Wasn’t today lovely?  The sun finally remembered to shine and how we enjoyed it.

After eating too much last night ( 😦 ) I was not hungry this morning so skipped breakfast and went shopping in Tenterden with Harvey.  I was heading for my final shop when I saw a sign saying a deli was serving Monmouth coffee.  It was about 1:30pm and I was hungry so I succumbed.

Good people of the Weald – if you have a hint of weakness do NOT ever go to Nutmeg Deli.  I was only going to have a coffee but at eye level was a fantastic array of cakes.  Oh my goodness.  Right under my nose was one of my favourites; a fresh, just been made, cherry Bakewell tart.  I had to have some.  Harvey and I shared a slice of Bakewell tart and a chocolate Brownie.  They were both fabulous and the coffee had that unmistakable treacly toffee flavour of Monmouth I know and love so much.  A very naughty but completely delicious treat.

I spent the afternoon in the garden, mainly tending my vegetable beds.  The battle with the bunnies has not been won yet.  I am down but not defeated.  I think the seaside windmills are helping a little.

Bed 1 contains peas, sweetcorn, radishes and nasturtiums.  The raspberry bushes behind are full of berries which I am looking forward to. Bed 2 has sunflowers, leeks (donated by 2 different people hence the size difference) and nasturtiums. I still have more leeks to plant out but it is quite fiddly as they are like blades of grass but I am hoping to finish them tomorrow. Bed 3 has peas, spinach, lettuce, thyme and oregano. Bed 4 has French beans, courgette, Swiss Chard and red cabbage. Bed 4 is new and was only built last week.  The chicken wire is temporary while I decide how to barricade the vegetable beds from the rabbits.  It may not be pretty but it works! I have cleared a lot of garden and unearthed this beautiful pale orange rose. It looks lovely and smells lovely too. The strawberries are ripening.  They seem to be protected from birds by the rose growing over them.  I have never grown strawberries before but now I know how lovely they are, fresh from the plant, I will be growing lots next year. I enjoy this corner of the patio.  I like the riot of colour the geraniums and petunias provide. Over in another corner of the garden, a solitary fig is growing on the tree the girls gave me for a significant birthday. This is my original vegetable patch which has been growing veggies for years now.  This year it is home to potatoes and onions.  The rabbits live near here and keep munching the top of the onions – GRRRRRRRR.  Hopefully they will survive.  The onions that is, not the rabbits! This is the area that was once full of shrubs but is in the process of being cleared.  It will soon be the location of a new greenhouse and a large fruit cage.  I just need to choose which ones to get so I am busy researching. Dinner was another diet disaster – Chinese takeaway.  I had the sweet and sour chicken but redeemed myself slightly by having it on a selection of vegetables instead of rice.Tomorrow I have planned a healthy breakfast and a long walk in the afternoon so I should do better than I did today.