Late August allotments

Took some late August photos for the annuls, showing the plots 20 months on from when we did our first  clearance work on the site.Everything is looking abundant.

There's a particularly attractive combination of veg and flower planting at the top of Kath,Chris and Steven's plots.

 The bees (wasps?) are busy on the Buddleia

 On my own plot I've decided to leave any of the spiky globe artichokes to flower.

I've just started harvesting sweet corn and reckon that it's about three weeks earlier than last year.

Salad Blue potatoes

Some of this crop were difficult to spot in the dark soil. Despite their name they are not a salad potato,

and more toward purple than blue.

They have a bit of brown scab on the surface but when peeled are very clean with little sign of pests or diseases.

The ones that I tried last night had a subtle flavour, pleasant on the palate and very moreish.

Gesause Alps photos

Since my last post I've been away to two music festivals (Cambridge and Cropredy) and have only just got my laptop back working properly again.

Here are the photos from my Gesause Alps walking trip in early July. This National Park borders Styria and Lower Austria and lies midway between Salzburg,Graz and Vienna.
As with most of my Austrian trips I went with my pal Ernie ( he of the Tilly hat and hiking poles).
We started the walk from Grosreifling and did a  three quarter clockwise circuit through the park spending four nights in huts and two in the town of Admont,crossing the River Enns twice and finishing at Spital am Pyhrn.

Good company,food and drink.Stunning scenery and some interesting paths protected by wires, ladders and other ironmongery.