I've posted a few beauties for @lakesstiles.bsky.social this year, but today's is an absolute shocker. Newly fenced sheep pasture near Wymondham in Leicestershire and this is the stile. Already failed, and an 8 year old with his woodwork kit could do better. No alternative but to climb the fence. 🤦

It's this strange limestone landscape. The steam flows underground for most of its length in dry weather. But it was above ground further up.

After the wedding, the walk. We had a stunning 4 mile saunter in Studley Royal deer park yesterday called the Seven Bridges Walk. If you are in the Ripon area and have a couple of hours for a wander, go for it. @nationaltrust.org.uk free car park and efficient cafe at the visitor centre.

In Rutland we even have county boundary road signs where there are no roads. And there's this thing about inverted horseshoes....

For the 43rd year in succession the French national birthday today is the less significant one in this family. Happy Birthday Lisa. 🥰

Pulled my remaining Calabrese today to make room for some showings for winter. The secondary florets with their topmost dark leaves are full of nutrients. And another harvest of french beans, just 24 hours after the last one. The growing season is revving high!

The race to beat the growth spurt of the courgettes is on. You can't leave them even 48 hours at this time of year in normal weather, never mind this climate changed summer.

These are quite challenging times on our allotments as heat and drought are starting to give us extra demands. But there's no doubt last year taught us lessons and we are reaping early rewards.

Neil Warnock thought Adel Taraabt was better so we didn't bite 😆

Climate change in a Tomande beefsteak tomato. Grown outdoors in Rutland, and ripe about 4 weeks early.

In another tour de force by @iandunt.bsky.social about "USA 250", this is so right about this World Cup in particular and why I'm glued to it all and still fill in the wall chart daily like the 10 year old me in 1966. Africa rising, Norwegians rowing, Japanese chanting, Messi, Mbappe and King Harry.

When is a stile not a stile? This beauty in Hartington would stop the sheep (and also many 21st century human bodies!) so the purpose is the same. It probably needs @lakesstiles.bsky.social to give it a definition. A proper curiousity in the cheesiest 🧀 village in Derbyshire.

The beananza has begun on our plot. Hunter and Beurre Minidor cropping. And the first 5 Toddler outdoor tomatoes (I ate the other 3 😆)

Well done, Bakewell, for seizing the moment! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿⚽🥧

We were cycling on the Monsal Trail from Bakewell today. It is many years since I've done a great deal of cycling so I dragged out an '80s classic for the occasion. Also in the other photo, I think this is how cycling is done now, isn't it, rather than sweating your way up mountain passes?

The heatwave is accelerating our allotment crops unsurprisingly. We planted our first wave of french bean plants on 7th May in cold ground (as it turned out we lost about 4 to a frost later that week.) Almost exactly 7 weeks later the low bush "Beurre Minidor" is producing the goods. 😀

Brilliant result! #BritainsFavouriteButterfly is now officially the Peacock and I was lucky to see the larval stage on a bunch of nettles in Cornwall 4 weeks ago.

Nailed it again @iandunt.bsky.social - the British people have shed so much blood and treasure against these worms. And we will keep on doing it. F*ck off Farage and all you destroyers of what we have. That flag is not yours.

Thank you, Ben. Incredibly so, yes. Just the last 6 months when his CCD (doggy dementia) made him almost unrecognisable. The miles we ran together in wild places will be a lifetime treasure of memories.

Thank you Rachel. He ran literally thousands of miles on Dartmoor in his years there. With many cooling off / drink breaks in the secret special places.

Cocoa 21/4/2013 to 17/6/2026. R.I.P. dog of a lifetime. He will be less confused now, and we will never forget him.

The wildflower patch in the middle of one of my allotment plots is now rampant! Pollinator heaven. Also some other self seeded delights on the other plot.

Always painful. Always essential. Thinning out the apples. Some clusters of 8 this year too.

Absolutely not a world cup tribute act at Rutland Water parkrun this morning. Great hooped creativity from @steviesingsabit.bsky.social

It's possible I may be wearing the odd footie shirt to parkrun during the world cup. Obviously not an appropriate one to this occasion, but one that celebrates another championship won by "the finest football team the world has ever seen" and a certain Moroccan. IYKYK.

Opposite side of the valley to this for #fingerpostfriday 😉

Clue to where this dream of a step stile is on a day of heavy showers this last Wednesday. @lakesstiles.bsky.social

We are absolutely not ashamed of this here. Games on a watchable hour for pensioners highlighted! 😁

Our site can be a very restorative place to be at this time of year. And it's not just seeing everyone's crops accelerating. We are pretty liberal in allowing the deliberate cultivation of wildflowers and also have several communal beds that are more "garden" than allotment.

Getting allotment growing right is a question of trial and error and learning from those more experienced than you who know the local growing conditions and those "hacks" and techniques that work for them. Netting, plastic bottles, old fence posts and wire all have their uses.