June Solstice fruit and veg

I've been walking in the NW Highlands for the last week and have come back to a good harvest from the plot.

Link to web album is here

First early premiere potatoes and

lots of strawberries.

Also pleased with the maturing leaf and hearting lettuce.

And the globe artichokes too!

Cross Bay run

Last Wednesday I did the annual run across Morecambe Bay with my running club Dallam.While we were guided safely across it was quite wet under foot on the fairly direct route between Flookburgh and Red Bank that was chosen because of the River Kent being divided into several channels at present.
Some great photos on http://johnleechstudio.smugmug.com/Events/Cross-Bay-Run-2014-Dallam-Run/

Madeira photos

Here's a link to the photos from my recent trip to Madeira best viewed as a full screen slideshow.
My previous visits have been in our winter months but on this May trip I saw the landscape in all it's glory with the summer flowers in bloom and plots full of vegetables.
Fabulous weather for the whole trip.No rain but the levadas come into their own to irrigate the cultivated land.

Curral Jangao and the central mountains

Flowers on a levada wall

Cannas at Boaventura

Trad shed and garden at Santana looking south towards the mountains

Origem da Levada Achada Grande above Boaventura

The lone lettuce

Quite surprised to find a lone lettuce growing on my plot that was ready to eat so early in the season.It must be last year's seed which lay dormant over winter and then decided things were warm enough for it to grow away.I think it's Marvel of 4 Seasons and has made for some very good salads with a few young chard and mint leaves throw in.

Hopefully this year's lettuce will be just as good.I've sown mixed and Webbs varieties which are coming along nicely but will need some serious protection with slug pellets.