Fig glut(tony)

Revenge of the garden: Im covered in bites. Some of them itch like mad. I look like a spotted leopard with all my iodine coloured antiseptic cream.

I realised too (while itching away) that I have made the exact design fault that I decried in others. I have dotted single plants in the herb garden. They bear no relation to each other except that they are herbs. I should yank them out and just plant one group of thyme. And pot up the coriander, basil, and lemon verbena.

Hurrah, Nicolas is here. Im off to work. I need to move all the branches from behind the pool and put them on a lower terrace for future burning. And collect some stakes for next year’s tomato crops at the same time.

Four hours later and I have earned my rest. Heaps of labour today. And Nicolas has made a huge go at the terrace. Scary work. I have no idea how we are all going to get it done. But we both stood together and gnawed at our fingers and tried to be positive. And I am sure we just start at one place and muddle through.

As a diversion I dug more soil onto the potager, and then drove off to Vernoux for a bit of Gamm Vert therapy. New secateurs, seventy litres of potting compost, a packet of cleome flower seeds, sticks, twine and all sorts of little things for the garden. And hopefully Bernard will come by soon with news that he can do the small things about the house.

I can’t keep up with the figs. And tomorrow I really must collect some chestnuts to take back to London. The drive to Vernoux is positively littered with the nuts. Quite pretty to crunch over the road all those shiny nuts.

The seasons do really link up. Now it’s figs and quinces and the beginning of chestnuts. And also radish and lettuce and more to come.ÂÂ

Must sow some lettuce and mâche seeds tomorrow with my newly purchased potting compost. That should bring some continuity to the potager.