Most afternoons we spend in the garden after the heat of the day has passed. We don on our work boots, each of us have our own pair and clomp down the stairs to play in the garden. This is our family tradition. Something we do everyday to get some fresh air, clear our heads of thoughts, feelings and emotions of the day and get our hands dirty. In J.D's case burn some pent up energy.

We both enjoy this hubby and I. It resets us for the day. Rejuvenates. There is something about digging your hands into the dirt. Hoeing weeds and picking produce. It seems natural, uncomplicated and it makes me happy. J.D loves to romp in the vegetable patch. He gets the little spade we use to plant our seedlings and digs away happily in a spare patch of dirt. He is yet to dig anything up that we don't want him to! He LOVES the cherry tomatoes growing at the end of the garden. He toddles up the garden path making a bee line straight for the plump red tomatoes he spies hanging over the edge of the garden. He plucks them off and pops them straight into his mouth. Big grins and lots of noise in appreciation. The dog even gets a tomato shoved in her face every known and again. She loves them and appreciates the gesture.

We always have grand plans for The Patch every new growing season but life seems to build up on us and plans fall to the wayside. We forget to water seeds we just planted and they die. We forget to plant a consecutive crop and end of only putting in one lot of tomatoes for the season. Sometimes it's nature stepping in and sending bugs and beetles to eat our precious plants. Heatwaves to cripple and fry our poor little seedlings. This season we have had particular problems in The Patch. With the 40 degree heatwave and hot, windy conditions our plants didn't stand a chance. Our once fruitful and healthy tomatoes, shrivelled and died. I tried babying them during the particularly bad days but it was too much.

Our zucchini's have been fruitful enough and the corn has been growing strong. They seem sturdy and hardy compared to the tender tomatoes. We have one lonely looking watermelon growing steadily in the garden. I hope it will grow to full size and we can enjoy it when it's juicy and ripe. I'm sad we didn't get many tomatoes in this season. Not for the lack of trying though. I normally stew up kilos of the tomatoes with some fried onion and garlic for the winter ahead. We love fresh tomato soup and making it with our own vine ripened tomatoes is just superb. I have managed to get a few batch done but no where near what I have done in past seasons.

We are only half way through summer and our patch it looking sad and sorry and not a lot growing in it at the moment. It is too hot to plant anything else out. We will have to wait until things cool down.
Once we have had enough play time in the garden hubby grabs the chook food and rounds the chooks up for the afternoon. They get their chance at freedom every afternoon too. To scratch and peck at fresh grass, bugs and berries. They never wander too far away, always keeping within the boundaries of our yard.

J.D and I make our way back up to the back deck to remove our boots, dust the dirt of ourselves and get ready for baths, dinner and bedtime! We usually have dinner on our back deck if the weather is good. Enjoying the sun set in the distance and the fresh breeze to cool us down. Life is good.