Lara's theme

Most of you will know by now that I am enjoying the prospect of passing on my enthusiasm for gardening to my grandaughter Lara.  This is of course not to say that we are skipping a generation, because both of our daughters, Emma and  Fiona, are in their own way already gardening enthusiasts. It's just that I consider that in their case the job is already done, whereas with Lara maybe the opportunity is mostly still to come. When Lara visits us, she is always keen to go out in the garden and see what is new. I think she already associates our garden with nice edible treats, such as tomatoes, raspberries and blueberries. Earlier this year she discovered the delights of home-grown new potatoes. This coming year it will probably be carrots and peas; maybe runner beans.

Lara is always keen to participate in whatever is going on -- especially in the garden. Have a look at the following sequence of photos and see if you can spot the theme...

Yes, it's the presence of the watering-can. Lara loves watering, even when it's totally unnecessary! And she now insists on using the biggest watering-can available, which she can barely lift; not the little baby one - that would be far too easy. I think I already know who will come round and do the digging for me when I am in my dotage...

Lara is also learning from her parents about cooking and food preparation. At their request, we will be buying her some small but "real" cooking equipment as part of her Christmas present, so that she can join in with the grown-ups.  We have ordered some of the things from a great online shopping source we have recently discovered -- http://www.barnitts.co.uk/. All you grandparents out there, I think you need to check this out!