childhood memories

 

 

Re-creating mum's fruit loaf recipe, started me off thinking back to when I was a child and given the battles I've had over the past weeks with slugs and snails, I was reminded in particular of my journey to school each day

 

When I started secondary school, I began biking the 2 to 3 miles to and from school with my sister. Our journey took us along a footpath near our house. The path had a big 'no cycling' sign at the end, so we would get off our bikes at that point and walk. It was quite a long and narrow path, bordered on both sides by trees and bushes. When it rained, which seemed quite often, this being the west country and not the dry fens, enormous slugs in shades of orange, brown and black would slither into the middle of the path.
Invariably some would end up squashed, their insides oozing out.

 I can still remember my horror trying to dodge the slimy creatures whilst pushing my bike along!

 

 

 

To this day I can't think about slugs without a shudder!

 

Imagine my dismay therefore, when the other day, I lifted up the edge of the weed suppressing membrane which I had put over the strawberry beds to keep the fruit clean only to find it had become a perfect hiding place for slugs!

 

However, such was my determination to protect our precious strawberry harvest, that armed with thick gloves, my trowel and iron resolution, I inched my way around the beds, flicking the offending creatures out and lobbing them Wimbledon style across the path and into the perimeter hedge where I hoped they would make a meal for a passing hedgehog!

Fortunately, no-one was on the adjoining allotments to see my grimaces or hear my muffled yelps of disgust and ......

 

 

 --- the strawberries are safe!

 

 

Summer breakfast. Muesli and yoghurt with strawberries.

 

 

Summer tea. Scone and cream with strawberries.

 

 

Always read the small print:
Although the strawberries were our own homegrown and I assembled the scones with the fruit and cream, I did not actually bake them! They were  baked by Waitrose !!
And actually, they should really be plain and not fruit scones.