pumpkinstrokemarrow

There's trouble at t'pit. Not clear that the deer wire is keeping them off the carrot seeds. In any event, it certainly isn't keeping the mole off who has popped up from nowhere with two new molehills in the middle of one row. It doesn't look like I am going to get anything off the leaf beet which I carefully left (at some expense to be incurred in doing that bit of the Autumn digging in the summer). They are going straight to seed without bothering about any leaf. Leek seedlings nowhere to be seen despite the seeds having gone in some weeks ago. The new peach which put on a bit of growth last year sprouted alright this but now looks to have got leaf curl. Have to consult the quack. And the bamboo is looking very threadbare after its first winter. Lots of leaf loss and no sign of new ones.

But, by way of a consolation prize, the summer cabbage is showing and is now safely wire netted against the pidgeons along with the brussells sprouts and the invisible leeks. And the new cherry which got leaf curl last year and looked pretty sad for most of it is sprouting quite strongly. The thing might even survive.

Also good to read that our favourite cherry is making big fat fees taking the case of a school girl who wants to wear religeous togs at school through all the courts in the land. Surprised to see a Catholic giving an infidel so much time. No doubt all paid for by the legal aid fund. (Perhaps there is another fine new house to be paid for, perhaps next to Mr M's fine new house, reported on in one of today's papers). The French, it seems, got this thing right. They banned all religeous togs from schools on the grounds that their schools were and were going to remain secular. (I think, formally at least, the US is in the same position. But I don't know what they do about this particular issue. And a hot topic there because I got harrangued about it all the way from airport to hotel there once by a gentleman from the society for the preservation of public secularity (or something to that effect)). There was a bit of a row in France when the law was kicked in because they do have a big heterofaithic religeous minority but the majority stuck to their guns - part of their defence being the need to protect children from being compelled to wear said togs. Must enquire of Google how it is all settling down.

Steak sarneaze for breakfast today. Rather extravagent use of sirloin steak but very good. Perhaps a touch undercooked with a hint of that traditional hung flavour that Mr Sainsbury likes to charge you such a lot extra for.