hot air, survivor, herbs

This drifted past our house the other day not far above the roof tops. An unexpected intruder in the evening sky. A symbol of escape, perhaps.

This season's lettuces, sown a few weeks ago, are coming along nicely. But there was one surprise when we were preparing the vegetable beds - a lettuce from last year that had seeded itself. Today I cut it, an unexpected gift, with a plump, crisp heart.

Two herbs which we can't do without are parsley and basil. Because parsley is slow to germinate and basil on the tender side, I sow both in the greenhouse. Although the seeds are featureless, I fancy I smell the basil and taste the flat leafed-parsley, which we nowadays prefer to the curly kind.