Fruitopia

The sizzling Summer in the UK has parched parks and over-mown lawns to a hay-like shade of beige. We have been struggling to prevent our allotment turning into a dessert. If we had more time, this would not be a problem, but we often find it difficult to visit more than once per week.

Our Blackberries are finally ripening along with summer Raspberries, Loganberries, Blueberries and Blackcurrants (yuk!) and they are abundant. 

Picking Blackberries this year is going to be so easy and unsurprisingly, a lot of fruit seems to be arriving early. Even Hazelnuts seem to be arriving sooner than they normally would and they seem to be very plentiful too.

This weekend we got on our bikes and visited our favourite Mulberry tree, which we would not normally expect to be ready yet, but sure enough, we found many sweet, juicy, red/black fruits awaiting us. 

That evening the children made the most delicious fruit salad, with Mellon, Raspberries, Strawberries, Mulberries and Blackberries (Topped off with vanilla Ice cream) just perfect for a sweltering hot summer evening.

By Bike to Mansbridge Community Orchard

During the summer holidays, I had been looking after the children and they wanted to go on a bike ride. I needed to visit the Post Office and do one or two chores, so I decided on a suitable route and set off. During the trip I decided to teach the kids how to perform the classic cyclist’s “Scoot Start” and the reverse action “Side Dismount”. Easier said than done but they began to pick it up eventually.

After a full mornings riding we returned for lunch but the kids insisted on going out on bikes again as soon as we had finished. I hadn’t visited the Mansbridge Community Orchard for a while, so I thought we would zoom down and check it out.

We took a route through Riverside Park, then on through Woodmill and along the banks of Itchen past the Pitch & Putt course up to the old stone bridge that gives Mansbridge its name.

After this it was on foot through the meadow and into the trees to explore. As we worked our way through this beautiful place, we did remove some brambles and ivy, in amongst the apple trees. Stinging nettles are growing strongly there too, so shorts and sandals were not ideal but we did our best with what we had with us.

Some of the trees have obviously suffered badly with the poor weather this Spring but several are looking as if they will have a very healthy crop. There are so many trees in the site, that even if some fail, others will make up for it. 

One visit was not enough to account for all the trees and we didn’t really get much of a look along the Monk’s Path, so we need to get down there again soon to see if there is any fruit ripening alongside the houses. We did pick and eat copious amounts of Blackberries though...

River of Shame

I managed to find space in my busy life to get out on the river for a row. This was my first outing of the year but it has been very cold recently.

On this day however, it was beautiful warmweather, the tide was full and the river was calling me. It was an impulse decision; so I left my grocery shopping in the boat house and hastily launched the good ship Magpie.

I love rowing, it’s very good exercise but mainly I love it because you get a very different perspective of the city from on the water. Sometimes, apart when you hear a siren or a train rattles past, you would not know that you were in the middle of a large metropolis.

As I got up river toward Woodmill and the reed beds, I began to feel all “Wind in the Willows” and started looking out for birds and wildlife. There are many quite rare birds on the river, I have seen the turquoise flash of iridescent kingfishers, majestic Great Crested Grebes, Black throated divers, among others and on special days - a very playful seal.

What does depress me though is the amount of needless rubbish that thoughtless idiots throw into the river. These precious reed beds will soon be the nesting place for swans, ducks and other wild creatures and yet they are choked with discarded plastic drink bottles and other detritus.

I once provoked a storm in the Echo newspaper, regarding fly-tipping in the river by the Saltmead estate and as a result of that, this criminal activity virtually stopped - perhaps something similar could be prompted here.

We should be proud of our beautiful parks and riverside walks. The people who left this litter were presumably enjoying the park like everyone else, so what is it that makes them spoil this special environment for themselves and everyone else? It must be selfishness, stupidity or lack of education.