MAKING lots of salads now the warmer weather is back. Chicken korma salad later. A version of this this CoOp recipe but with quick pickled za’atar red onions instead of raw

COOKING a small cheddar & jalapeño sourdough loaf at the weekend

SIPPING lime cordial & fizzy water

READING the new Rachel Hore: The Hidden Years (an advance reader copy, it’s being published here in September.) Enjoying it so far, but I’m halfway through and going to read a chunk tonight, instead of watching any TV. I’ve got to the point in the story where I just want to know where it’s heading, and get there faster

LOOKING at my plum tomatoes, they’re getting some colour

WISHING for a late summer during September and October

ENJOYING remembering the sunflower field we visited at the weekend. I’ve never walked amongst sunflowers before

APPRECIATING lying on my really comfy zero gravity lounger, but knowing I’m in danger of falling backwards and cracking my head open, if I keep doing that thing with my legs!

LIKING picking fresh plums near the end of a walk

EATING green lentil sprouts. Of the puy and lentil vertes I’ve used to sprout, the green are the sweetest and freshest I’ve eaten (ready on day 2-3)

LOVING plump tart blackberries ripe on the brambles and milky sweet cob nuts

PLANNING to pick enough berries to make a BlackBerry & gin jam recipe I’ve saved

HOPING not too many others have seen the same recipe, or eyed the same brambles!

BUYING mango chutney for tonight’s salad and Coronation chicken salad next week

MANAGING a lot of different physio exercises. Go me

WATCHING The Power of Parker (BBC iplayer) Ruby Speaking (ITVX) Young Sheldon – new series (Channel 4)

HOPING for some quality new programmes in the autumn. It’s usually a good time of year for tv

WEARING shorts & tee

NOTICING beautiful light at golden hour and wonderful sunsets this week

FOLLOWING more foody and flowery Instagram accounts, probably a fewer crafty ones

ANTICIPATING being able to do some crochet in the autumn, itching to finish a blanket that’s in sections, hand sore now but they’ll settle again. It’s been a busy month

SORTING …everything! Charity shop, fabric bin for old clothes and shoes etc etc. Visited a recycling centre for the first time which I found very exciting (I know…) and asked one of the workers if they’d ever found treasure?

“Only snakes.”

“Live, down the back of an old sofa that someone had lost?”

“No, a huge dead python!”

GIVEN a pack of 8 different seeds to try sprouting and some sprouting jars wearing cover-up blackouts, stands to tilt them downwards so the water drains out and little trays underneath

SPOTTING shoots coming up from the peas I planted in shallow containers in my propagator on Tuesday morning, pea shoots here we come again

FEELING pretty good

HEARING doves coo (And now that Prince song is going round in my head)

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How’s your summer shaping up? Are you reading, growing lots, eating salads and have you been able to get out by the coast and into countryside? Or does it look completely different to mine? (Or are you in the southern hemisphere and in winter time?)