Now back in Scotland we have returned to a garden that is bursting with produce. Today Little Owl and I have been picking broad beans, peas, gooseberries and the last of the blackcurrants. The pea pods we’ve missed and that have now gone over, will do for next year’s seeds. My friend across the valley is entering her raspberry jam in the village show and thinks I should enter my blackcurrant jam. I’ll have to see how brave I’m feeling on the day!
Little Owl and I walked in to the village this morning and a sunflower in one of the gardens is so tall that, having outgrown its stake, a nearby lamp post is being used as a support. On our walk we saw a rowan tree covered in red berries. It seemed early to me but no, apparently they do fruit from August onwards. It reminded me of Wise Owl’s Story by Alison Uttley so we read it for Little Owl’s bed time story. Although written back in the 1930s the books have hardly dated at all and I just love Margaret Tempest’s illustrations. In the story Wise Owl’s tree is blown over in a storm and his friends set out to find him a new tree. Instead of searching like the others, Squirrel gets side-tracked by making a necklace of rowan berries. It turns out well in the end because Little Grey Rabbit finds the perfect tree. This illustration from the book, is one of my favourite illustrations. Wise Owl is cosily settled in his new home and here he is, looking out at the sunset from his new front door.
