A very large number of very small pears

A lot of our small orchard trees are loaded with fruit this year, much of which is small. We should have thinned the fruit to encourage selected fruits to grow larger, but as always there were more jobs than hours. Now, we are trying to keep an eye on the fruit to ensure the birds don't eat it before we do; it's a good reason for lots of strolls around the orchard. I picked a basket of assorted apples and pears for stewing, some blackberry and apple chutney, and perhaps some more jelly; there are plenty of raspberries and blackberries to combine with them.

It was another hot and humid day, with high cloud making the sun hazy. It felt very oppressive and I didn't feel motivated enough to go for a walk, but I picked a lot of raspberries, and did some potting and tidying up on the deck while J enjoyed her Friday watercolour and massage time with S.