Mrs Down's Diary

The prospect of gales this morning put a real damper on breakfast conversation. Weather forecasts cast the same aura over the kitchen as a particularly solemn church sermon.

The wheat came off without too many breakdown scares. Only one, which Geoff literally repaired with a bang of his hammer.

The gearbox splines were not engaging correctly and needed an application of well-directed force, as supplied by Geoff, to make sure the combine did not jump out of gear. The requisite part has now been ordered and replaced and does not need any forceful persuasion to stay in place. Contractors are coming in to harvest the beans when they are ready.

The combine is getting too fragile to risk the banging and bumping about that harvesting a crop of field beans entails.

The wet weather means that Jessica, our granddaughter, who is staying with us for a week, is confined to the house when we are at home. It is too wet to play in the garden, so she has discovered the joys of baking.

Bryony, her Mum, admits she is too busy being a GP to spend much time with her on such domestic tasks, but Jess loves nothing better than stirring and tasting different cake, scone and pastry mixtures.

At the end of each session the kitchen floor is sprinkled liberally with hundreds and thousands, sugar strands, smarties, dolly mixtures and jelly tots. The dogs love helping to clear up and are keen to help dispose of surplus, uneaten fairy cakes.

Mrs Down's Diary appears every week in the West Sussex Gazette. You can read the full version of this column in September 1 issue.