Hop picking

Hop picking summons up images of long hours of hard labouring gathering the hop harvest for beer-making.   Hops do smell wonderful - if you like beer that is!    I managed to time my own hop picking alright this year, while they were still fresh and green and in between the showers so I did not have to bring them in wet!   Just enough to drape about in the kitchen - gives the place a nice country feel.

The picture shows a few stems which clambered their way up into the amelanchier.   I brought a few of these down with the aid of a step ladder and a walking stick but most will have to stay until the tree sheds its leaves and I can see what I am doing!