Pick your own!

Every year during my mum's long school holidays she tries to find the time to pick berries and make jam. It's become a bit of a thing that we tease her about, particularly if it is the week before she goes back to work and there are no jars filled or berries in the freezer.

Anyway, this year we are already in receipt of two jars of jam made by my mothers fair hand, so there is no scope for the usual jokes - it has been a summer well spent!

Today she found a couple of new starts willing to join in the picking fun each summer from now on in and we came home with a plentiful haul with which to make ice cream and cakes and more...

The boys and I met my mum and her Spanish lodger at charlton fruit farm where they have rasps and strawbs, currants and gooseberries to pick, a fortress and hay bales to play on and huge strawberry tarts to eat. A good way to spend the afternoon.

As a side point I have never been able to look at signs for fruit farms the same way ever since my dad shared how offended he felt every time he saw a sign that shouted at him "Pick your own"!