The calm before the (courgette) storm

It's preposterously hot and the courgettes are loving it. It won't be long until it's courgette pasta on Monday, courgette curry Tuesday, courgette salad Wednesday... And I for one don't mind. The fact that there are a few varieties this year will be lovely. They'll go nicely on the plate with the potatoes that look like they are nearly ready with leaves all dying down. Either that or they have been ravaged by some potato-eating beasty, which isn't out of the question. Also surviving the beasties nicely are the squash which are coming along well and starting to really spread out. My favourite survivors are the artichokes though, towering over the the whole plot like floodlights at a football stadium And to think we thought we had pulled them all up last year. As my dad said when he visited at the weekend "plant one artichoke and they're with you forever". And again, I don't mind one bit. They'll roast up nicely with those courgettes...