23/09/2026
Clara the Courgette
Planted July · came to her end in late September
Clara arrived in July as a small, hopeful seed, tucked into a wooden planter outside the SaltHouse in cullercoats, looking out to sea
The staff watered her, the seagulls judged her, and the summer sun did the rest.
By August she had decided subtlety was overrated. While other courgettes stayed polite and cylindrical, Clara stretched, thickened, and developed a distinct personality. She grew long and dark and slightly lopsided.
Her leaves got enormous. Some stayed green and glossy; others yellowed and crumpled in the salty wind, but Clara herself just kept getting bigger.
Locals started noticing.
“Have you seen the one by the tables?”
“Looks like it’s trying to climb out.”
“That’s Clara. She’s been here all summer.”
She became a quiet fixture of the terrace: People stopped to take photos.
September arrived with cooler air and shorter days. Clara’s leaves looked tired, but the courgette itself was still glossy and determined. One bright morning the staff gathered round — someone had picked her over night 😢
We lifted Clara carefully from her planter. She was heavier than expected, slightly curved, and covered in tiny pale speckles that caught the light. After two months of seaside life she was no more .
