Winter (June to August) is a time when it may or may not rain, but even if it does, it rarely lasts all day and very often, blue sky and sunshine return by lunchtime. Traditionally, it never dropped below freezing at night, but the climate has changed and every year the risk of loosing a plant to frost is becoming more real.

Fresh fruit is down to avocados at this time of year, but if I have had time and energy to bottle fruit in the summer, there are stores of peaches, pears and apricots to enjoy.