One Last Garden Visit Before My Residency / 夏休み前に庭へ

This summer holiday, I'll be moving to Seiffen, a town in Saxony that is famous for its woodworking traditions, for an artist residency. I'll be staying there for most of the summer break. Although I'll come back to Leipzig a few times, I probably won't be able to visit my garden very often, so I went there today to water the plants and harvest what was ready.

It's looking a bit overgrown, but the grass can wait until I come back. I was thinking about buying a lawn mower, but they seem to be more expensive during the high season, so I decided to postpone that purchase.

Although a few plants were damaged by last week's heat wave, most of them are doing well, which was a relief. The scarlet runner beans I planted around my tipi have already grown taller than I am. I could even see the red flowers high above, so I should be able to harvest the beans when I come back for a short visit.

There are plenty of wild strawberries growing both in the garden and along the path leading to it, so I picked some today as well. Since it's an area where very few people walk their dogs, I started picking them this year, thinking they would probably be clean enough. They turned out to be incredibly flavorful! They're delicious eaten fresh after a quick rinse, and they also freeze well for smoothies or baking later.

In addition to the wild strawberries, raspberries, currants, and other berries, I harvested broad beans, runner beans, green peas, and some beautiful Swiss chard, which has grown into large, healthy plants this year. Once again, my garden sent me home with plenty of gifts.

The next time I'll be back in the garden will be in late July. A friend who rents the neighboring plot will take care of everything while I'm away, so I can leave with peace of mind. I'm really glad I decided to rent this garden plot ☺️

Summer vacation starts today here in Saxony. Some of you may already be on holiday as well. I'll be sharing updates from my residency in Seiffen here on Hive.

Have a wonderful summer, everyone!

🌻 🌻 🌻

この夏休みは、私が住んでいるザクセン州にある、木工で有名なザイフェンという街に移動して、滞在制作をする予定です。夏休みいっぱいの滞在ということで、何度かライプツィヒには戻るものの、しばらく庭に行けなさそうで、水やりと収穫を兼ねて庭を見に行ってきました。

ちょっとぼさっとしていますが、草刈りは戻ってから。草刈機を買おうと思ったのですが、ハイシーズンは高いようで、購入を見送ったのでした。

先週の熱波で焼けてしまっている植物もあったものの、概ね元気でほっと一息。ティピ（支柱だけのテントのような形の構造物）の周りに植えた紅花インゲンはもう私の背丈を超えていました。赤い花も上の方に見えていて、一時帰宅したときには収穫できそうです。

庭や庭に行くまでの小道にはワイルドストロベリーがたくさんなっていて、今日もいただいて帰りました。散歩する動物の少ない場所なのでまあまあきれいだろうと今年からとり始めたら、味が濃くておいしい！洗って生で食べるもよし、冷凍して、適宜スムージーやお菓子に使うのもよし。

ワイルドストロベリー、ラズベリー、カラントなどのベリー類に加えて、そら豆、インゲン豆、グリーンピースなどの豆類、あとチャードが今年は大きな株になっていて立派な葉っぱがとれました。今日も庭はたくさんお土産を持たせてくれたのでした。

次に庭に帰ってくるのは7月下旬。隣の区画を借りているお友達がお世話をしてくれるので安心して出かけられます。この区画を借りて本当によかったです ☺️ 家の植物の水やりは子供にお小遣いという名の賄賂を渡して・・・今年は成功したいです。

私の住んでいる州では今日から夏休み。もう夏休みの人もいるかもしれませんね。滞在先のザイフェンのようすをHiveに書こうと思います。

それではみなさん良い夏休みを！