Grass, squash and weeds

We've had quite a lot of rain over the last couple of weeks and it's been quite warm as well, so the new grass is growing nicely. In fact it was long enough to cut for the first time today. It's only four weeks since I planted it so I'm surprised at how quickly it's grown. It will be well established before the cold sets in. The late-planted carrots, parsnips and fennel are all growing well too - success at last. I picked a celeriac last week but it was very small underground and the leaves were bitter. I thought they might have been edible as salad leaves. I've planted two lots of salad leaves recently and although the first row didn't show, the second row have now germinated. If the rabbits don't get them first we might have a crop in a few weeks!
Peter came down today to cut the grass and trim the hedge. He's done a lot work on the lawn mower and the hedge-trimmer lately and they worked perfectly. He's also been working on the pump engine recently with little success. However, he finally managed to get it working last week and filled the 1,000 litre container in about 40 minutes.
The blackberries are still hanging ripe and juicy, and are very tempting. I can't resist the shiny berries so I've picked some for a friend and a few for the freezer. The squashes are beginning to harden and ripen to a pale golden colour and are almost ready to pick. Sadly the corn has been disappointing again this year. We went to a local chilli festival a few weeks ago and I bought a packet of posh-looking Italian corn seeds there for next year. Here's hoping we'll have more luck with them.
The strawberry bed has had it's annual tidy up and I've removed many of the runners. I find it hard to throw them all away so I've planted 36 in Kev's corner, and heeled some in so I can extend my own patch when the dahlias are finished. Talking of dahlias, they've been fantastic again. Especially as they were attacked by the late frosts this Spring.
I've had time to tidy the garden at home lately and have dug up some surplus grape hyacinths and split the red hot poker. They've all now been planted at the allotment, so should provide a bit of colour in the Spring and Summer.
Of course the weeds have got out of hand in many areas now. I'm trying to keep on top of them but the bindweed has returned with a vengeance at the bottom end and the fruit bushes are looking very neglected. Some areas can easily be tidied up with a hoe but other areas need to be dug over and weeded by hand or weed-killed. It's all good exercise!!