The rain is belting down outside, filling up the depleted water-butts and soaking the veg beds after nearly two dry weeks. The temperature here got up to 29 degrees celsius, which is hot for the west of Ireland. (And a frightening 33 in Dublin, the highest temperature ever recorded on our temperate isle).

We did our best to keep both indoor and outdoor veggies hydrated but it was challenging. Some of the carrots sown in March have started to bolt. Other things got floppy, others shrivelled and others have grown wildly.

The tomato glut has started in earnest, the courgette glut is about to start, we’ve had a steady supply of carrots, beetroot, kale, lettuce, peas and potatoes (onions and garlic were harvested in June, and are drying out in the shed).

We’ve had only small yields of berries as our fruit bushes are only in their first year, and the gooseberries were cut back a little too severely previously. Our plum tree, now in its second year and having grown considerably, has a whopping six fruits on it. Our little apple trees have a few more fruits than last year. But it’ll be a while yet before we’re inundated.