as if there are any more buds on the plant. It's always nice to find something unexpected in the garden!









    The lavender is at its best this week, also with a strong perfume, but only if you get quite close or spray it with water.








   Another great day in the pool for the young ones! James took a while to get in but was hurtling down the slide before too long. The water was 81F and the air temperature a comfortable 27C. Natalie was in as soon as they arrived even though it was still pretty cool, and the boys joined her after lunch.