Lilac Time

Coming out of the allotments today I stopped to pick a bunch of lilacs which are growing wild.There are lilac bushes in full bloom everywhere as this year they have not had to contend with wind and rain and are enjoying the sunshine.They are in my porch and filling it with their heady scent.
My next door neighbour on the plot, Angela, taking a break from painting the shed.The last few days have been in the 20's and it is better than a foreign holiday pottering in the sunshine.
Kevin and myself spent hours out there again,it really is a time warp where the hours fly by.The major job on today's agenda was making a new cage for the brassicas.The yard long beans have given up the ghost at this point so I took most of the bamboo canes and they will have to scramble up whats left as best they can, thats if they decide to grow anymore.
This is the brassica bed under the old netting, the brussel sprouts were bending over as it was way too tight.
New high rise brassica netting on bent bamboo canes.The cauliflower are a lost cause, they only grew a few inches and they have produced tiny heads.They remind me of the head hunters exhibition in Ripley's museum in NY! I pulled them out and gave the whole bed a soaking with the rhubarb tea.While the netting was off Kevin was on sentry duty in case any white butterflies ventured near.There were dozens of them flitting about.
A wasp's nest in a raspberry bush on one of the plots!It is an exquisite construction balancing between the branches. I did not tarry too long taking the photo in case there were any look outs posted!The wasps enter through a tiny hole in the bottome of the nest, you can just see it on the bottom right and one wasp was just flying in.
Harvest today, 3 turnips to thin out the row a little, some potatoes which are from the bed that got blight but these are OK.The rhubarb is to make Rhubarb chutney which I read about on Nic's blog Nip it in the Bud last night.We have abundant rhubarb and I am dying to try this with it.
I earthed up the leeks which are growing well, fed and soaked the pumpkin bed and studiously ignored 2 more courgettes which had put on a growth spurt since yesterday, Kathryn will be back from holidays tomorrow and she can deal with them!