Busy times ... slow it down

Everything seems to be going so fast just lately, the season is moving on, the school year is almost over; can it just all slow down a little please.

I have spent a little extra time at school helping out with things - sports day, kite making day, helping out with end of term gifts for the teachers.

 Imogen's first school sports day

 new take on egg and spoon race

 ... and balancing frogs

(I took little videos of the other events - running, jumping, ball bouncing, etc)

Next week I'm going to a road safety event with Imogen, and a thank you assembly for helping out this year with different things - visiting the class with the spinning, weaving/braiding, school trips and of course planting up the raised beds. Year R beds are the fullest and looking lovely - just hoping that the lovely Sunflowers are going to pop their heads out before school term ends.

 School classroom beds

Hoping these Sunflowers pop out next week

The growing season is going well, lots of things to still look forward too including the lovely beans below - I have a white and red flowered variety growing up here. Achochas, which seem a bit slow growing this year - no idea why. Many more things to come too including the tomatoes, more beetroots, etc and I have lots of brassica seedlings to go in on succession - various kales, cavalo nero, some sprout posies and more that I can't remember right now.

2 varieties of runner beans at home (more at the allotment)

dried garlic awaiting braiding

In nature too, things are moving at a pace. These lovely cherry plums I foraged from near the train station last week, and they are gorgeous. I came home with over 1kg of them and have frozen many for future use. There are other plums looking lovely on a wild patch on the way to school but just out of reach.

foraged cherry plums

In the hedgerows this week I also spotted these sloes already ripening up with their beautiful colours. The elder berries are swelling too. But wait nature please, it's still Summer.

ripening sloes in July 2011

I've been doing a lot of spinning too, working my way through a Portland fleece. I have washed a Dorset Horn fleece too now and that is waiting to be carded. More to wash, more to prep, more to spin; and some to share soon too.

This is my 499th post on the blog, so to celebrate my 500th post I'm going to have a little giveaway and a new look header for the blog for the Summer. See you soon ...