In your sweltering spring, you may not have noticed Scotland had one of its wettest Mays on record. Not here of course, the old rain shadow in action again. What we don't have is a wind shadow and Briach always seems windier than anywhere else round here. You can feel the strength of the gusts just looking at this picture. But one must adapt to one's environment. The hedge is now a year old, it's still mostly stumpy hawthorn with the odd thriving elder; bu
t in a couple of years it should provide some decent protection. Tall plants like artichoke then go on the windward side. Mrs Honeyman has weaved her usual magic to make an attractive framework for the asparagus wind vanes. And learning from last year's transplant shock and sulking crops, sweetcorn and french beans I sowed direct into swallowholes covered with glass. One cob would be an improvement. Also in the veg brigade in the picture for the spotters amongst you:Pea, Pea, Celery (Seed), Camberwick Greens, Sea Kale, Chard.
While researching this post I find Wikipedia describes Windy as "brewing his own cider, which makes him very 'sleepy'. He rejects modern ways and prefers to live a self sufficient life. He keeps a cow for milk and free range chickens for eggs." as well as riding a pennyfarthing. At the age of 6, I didnt really see him as a role model - there was obviously sinister subliminal indoctrination going on. But he was clearly a prophet of deglobalisation whose body of work needs revisiting.
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