Westi: Thanks for the concern. I think the back can be classed as old age and having twisted slightly awkwardly when weeding about 8 weeks ago. It just seems reluctant to get back to normal this time, but slowly getting there.
Primrose: The beans are just on the open plot on the lottie, growing up a 2m long by 2m high X-shaped frame. In early September they were pretty much stripped bare (with my blessing) by my son-in-law who was harvesting everything whilst we were on holiday. There appeared to be no beans remaining whatsoever when we returned, but the plants were still good and green, so I left them in rather than consigning them to the compost heap. They are still a luxuriant green with no signs of dying back, and a week ago I noticed that they had produced a fairly copious crop. This goes for both my Aintree and Czar varieties. The plot can be subject to quite strong winds because of its location, and the wind has been strong enough to totally flatten the wigwam of Gigantes. The other runners have thrived and there are still plenty of beans left on the plants. How they will fare now that we are starting to get frosts remains to be seen.