Apparently it’s not a snake, it’s a legless lizard called a slow worm. It looks like a snake to me though, and I’ve seen a few, being an African girl. On Sunday, Ayrton and I were picking some bits for supper at the allotment and I found this beauty when I lifted the carpet on top of the compost heap to add a few weeds. It just lay there, perfectly still and waiting to be photographed. Apparently slow worms are protected in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 from being killed, injured or sold. We have invited our slow worm to stay and eat as many of our slugs as it likes.
Written by The Little Green House on August 22nd, 2006 with 2 comments.
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Most allotmenteers probably have one vegetable appearing regularly in their cropping hall of shame. You know, a particular crop that year after year stubbornly refuses to give results in spite of the hand-wringing, pleading and tender care that is heaped upon it.
My own particular bete-noir (or would that be a legume-noir?) is the courgette. Courgettes are famed for being so productive that even the most ardent ratatouille lovers have been known to stand outside their houses grabbing passers-by and begging them to take the spares off their hands. But not mine. While others are overwhelmed with a glut and are exploring ever more outlandish recipes (chocolate courgette cheesecake, anyone?), I have resolutely fruitless plants. I think in four or five years of courgette planting I must have harvested a total of four or five courgettes - and even my maths tells me that’s a pretty poor number of courgettes per year.
But no more. This could be the year that I break the cycle - look what I’ve got:
That’s at least three (three! Count em!) on the way. I couldn’t be more proud.
Written by Pumpkinsouper on July 7th, 2006 with 6 comments.
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