Flaming June

What a glorious start to summer this has been. Blue skies again yesterday, hot in the sun and lovely in the shade. It hasn't quite got to the point where we're hoping for rain for the sake of the garden, although our water butts are now empty! I reckon we need at least another two. I'll be brewing again on Thursday - so my water cooling will produce plenty more to top up the butts, but we could do with a shower or two fairly soon.

The garden's really starting to get there. More on the veg lower down this post, but in addition to all that produce, it's so nice to see the flowers coming out into bloom. The sweet peas are starting to come out, it looks like the honeysuckle will be spectacular this year and the sweet rocket plant that we planted in the herb bed is looking wonderful:

It's good to see so much wildlife using the garden too. We've had fledgling blue tits and great tits fluttering around the place, taking (hopefully successful) first steps away from the nest. The goldfinches are still enjoying the nyjer seed:

and we've got stacks of bumble bees buzzing about the place, including this one enjoying our broad bean flowers:

These broad beans are looking strong and healthy and have put out loads of flowers. Fingers crossed that we get a good crop - we have never succeeded with broad beans before. We also have a very welcome glut of radishes:

They're just crying out for some bread, cheese and a very large wheat beer. All going well. And then, just as I was starting to worry about it being too hot to brew tomorrow, the weather's conveniently turned a little colder.

On the subject of beer, one cloud on the horizon which won't do anything for our water butts is the news that the nice people at The Beer Emporium are moving from Burslem to Sandbach. They won't be that far away, but it's a real shame for Burslem where they were one of only a very few decent shops in a pretty sad - but potentially lovely - part of town.