The Pumpkin Wars Pt2.....

Oh it started off well enough ...But I should have realised from the start this was not the ‘all out to help the Dinzie” type of day .. .

“Come on – Lets go” she said. “ It’s going to rain tomorrow, lets get that Pumpkin down off the bank..”

Cool, thinks me. I finally get to weigh the biggest pumpkin grown this year in the garden. We grabbed a large green garden rubbish bag and with a sort of an idea in mind we edged ourselves along the barely a foots width of a ledge in the bank to where the hapless, trusting pumpkin had sat on our makeshift platform throughout the summer .......

I cut the lower vine with secateurs and pulled it up .. at the end was another pumpkin but only around a Kilo (2 pounds) in weight. Probably the ugliest pumpkin in the land too ..... .

I then cut the upper vine about a foot from the pumpkin. It immediately fell forward slightly and I had to cradle it in my arms while at the same time getting the large bag under it so I could roll the thing into it.......I then grabbed the bag and slowly let the pumpkin roll...

It was heavier than I had thought ...Rolling straight into the bag it then tried to proceed down the bank. But I had a good hold on it and stopped it, but at full arms length I was now stuck and with my dodgy back unable to pull it back up ... .

“It’s fine” says McDinzie. “It’ll slide just fine from there .”

“Are you sure?” Says me .;

“Yes really...Its fine”

So I let go !!!!!...............

The Pumpkin rolled at a vicious escalation!! The garden bag now wrapped around it completely. It landed on the next ledge in the bank below us, then fell the 3 or so feet onto the Fuchsia garden being re-directed somewhat by part landing onto one of the large stones we have on the border. It then, at full speed, hit the trunk of a fuchsia bush flattening it completely, rolling along the entire length of the 4 foot + high plant, then crossing the pathway hit the wall of the house with a sickening cracking noise ....

“Slide you said!” Says I as I turn to McDinzie who was already turning to backtrack along the ledge we were on..... (I'm sure I saw I grin as she turned)....

Miraculously, when we reached the pumpkin it was all intact with barely a scratch to it .... How, is nothing but one of those gardening mysteries .... But I should have known then that it was only a matter of time ........

Then it was the pictures session outside first and then after a cleanup we brought it inside, weighed it – A reasonable 34Kg – 74.8Lbs !!! and then took more pictures

But what happened next was to shock the dinzie household . I caught McDinzie with a butcher axe and in mid swing at the pumpkin !!!...

I Shouted "No !! Mcdinzie NO, NO !!!"

But she carried on anyway !! burying the axe deep into the pumpkins flesh ......

Surprisingly the pumpkin flesh was as crisp as could be! Not the woody, fibrous flesh we had been warned it would be with these larger pumpkins...This variety isn’t the Atlantic Giant, but a variety called First Prize.....

So we are now looking at pumpkin soup recipes and McD is trying to pass pumpkin quarters onto whoever will take them !!!

Meanwhile I’ve confiscated the butchers axe !! Which the M-in-L gave her by the way !!! In the Dinzie household you sleep with One eye Open ! Especially if you are a pumpkin .......