Pittormie fruit

We have spent a Saturday in Fife fields, at Pitormie Farm and St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese fields near the old Clephanton Brickworks.

We were prepared for a rainy day, the weather has been so changeable. We met Euan and Jackie in the Egg shed with our buckets and spade. Euan suggested a few locations where the soil was heaviest, heading first to the back of the farm up the hill past the raspberries, strawberries and Christmas trees. Euan stopped to pick a white flowers from a strawberry plant and pointed out that the first had got to the plant, the centre of the flower was black. After chat about the Norwegian and Douglas fir trees duration of growth Euan left us to our own devices, as Sean began digging Euan came back suggested another spot on the know of the field further up. Sean and I agreed that we weren't quite up to speed with the descriptions of field navigation since our Puddledub dig. When ever a farmers tells you can't miss it, Sean and I probably can. What townies we are, looking for our road signs with arrows saying stop here. We were to go past the gooseberries, beyond the seeded field to the ploughed part on the know of the hill. The kids were happily trampling along, and taking photos. Sean began his dig and Erin and I looked for treasure in the turned over soil and I was delighted to find a few fragments of blue and white pottery among the white earthenware. We could barely walk in the soil in our wellies, Erin got stuck in the great hills of mud looking for rocks and minerals while Lewis ran between us and the gooseberries to help Sean. What a height it was, we could see the weather coming in around us black clouds on the left, followed by grey then white and hint of blue followed by grey and lilac. Rain was hitting Guardbridge and heading to Clayton Caravan Park. We walked out a downpour only to have to take off all coats and hand them on the wall in the heat 5 minutes later.

We'd been on the hill for an hour and decided to head back to the car, Sean would head across the road towards the other field where the rhubarb was planted to see if the the other soil was part of the seam of clay running from Bulmullo to Claytons.  Listening to Jackie telling of the efforts of ploughing in the past,  the effort of growing and sustaining growth gave extra blue to our keeps and tatties we'd bought.

Sean mentioned that he's dug half a meter down and Jackie said there was no need to that the soil was consistent for 8 feet then turned to sand-we marvel at the of knowledge we are being introduced to.