Domestic update

As requested, an 'inspirational' photo showing the clean cupboard top with jars of freshly-made plum and chilli sauce in storage.

A couple of things to point out:

- it was supposed to be plum and chilli jam but I went way over the top with the vinegar :-( Not to worry, it will be great next time I make salt cod fishcakes.

- I'm only about halfway through the cupboard top cleaning, still plenty left for my next idle moment!



In the meantime, the balcony crops are starting to progress. I've already harvested a few blueberries and some salad leaf and basil. This year's attempts also include carrots (about 10 in total!), tomatoes (a bit of a piss poor fail in comparison to previous years), courgettes and pumpkins (so far doggedly only producing male flowers), chillis and padron peppers (growing well but only just starting to flower) and tomatillos!



What's that? I hear you cry!



A member of the physalis family, the fruit is reminiscent of the cape goosberry - the tomatillo grows inside a papery lantern. You need more than one plant for pollination, and as far as I can see, I only have fruit on one of the three plants so far. Apparently good for South American salsa.

Anyway I'll be offline for the next week or so. I'm off to the Larmer Tree Festival and my trusty Mac is off to the repair shop to hopefully eliminate all the nasty vertical lines that are gradually multiplying on the screen. It's a known fault so will be repaired for free despite being well out of warranty. I was rather surprised that I didn't even have to insist when I phoned the customer service line - makes a nice change to get proper service!