Don't you think this is a beautiful photo?  I do - even though I took it myself!  And it is a good illustration for the following TOP TIPS for TOMATOES!  It has been a very disheartening month when the expected sunshine and warmth was noticeable by its absence, and that has meant that all the fruit and vegetables are struggling to ripen or perform to normal standard.  Such a shame!  |However, help is at hand...; see the information below which might help fellow frustrated tomato fans:

Tomatoes ripen in two ways:

• Firstly, from direct sunshine on their skins,
• Secondly, from photosynthesis from the leaves.

Both of the above encourage the fruit to produce ethylene gas which is what ripens the skins.
Leaves don’t need sunshine for photosynthesis, just light. So if you remove more than a few leaves this reduces the plant’s ability to ripen its fruit so it will take longer to do so.

If the tomato fruits are quite small and have a bit more growing to do, it is suggested to remove the biggest green ones and place in a bowl along with a ripening banana (not an already ripened banana skin). Bananas produce lots of ethylene as they ripen, but not very much when they have already ripened and just the skin is left. This will encourage the tomatoes to ripen too!

These are the tips from an obviously knowledgeable chap on Allotment Online – a FB group that I  follow.

​Fortunately, as of this past week, I have ‘mopped up’ the majority of all my job roles for the next month – until it all kicks off again in the new academic year.  Although, having said that, I have handed in my notice at Bredon School and will officially leave at the end of August – despite being on a term-time only contract.  It is a shame because I enjoy working there and the team is fabulous, but the part-time hours coupled with driving time, distance (17 miles each way) and related costs really made it frustrating and ultimately financially tenuous.  

I received a very positive acknowledgement to my handing-in-notice from Bredon School, so I know that I can rely on them for a good reference.  However, if I don’t get a new job-role it just means I’m not the right person for that environment – I can’t be bothered to be too upset about it.  Let’s face facts, an employer is an employer is an employer and loyalty is usually a one-way street. 

BTW:  the  definitions of a mid-life crisis ​[noun] in various dictionaries are:

"a loss of self-confidence and feeling of anxiety or disappointment that can occur in early middle age" and
"a period of emotional turmoil in middle age characterized especially by a strong desire for change".