Open Day & BBQ

We had a fabulous day for our open day and evening BBQ.Lots of family and friends turned up to see why we spend so much time out here!Zwena explaining the art of toasting marshmallows to the children,great credit is due to her for the excellent turn out and catering for the day.
Zwena also presented prizes for last years sunflower and pumpkin competitions and somehow managed to give prizes to nearly all of the children!
The courtyard painted and spruced up before the guests arrived.Aisling had painted all of the old farm machinery last week and Gemma had painted nice rustic looking signs,all of the painting of gates etc was done during the week by different people.Zwena likes bright colours!
The boys minding the small boys on our mini patio in front of the shed.
Some of the visitors chatting, it is also a chance for the plotters to visit each others plots and chat as we are all there at different times and may not have actually met each other for quite some time.
The hastily erected fruit cage,this year it is on bamboo canes with the plumbing fixtures creating the arched sections.It is also high enough to walk under comfortably without crouching down.
Aisling's Mum in law Ena admiring the sweet corn and carrots under the fleece.
D.Linda with her inlaws admiring the same patch!

The boys on a child friendly plot.
The girls on the patio, I think the boys are still minding the boys and have taken them off for a walk.
The BBQ and fire pit which was appreciated as the evening got cooler and it was well after 10.30 pm before we broke up.The boys had taken the smaller children home so the older ones could stay.
Zwena's son Peter who volunteered to cook for the masses is under pressure to keep the food coming!

Angela handing out some of the huge range of desserts and tarts that were brought along by various people.
Chris who with his wife Maebh had Charlie,a beautiful baby boy 10 weeks ago found time to make a big batch of scrumptious scones, rhubarb compote and served them with whipped cream, all monies donated went to Autistic charities this year.
It is raining today, quite soft rain which the ground needs as watering is never as effective, hopefully just one days rain?!
Some of our tomato plants in the greenhouse have curling on the bottom leaves, I put in a query to Gardenplans and got an immediate reply that it may be a magnesium deficiency which can be corrected with Epsom salts!I am off now to buy and treat them, I will post results