Saturday Morning Chatter - Saturday, 12th September 2015 for Bodicote. Adderbury, Charlbury and Oxford

It's a grey start to our busy weekend of activities and reflections on the week which has been as busy and and full as ever.

Three cheers for HM The Queen on becoming our longest reigning monarch on Wednesday, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria - what a splendid achievement.

With the end of summer in view, there'll be a mountain of garden clear-up to do which I really must make time for, for it's amazing how long it takes to put everything away for the winter, compost the dead summer plants, clean the tools and store them then dig up and rake over the earth.

The runner beans have been very good so too the tomatoes and tiny chilli peppers.  The sweet yellow peppers remained green from lack of bright sun but grew to a good size and there are still growing baby peppers which might prosper if the summer lingers.  My aubergines suffered from an attack of red spider mite causing their failure which was interesting to watch; on Tuesday morning the fruit was still black and glossy but by the evening, the glossy black had been exchanged for mottled brown.  Ah well, better luck with next year's trial.  The miniature cucumbers are still doing well although the lower leaves have sported white spots this last week which I must investigate.

Gardening is all a learning curve to be enjoyed outside in the fresh air, therapeutic and calming and very good for body and soul.

Television hasn't featured too heavily because I've been out to two book club meetings, one to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver on her family's year-long quest to eat only locally produced food, eschewing the delicacies brought over via long distanced flight paths.  How does this make me feel with my breakfast bowl of Kallo gluten-free puffed rice cereal

with Arla Lactofree milk garnished with blueberries from Poland - I'll let you know!

At my other book group meet, we were discussing Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch which our group had discussed earlier this year; its a great page-turning read with an explosive beginning,several fascinating characters, an excellent section on art-history  but also rather over-long sections on the drug scene with Boris and Theo Decker.

The Thursday evening  meet for Adderbury's Community Food Market and supper with friends was good and we all enjoyed talking about our new granddaughter born earlier in the week.  We took home an excellent basket of market goodies including, for me, a loaf of gluten-free bread from Cornfield|Bakery - find them on www.cornfieldbakery.com - a light soft bake.

We usually just eat the dear SO's homemade organic flour bread but, as ever, it's good to have a variety to enjoy.

However, I certainly watched GGBO's pastry making event with three exacting items to be made but then pastry is exacting, delicious and very more-ish.  I thought the contestants did very well.

I've got thru' a huge amount of marrow, onions, plums, damsons with some elderberries over the last few weeks making chutney and at last l'm down to my last batch.

with the compost much enhanced by all the trimmings.

I'm off to Charlbury this morning for their Farmers' Market and also hope to call in to today's auction sale at JS Auctions, Bodicote and do a spot of weeding at various gardens.  But I must also get home to write up previous weekend jaunts to Oxford for shopping and a niece's 50th birthday event, for tomorrow we go to Oxford again, hoping to explore the city's Sunday markets and, if there's time, to visit Oxford's Botanic Garden and have lunch somewhere of course!

Happy weekending everybody and a good week to come!

Daisy xxx