On The Smallholding | June
June arrived with a downpour, left in a heatwave and in between, quite a lot happened.
The garden and growing things
After the glorious warmth of May, the first half of June felt more like April. Rain throughout, and persistent with it. But the veg garden is now fully planted up with nursery-grown veg and seeds started off too. June is our safe month for that, with the last frosts usually behind us by the end of May.
The strawberries have been coming through, slowly, triumphantly, and in exciting numbers. Our biggest haul yet came on 21st June: nine whole strawberries. Since then, I've noticed a rather large two-legged bird (the Greater Legged Holly) in the vicinity, which may explain the unexpected recent shortage.
The wisteria, which we hacked back so firmly in April, has responded by growing back beautifully. Rather too beautifully, in fact! I've had to cut the whippy runners back twice already to stop it creeping back under the roofline. It's nothing if not determined.
The meadow
Seven types of wildflower counted so far in the meadow where we hold our family experience days. Previous years, there have only been three. The wildflower seeds are doing their thing, the frogs are absolutely everywhere (hundreds of them in the field and along the path down to the pond, I've genuinely never seen so many), and the elderflower has been magnificent this year, more than we've ever had. Sadly it came and went without anything being made from it. Citric acid has become impossible to find locally, and I just didn't get myself organised in time. There's always next year.
Around the smallholding
The willow tree over the driveway has been trimmed. It no longer feels like going through a car wash. The outdoor washing line is finally up - only fifteen years in the making. Gwilym spent fourteen hours strimming this month and four hours spraying. We managed half an hour of hoeing. That's a win.
Father's Day was celebrated in the most appropriate way possible: a full day off from the smallholding.
The weather
The last two weeks of June were the hottest on record. Not once, but twice. The thermometer at the front of the house was off the chart for four days straight. After the wettest first half of the month, it felt like a different season entirely.
And finally
It wouldn't feel right to end this month's diary without a word for Dodger.
He fell ill during the hot weather, and went for his last sleep in the final week of June. He was fifteen years old, which is a good long innings by anyone's measure, but that doesn't make it any easier. He was my favouritest animal on the smallholding, and I still tear up thinking about him. The place feels a little lonelier without him.
Until next month,
Annabelle x