Sunny, summery. LOVELY.

It's been a while since I posted. For various good, bad and odd reasons, not least the biblical rains...

The balcony seems a different place now. Like when babies stop looking like babies and start looking like people, the onset of summer (we basically missed Spring, right?) has spelt a huge leap in the balcony's development. Helped also by the fact that it's such an absolute joy to be out there in this weather that I am smothering it in attention. Check out the overflowing beauties on the window side:

I am now (tragically or thankfully, not sure...) old enough to understand what my mum meant when in the rainy days of our childhood, in response to our moaning, we'd hear that "at least the plants are happy". One day I'd love to be a gnarled old farmer who can squint at the horizon and predict the seasons ahead, or refer back to weather anomalies decades past and recall the effect they had on growth and bounty. Though not there yet, it seems fair to infer, based on my own growing projects and all the green in London, that a very rainy month followed by a very sunny week doth some extremely happy plants make. Word. 

There's so much to write about! I'll select some choice cuts now and blog a whole lot more regularly to catch us up. 

So. I bought a saw! Might not seem an exciting move to most but it's opened a world of possibilities to me. I christened it by halving a set of fairly unattractive shelves from our bathroom. The 2 halves are now reborn on the balcony and have provided some much needed levels on the eastern wall, and some essential shade-eluding height on the front side. It's so satisfying to recycle crap from the flat like this. New levels visible in the photo above, along with some lovely (but flimsy) blue crates I plucked from a bin in Dalston. They make the odds and ends in ugly plastic pots a whole lot prettier.

I have been getting increasing interested/excited about the edible side of things, and can report that the perpetual spinach is both thriving and delicious. And seems to grow enormous new leaves every day! It has graced salads, stir fries, stews and soups, and the best thing about it is the utter lack of that funny gritty raw-toothed thing you sometimes get with cooked spinach. (I'm intrigued about the science of that - anyone?)

Having been told by books/seed packets/parents/strangers that I must wait to plant out my tomatoes until "all risk of frost is past" (This exact phrase, from everyone. Weird.) I'm hoping it's safe to assume the time has come. The hanging basket which has been dwelling sad and skeletal in the corner is now hung and proudly stuffed with 'tumbling toms'. Which look confusingly upright so far, but shall hopefully start on their artful tumbling soon...

I've added a few new herbs too, one is which is this amazing Vietnamese coriander. Which looks nothing like 'normal' coriander. I think its beautiful, with a sinuous sprawl so different to my other herbs, and snake like markings to match.

I'm finding growing vegetables and herbs ridiculously exciting! I want to do so much more. My rocket seedlings are sprouting, and the pepper plants are entering adolescence. I have a seed potato potted up (literally only one - space issues!) and have packets of courgette and pak choi seeds ready to be sown. It's going to be a delicious summer in every way!