It’s almost midsummer, not that you’d notice from the weather. All the same, plenty is happening in the new kitchen and garden.

This year I’m adding Rose petals to my Elderflower champagne as suggested by Andy Hamilton, and I will try the combination in cordial also. It looks very pretty. Every dry sunny spell has me abandoning all to go gather blossoms.

Last chance for wild garlic leaves also. We have a heap of them to process today, get into jars and freeze. The new kitchen layout is working so well with lots of work space, a bright, clean look, and hot water on demand!

We have sown seeds for a new bumble bee patch of wildflowers. Seeds saved from beautiful wild meadows include Knapweed, Vetch, Selfheal, Thistle, Quaking Grass, Scabious, Trefoil and Yellow Rattle. Our hope is to introduce far more diversity of species in the wild patches, and the Yellow Rattle is partly parasitic on grass so if it grows, it will help to keep the grasses from overwhelming everything else.