We're all back from our summer holiday (although one of us never left)

We're back from our week's holiday in Switzerland and this is the view we had every morning from our bedroom window (there were a few snow-covered alps further in the distance, but I knew most people would want to see this snap of the vegetable patch).

The area where we stayed in the Valais region is reputed to be the country's warmest and it certainly lived up to that claim, getting hotter and hotter as the holiday went by. It's a climate conducive to wine making and it is  amazing to see grapes grow on almost every slope.

This is the site of Europe's highest altitude vineyard and we were lucky enough to have a look inside the the St Jodern Wine Cellars at Unterstalden, Visperterminen. Top-quality wine there.

Practically everyone had space where they grew vegetables of all kinds, a reflection of the country's spirit of self-sufficiency. And the produce was thriving. Every patch seemed to have an outdoor tap for watering, with most people having automatic sprinklers to do the job for them.

Little wonder that they are so industrious with prices as they are in the shops. Switzerland must be the most expensive country on earth.

I returned home determined to work a lot harder with my humble veg. Should I try growing grapes for wine? Mmm...running away with myself a bit there. Perhaps.