philmayfield

I’ve just eaten two slices of pork pie for lunch and it had loads of jelly. It came from the local farm shop but I don’t know who made it. I don’t like the jelly and throw it away!

Scotland is part of the UK. It's just an extension of northern England.

And now they live amongst us. 'Care in the Community'.

I went there to get signed off by my surgeon a couple of weeks ago. Tony Westbrook was first class but I wasn't generally impressed with the place. I only chose it because it was new. I had hoped for a view of the airfield where I used to fly but my view was of the car park!

This was the Spire also. They discharged me too soon when the virus scare came on, resulting in me having a bad turn when I got home and they had, after a lot of pleading by my wife, to send a private ambulance and readmit me for another three days. I think my two Nigerian doctors were actually trained as witch doctors. I’d never go there again.

When I had my hip replacement in March it was at a private hospital. I did expect a few extra creature comforts so when I was offered smoked salmon sandwiches I had the vision of thin cut triangular pieces of brown bread with the crusts removed, served on a bone china plate with a sprinkling of watercress. The smoked salmon was actually served in a one inch doorstep of soggy white bread which took some getting through. NHS for me if I ever have to go In again!

Actually we had local grown strawberries.

That’s for pudding!

I think hot meals are good on a warm day. We had a chicken curry on Friday. It makes you sweat and perspiration has a cooling effect. I’m beginning to find salads a bit insipid and much prefer a cooked meal. Lamb shanks for tonight’s dinner. It’s the first time in weeks that Morrison’s have been able to supply them and there’s plenty of mint in the herb bed. All to be washed down with a chilled Pinot Grigio. I may be a bit of a Philistine but my favourite meal is a thick pork chop with chips and baked beans and lots of HP sauce. No fine dining in this establishment!

I’m not normally bothered by much but bats give me the creeps. We had one in the bedroom once and I slept on the sofa until my wife, who is not bothered by the little fluttery things, got rid of it!

I just thought I’d give you a little treat Jill!

There’s an interesting ‘photo on the web of a German nudist chasing a wild boar who stole his laptop. Apparently he retrieved it and was given a round of applause by the onlookers!

The only time I can remember being hit was by my father; across the side of my face with a wet fish fillet, that being all he had to hand at the time!

I don't suppose the sloe gin will be flying off the shelves!

If you download Plantsnap and take a photo it comes up with various options. It’s obviously a bramble and could possibly be the Stone Bramble, Rubus Saxatilis. Further delving is required.

We have very few medlars this year. The tree seems to be prolific every other year unlike our Bramleys which have massive crops annually. It’s a pity you can’t do much with them.

I think vodka might be better. Being unadulterated there would be nothing to clash with the flavour of the sloes. A lady made medlar gin from our tree last year. We had a sample bottle and it was very good for unblocking the sink

There's an interesting app for your smartphone called Plantsnap which, by taking a picture, will identify a plant. It might be worth seeing if it can identify a sloe. Personally I doubt it will!

Sloes are the fruit of the blackthorn. You can see the white flowers in the hedgerows in the Spring. It's quite common. The fruit is rather bitter for eating raw but is often bottled in gin.

Having a damson tree they don't hang quite like that so I agree with Beekay, sloes.

Toxic or not it’s still offensive in great piles on the lanes. I wouldn’t like to tread in it and have no desire to eat it. I’ve lived in the countryside for 58 years. I’m not a complaining incomer; in fact we have owned and ridden horses and ponies for many years. All our horse droppings have been on our own land and have been regularly collected with a shovel and wheelbarrow to put on the heap for the garden.

There are few pavements round here so pedestrians have to walk in the road.

They prefer to have it delivered from the stables for their gardener to apply.

People round here are too posh to gather up horse dung so it gets spread by the traffic.

I just don’t see why dog owners can be fined for not collecting droppings when horses, who are more prolific, can get away with it.