WELCOME RAIN

Hot sunshine is everyone’s wish in summertime, particularly in the school holidays when children ,pent up indoors must otherwise be entertained. I am as partial to sunshine as anyone .but must admit that I have found the recent excessive heat rather draining.

Raised in the High Peak I am more used to cooler air and anything from a gentle breeze to a force eight storm;only once,back in 1976 do I remember such heat affecting the moorlands which were then my home.

Today's rain is ,to me, very welcome,even though it has made for a sticky heat uncomfortable during the day and unbearable at night. It is welcome because the fruit trees are in sore need of a good drink!

In the orchard here the Bramley apples are almost ready to pick ,incidentally you can tell this when the fruit comes away easily from the tree when you twist the apple stalk slightly and pull.

The fruit although almost ready to pick is still quite likewise the blackberries are small and seedy instead of plump and juicy;damsons too are ripening fast but are still small.

Lack of rain is the cause and this is why I am glad for today’s rain. Our fruit trees,on a good year supply many people in the village with jams,chutneys and jellies and our friends with a variety of alcoholic beverages at Christmas and other special occasions.

Last year the apple crop failed and the damson crop was poor due to late frosts and weather too wet for bees to pollinate the blossom,this year,with luck we shall have plenty and to spare.

I had occasion to go into the village this afternoon and come home drenched but cooler,which was great, unfortunately whenever my hair becomes damp it curls and forms a kind of mop,a style hardly suitable for someone my age.

A more pleasant side effect of the rain has been the company of cats,our two of course and also a neighbours ginger Tom cat,Harry who has practically moved in with us. He recently spent two weeks in a cattery while his owners were on holiday,the identical moment he returned he made a bee line for our kitchen and has been a fixture ever since.

Today he slept on Pa's huge leather chair during the afternoon while Twiggy slept on the windowsill,they seem amicable and there was no sign of trouble even when he visited Moth upstairs. They touched noses,almost a kiss, and the Harry helped himself to moths dish of crunchies, a typical male, but oh,so lovable.

A roast beef dinner made a welcome change from salads and I cannot help thinking of all the lovely dishes I make in Autumn,the pheasant,rabbit and wood pigeon pies,and of course the wonderful Dutch apple cake,beloved of the whole family made with the fruit from our own tree.

Earlier this year we had feared the the tree would have been cut down by now to make way for the proposed new houses and we all rejoice that this was not so. I trust and hope that this lovely old tree will be spared indefinably for its delightful shade,its sweet spring blossom and of course the valuable fruit, finger crossed.