Don't count your chickens...

Sweet little cantaloupe melon

Magic dawn

How to grow melons in a green house!

Darn! The black hen was sitting on eggs. I had lost track of the days, but was beginning to think it must be soon... when she decided to get off the nest and come and have a good old dust bath.... and didn't go back. So I went and had a look. Sixteen eggs, still warm. I decided to take away the ones that looked fresh in the hope that she would come back quickly, but she stayed out. Then I decided to take them all away as they were cooling down, and as soon as I had done that she went back to the nest! I am confounded by this chicken lark for the moment. I also have a bucket of dodgey eggs.

EDP finally came and connected the solar panels to the national grid, so I am now officially contributing to the nation's power supply.

I have been working on shoring up the hill that the house sits on as the chickens have been systematically undermining it and I'm sure they are the cause of the large cracks in the floor and walls! I carried bucket loads of stones and earth and filled up the shoring and it looks quite good. Rather like some ancient Peruvian terracing...  I have covered it all in stones to keep the darn birds from scratching all my hard work down the hill again! I don't even eat very many eggs!

In the garden the figs are ripe and falling to the ground in abundance. Sweet, sticky, beautiful. The black ones are the best this year, probably because I have been watering plants under the tree. The small crop of melons was quite successful. I planted them over a pile of bramble prunings ('hugelkulture') so I hope that has encouraged the brambles to decompose at the same time as helping the melons to grow. I will have a look under the plastic soon.

I sowed some carrots a few weeks back and they germinated almost immediately. I was so surprised. Now they are growing well, and I must sow some more, as you can never have enough home grown carrots. Also have red onion seedlings growing thick and strong, in a bed where the mange-touts were. Looks like I will have some transplanting to do soon. Also time to sow cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and other delights.

I bought an avocado tree and have planted it below the banana, where it will get watered from the kitchen sink and shower water. It looks so lush I can't wait to plant more fruit trees. Have to dig the holes first. That's the hard bit. Especially at the moment while the ground is so hard. I think I will wait for nature to do some of the work first!

And it is raining! Lightly, but wet. First rain in months. It makes the air smell so lovely.