Barbecue Season

Barbecue season has well and truly started here in Sushitsa and we love it. Eating outdoors around the big table while the sun sets is great, better still with good company and maybe a few cold beers.

Last night we had a lovely meal, then once the sun had truly set, moved indoors for a tequila or 2 and a game of cards. We had a good laugh, played poker and pontoon and had a good night. Although once everyone else had gone to bed and I was the only one left awake there was an awful commotion outside - off I went to investigate and I think I disturbed a fox trying to raid the chicken pen. Poor Butch, out Bulgarian heinz 57 varieties dog was frantic, barking like mad and dragging his kennel (to which he's chained) across the garden. On closer inspection I found the large cockerel outside in attack mode and a small black hen huddled under a bush looking a bit tatty! So today hubby has made the chicken house more secure and we'll be making sure all the birds are safely locked away at night times.......at least I know now where our 2 bantam hens and 1 bantam cockerel have gone to!

Soon we'll be having home grown salad with our meals as the lettuce and radishes are almost ready to eat mmmm. We're still no further forward with the main part of the vegetable garden as there's so much water there. The top soil has dried to a hard crust but underneath is mud, although the spring that appeared after the last rain has slowed right down now so hopefully it won't be much longer before the tomatoes, peppers and chillies can be planted outside.

Work on the raised melon beds has stopped and Charlotte has enjoyed a few hours out in the sunshine in the area that we will be using as it's fenced and she can roam loose, chew on the grass and please herself for a while. She's made a huge pit in the ground which I filled with water so she could have a good, old wallow. Half hour later and there she is, mud everywhere, grunting away happily and even posing for the camera! I'll get the photo's added later though as I'd like to take a few more of various things.

My squash, pumpkins and peas are finally starting to show themselves, everything else is coming along well and I have yet more seedlings on the go in the house to be planted out this month. The next few weeks should be quite busy in the garden and also with lucerne being cut and the grass that needs scythed, dried and stored for winter. I may even lose a little weight (fingers crossed) and will most definitely be topping up my tan while I work :)