A large beetroot, a swede, some potatoes, garlic, red onions, a good sized carrot, a few tomatoes and two red chilli peppers and spices has made enough curry to see us through the week.

As a treat, I defrosted a container of summer fruits and we enjoyed the delicious tastes and textures of gooseberries, strawberries and blackcurrants with a generous helping of ice cream for our dessert.  To ensure a good crop of soft fruits next summer I am piling on year old manure to enrich the soil and feed the plants.

Just now as I passed the small potted orange tree I bent down to smell the delicate white flowers with their tangerine coloured centres.  I don’t understand why the tree is flowering outside in November but the scent is heavenly!