It's Raining

As I reported in a previous post it had not rained for some time. Well, it is making up for it now. To go back to Saturday, I had found a local supplier for a jockey wheel for my trailer at reasonable cost, at least a price I was prepared to pay. I was there and back in an hour, £14 lighter. H had arranged for a friend to come to visit overnight. H met Sue at an Open University Summer Camp ten years ago this year. Sue was coming up from the Southend area. I figured I could get down the lottie for a while. Sue was bound to get held up on the M25. As luck would have it for me but not for Sue, she did get held up. It took four hours to get to us. H did not ring me to say Sue had arrived but just turned up at the lottie. Sue has recently taken on an allotment after two years on the waiting list. Her plot is in need of restoration as it was abandoned by successive holders. It was nice to be asked for advice about going about the reclamation. We discussed want she had found under the weeds. Fruit bushes mainly and some edged beds. The key, from my point of view, is to have a plan.....and black plastic! Sue seem encouraged when she learned that it took me a whole four years to bring my plot into full cultivation. I think the key is to have specific targets, clear a bed here, fettle a border here, do some weeding there, plant something no matter how small the return. In time the cultivated areas expand until all the soil is working and as you go you get the reward of an increasing harvest which encourages you.

Where does the black plastic come in? I used it to cover the parts of the beds that I knew I would not be able to tackle for a long time. The plastic excludes the light and water. Eighteen months under the plastic and no plants not even the weeds can survive. I had heard of blind beds and put a plan into action. Weed seeds in fact any seeds do not all germinate upon planting. They stay in the soil and germinate at a later date. It is the way plants hedge against death of the older plants without seeding. Weeds seed in particular are very good at staying viable in the soil, that is why when you take on an old plot there are always weeds regardless of how much weeding you do. It takes years to exhaust the weed seed bank in the soil. What I did was to remove the plastic every couple of months, rake up the soil to expose the weed seeds to the light which started a number of them growing [more than I cared to count]. After a few of weeks I would put the plastic back over the plot for another couple of months. A couple of these cycles reduced the weeds. It is quite quick to do as well. Fifteen minutes to cover or uncover an area, a couple of minutes to rake then stand back to watch the weeds grow or wonder how long to leave the plastic on for.

Whilst waiting for Sue I had one of my regular rushes of blood to my head. I decided to lay the paving stones, provided by Steve some weeks ago, to finish my patio. The "soil" which it is not, at this end of my plot, was rock hard so much so the blade end of the Mattock was bouncing off the surface. I used the pick end to loosen the surface and rake it sort of level. Forty minutes of toil saw the paving stones laid. It should have taken less time but Steve and another plot holder Martyn came over to chat but mainly to take the mickey. I tidied up the area in front of the old compost bins. It all looks quite neat. With time on my hands I could put it off no longer. My conscience would not permit the weeds in the top end of bed four to ignored a day longer. In fact it turned out to be relatively painless and not very time consuming but it did generate another two barrow loads for the compost bins. The bins are now completely stuffed. Martyn gave me some Brasiccas which I planted out. The tray of Beetroots that I should have planted were still sulking in the tray. It was about this time H and Sue turned up. I got the deck chair I got for my birthday last year out of the car. I have carried it back and forth but hardly used it. I tried it out on the new patio, yes it works very well but sitting in the chair, even on the new patio, something is missing........a cold beer. No chance today. Perhaps next time. H and Sue left me to pack up. By the time I got home the G&T's had broken out. It was the start of a very pleasant evening.

No pain on Sunday morning. I made a fullish English breakfast for us all. H and Sue went for a walk round Caulke Abbey. I stayed at home a did a bit of garden fettling and sorting out the Greenhouse. H & Sue returned and we had a spot of lunch. Sue wanted to make an early start back the since the trip up had been so long. We said our goodbye's. Whilst H & Sue were out I arranged to nip over to the stables to fit the jockey wheel. Everything I might need was loaded into my car. But first I had to go to Derby and get a a wireless router to sort out an internat connection to Miss L's computer. The hard wired option that I arranged since her old wireless device expired was less than succesful. Miss L has been very patient waiting for my pay day. Again the travel Gods smiled upon us and the journey there and back was quick and uneventful. Trying to pick the right piece of kit was a trial but we did it in the end. Upon returning home told Miss L I had to sort out the trailer but I would install and configure the router when I got back.

It was rain in the air mainly because it was a howling gale when I got to the stables. There is a small barn next to the stable which was a perfect workshop. When I set to fitting the jockey wheel bracket I noticed two holes in the frame in about the place I wanted to fit the bracket. As I offered up the bracket to test the hole spacings I found the holes where a perfect match. I just greased the bolts slipped them though the bracket and frame and tightend up the nuts. because it was such a quick job I decided to go a bit further and trim the bolts back the face of the nuts. That too went smoothly. I rolled the trailer back into it's usual place. Packed up my few spanners and went home. Another job well done. When I got home Miss L was waiting. She had to make a cup of tea which was something of a high price to pay for having the internet fixed on her PC. Miss L like her Mum has discovered it best to give me Tea, a biscuit and plenty of room [time or space] to get on with a job. The installation and configuration took about an hour. I had a problem which I managed to fix. All is well on the wireless Internet front so I am the best Dad in the world... for the time being.

As arranged Sue & Jim came to visit on Monday. They have a ways to come so I would time to do a little job at the lottie. I got going fairly early to take advantage of the Bank Holiday. I had decided that a job that fit into today was strimming the ditch beside and at the end of my plot. I have a Ryobi, 38cc strimmer. It is a cracker and I was given it! I mentally thank Rob everytime I use it. I filled the tank with the petrol/oil mix, gave it full choke and with a few pulls on the starter, it burst into life. Whilst it was warming up I tucked by overalls in my wellies, buttoned up shirt and overalls and put my safety glasses. It only took about thirty minutes to bring the jungle under control. I had to walk down my neighbours plot to get to the ditch at the end of my plot. The strimmer wire wore out. I stepped into the neighbours plot for a work space to extend the strim wire and spotted a Grass Snake. I took a double take. It was still there. Perhaps it was cold. It was cold, "DEAD" cold. The poor devil had got caught up in some netting and died. I recognised it as the snake I had seen during the previous summer. I cut the lifeless body from the tangle of netting and put it in my compost bin. I resolved to call Steve and let him know about it. It was with a heavy heart I packed up and went home.

H was busy with a proper Sunday Dinner, even though it was a Monday. The smell of a roasting bird teased my nose as I walked up to the house. I had just about cleaned up when Sue & Jim pitched up. We had a really nice time just chatting and catching up. We sat down to dinner and fell upon it as if we had not eaten all week. We had trifle for afters. It was delicious. We talked some more. I tried to stay awake but a full belly and couple of glasses of wine is a recipe for forty winks. I hope I did no more than doze a little. I am sure I would have been told and unceremoniously woken up if I had nodded off. Eventually Sue & Jim had to go. We all have work on Tuesday. Spent the next hour or so collecting everything and I needed for my trip to Jersey on the Tuesday. I was to fly from Birmingham on the 08.15. Another early start. I have learned to get everything, including my clothes and polished shoes, ready the night before. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer at six in the morning.

It has rained heavily on and off since Monday. Folks should have known it would rain this weekend.
A. Because it is a Bank Holiday
B. Because there a round of British SuperBikes at Donnington Park

Still, it will do the potatoes good.

Catch The Moon

If you like Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights you will know to what the title of this blog refers. It has been quite manic these past few weeks and it shows no sign of letting up. Is it something to do the full moon last night?

Yesterday was the first Tuesday I have had free in a month to go to Fencing. I made the effort but still got there an hour late. It was good to have a few bouts and see the chaps. Follow the link to Hinckley Fencing Club. It was a real tonic. A pint of Guinness afterwards did not hurt either. Today was another manic but stimulating day at work. Not something everyone can say. I also had a call from a lady who wanted to water thirty one horses on Saturday evening near the lottie and a call from the allotment "landlord" for a chat. I also came across a jar of homemade Gooseberry jam for a quid in the butty shop I frequent. I successfully negotiated some back-pay I was due. I think it is a moon phase thing.

I had thought I would go the the lottie this evening but decided instead to spend it with H. We got the chimnea going and popped a cork on a bottle of Shiraz left over from the weekend. We had a chat whilst sitting on the chairs on the top decking whilst the chimnea popped and sparked. All at once the Sparrow Hawk swept through the garden right in front of us. 9 o'clock chimed. H went in to watch The Apprentice. I made a brew and read an interesting paper on Fund Management. Whatever floats your boat , I guess.

My Sister-in -law and hubby arranged to come over at the weekend......oh and did I mention Manchester United beat Chelsea in the final of the Champions League! On penalties too. I could not watch.

100 - How's That

This posting is a milestone in this blog. It is the one hundredth post. I have had a very busy week at work and the weekend was equally busy.

Friday night I went to my friends birthday party. Happy 40th Phil Busby. Phil and his missus run a Strawberry farm in Chilcote, not far from where we live. He had a live band and our favorite Butcher supplied a "Hog Roast". All set up in the village hall. There was a bar as you might expect but it was free! Whose birthday was it? I was even made to dance. Phil's missus Nicky does not take no for an answer. We went with some other friends and a good time was had by all. Towards the end of the night we sat outside and looked at the stars. The venue was was on the outskirts of a small village so there was little light pollution. There was a chill in the air but a few beers made a good overcoat.

My head was fine on Saturday morning. I went to the lottie with a big list of things to do. I had under estimated the area of bed 3 to dug. I pulled out the remaining Sprouting Broccoli which were now in flower. I let them flower so the bees had some fodder. I set to digging. The rain we had did not penetrate the ground so it was hard digging. I got there in the end. I had to stop a couple of times as showers blew over. Still the ground did not get really wet. I was pleased to finish this plot. My whole lottie has now been dug over. I was wrecked so set the Trangia up for Tea. Whilst I waited for the kettle to boil I checked out the Carrot rows. To my amazement to rows are all furry with carrot seedlings. The Salsify and spring onions are all sprouting too. The Asparagus bed is still on my conscience because it needs weeding but the Asparagus is now two foot tall. I bumped into Steve who was on poo wrangling duties. He told me we have a new taker of the mini-veg plot. I went home for break and to get he forms printed.

It was a drag to get back to the lottie. It was not improved by it starting to rain hard. I managed to plant out the Broad Beans in between the showers. Just as another shower moved in the new chap and his Dad arrived. I read the rules and regs to him. I try to address myself to the child rather than the parent when I do these introductions. I feel the youth has to take responsibility for the plot. I hope I come across with the right amount of gravitas. After all it is their hobby rather than the parents. It is good to see how excited they are by the prospect of veg gardening. The parents show real support whilst allowing the kids to get on with the gardening. I gave him the tour and asked him what he wanted to grow. It was something of a formality since Steve had allowed the youth to adopt a plot and had made a small start on the preparation. It was fine with me. More the merrier. Despite the new chaps obvious excitement which even the rain could not dampen we all called it a day.

I took some Timperly Early Rhubarb home. We were having a different bunch of friends for dinner Saturday evening. The Rhubarb was for pudding. H is getting the hang of stewing Rhubarb. She gets just the right balance of sweet and tart. The Peter's came at the appointed time. As we had a small drink Alan asked if we could see the allotment. I was a little surprised but I did not need asking twice. Miss L and Miss Peter's had other fish to fry so the adult bundled into the car and went to the lottie. I gave them the tour. We discussed the notion of trees to make a statement at he lottie entrance. Alan is into woods and conservation so seemed the right person to ask for advice. The soil was considered as well as the space available. He has requested some time to research an answer. We all went home a tucked into Antipasti, of which I ate to much, and then Lamb kebabs followed by Rhubarb and Greek yogurt. Obviously we had a few drinks. Alan brought a rather nice Tempranillo. Purists might think Tempranillo was the wrong choice to accompany the meal. I am not a purist so it went very well indeed.

I was not so sprightly on Sunday morning. Miss L and H were out for various reasons I had a leisurely breakfast and went off to the lottie, not too early just for a potter. I checked to make sure I was not dreaming about the Carrots - no they are actually sprouting. I raked the soil in bed 4 to prep it for seedlings. Ii put in two rows of Rainbow Chard. I finally plucked up the courage to tackle the weeding of the Asparagus bed. It went OK. The soil is really light in this bed so half an hour of scrabbling about on my knees had the bed cleared. I found a crown that had died so it was pulled out. I planted the new crowns in the empty row and filled in the two spaces with the new crowns. The bed is full now so I think the next thing to do is top dress it with the allotment made compost. The Worm compost is working very well so I think I shall and bucketful in with the top dressing. I need to think about a weed surpressing mulch for this bed.

Potatoes and Horse Power

The weather has been beautiful for the past ten days or so. This , of course, raises concerns that it is now too dry. A week ago I had been leaning on the gate looking at the plot and to my horror I realised I had not planted my main crop spuds. Since the revelation I checked the seed potatoes and found they where chitted to just the right stage. I elected Saturday to be the spud planting day. It just so happened to be stultifying hot. There was a thin layer of cloud cover and not a breath of wind. I was at the lottie early because I had been fitting and anti-Rabbit guard to the bottom of the entrance gate with one of the other plot holders who is a joiner. We made a nice job of it but we still have to make a smart handle to make lifting the guard easy.

Back to the spuds, The first three rows went in fairly quickly, the next three a little slower and by the end of the last row I was worked to a stand still. I put in nine rows with ten spuds per row. The sweat was running off me. Not pretty but true. And yet I was not finished. The four rows of earlies needed earthing up. The soil at that end of the plot is quite heavy and the lack rain has left the soil baked hard. I had to loosen the soil with a mattock before I could ridge up the sprouting haulms. It was getting on for dinner time when I had finished spuds wrangling. I watered the Carrot drills, Gooseberry, Cabbages and Artichokes which was my cue to go home. When I got home a went for a shower I noticed that the bit of me that were exposed at the lottie were now a rosy pink, especially the backs of the my knees. Best get something on that befor eit starts to smart.

On Sunday I was wake early. We have the windows open in the bedrooms because it was so hot. The Starling brood in the roof keep early hours so their twittering woke me up as well as the holiday makers jets. I was supposed to be meeting my brother mid-morning so I was at a loose end really. I had a nice breakfast and it was still early. I decided to go the lottie and fix more the rabbit netting to the fence either side of the gate. The exisiting rabbit fencing only came up the bottom bar of the fence, about twelve inch [300mm]. I had some chicken wire round the Asparagus bed. I took it down and cut it length ways to get the narrow strip I required plus I had could now do twice as much for the fence. Just as I was finishing stapling the netting to the fence when my brother rang to say he was at the circuit.

My brother had a ride out from Manchester to watch his mates at a track day at Donnington Park. Miss L decided she would come too. Uncy Derk is her favorite uncle and their might be "hot guys". Donnington Park is only ten minutes from my house. Miss L and I found the garage they were in a said our "hellos". I know some of Uncy Derk's friends. We had a bloky laugh with shameless mickey taking. We had a look at the bikes, fiddled with them a bit and gave the chaps a few pointers on the circuit. Tony was having trouble with Coppice [Name of a corner] and Murph with Redgate [another corner]. I have ridden Donnington many times and had the same sort of problems. The advise I gave them was the same as was given to me. It seemed to work.

The session was called so Tony & Murph went off. Miss L wanted to go up on the pit wall. When we used to race she was not allowed on the pit wall because she was to young. There are benefits to being nearly sixteen. Part way through the session Miss L started criticising the other riders for not getting into a racing crouch as they whizzed down the main straight. She pointed out, quite rightly, that they would go faster if they made themselves small and were more slip-streamed. We tried to take some photos but my little camera was not up to the job. Having watched Murph and Tony's sessions from the pit wall we went back to pit to help them park the bikes up.

Tony drops a bomb shell. The heat has taken its toll on him and would I like to take the bike out for the next session. I was waiting H to give me a nudge to say wake up, was dreaming? No, it was real. I did not have to be asked twice. Tony is a bit bigger than me so all his kit fitted me. I had to wait an hour until the next session and time passed sooooo slooowly. The time came for the session, I was dressed and was doing my stretches in plenty of time. I had the mickey taken, whose he, Valentino Rossi, but did not care. I know it helps. Murph and Uncy Derk were bulling up my prowess. I was not sure I could still run at a fast pace. It has been over two years since I was on a track and now I had been given 150 horse power high-performance motorbike to play with.

As I sat on the bike in the pit lane , motor running waiting for the lights to go green I was not in the slightest bit nervous. It felt normal. The lights changes to green and we were waved off by the marshalls. It took it steady for half a lap but felt I was going too slow. Over the next half lap I wound it up and nothing scary happened. As we did the mandatory two sighting laps I got quicker. By the time the riding marshalls waved us through I was all over the back of the rider in front. Over the next ten laps I over took rider after rider. I was carefull with the power delivery, 150 bhp is a lot of power. The brakes were fanastic. Uncy Derk, Miss L and Tony were on the end of the pit wall. Miss L approved of my tucked position on the bike, Uncy Derk approved of the speed, very late braking and knee grinding the tarmac all the way round Redgate and Tony approved of someone getting more out of the bike than him. It was a fanatic session and prefect weather and all so unexpected.

We stayed on until the end of the day. I had a go at Uncy Derk's new camera and got some great shots and video of the lads on track. I took Uncy Derk round the far side of the circuit into the camera spots used by the pro-camera men. We snapped the bikes at good angles. The last session was cut short by a rider stuffing it into the kitty litter. Tony was not happy as my pointers helped him in Redgate and Coppice and this made a difference to the speed in the following straights. As we parted we all shook hands and agreed that we had had a great day out.

I was too "buzzed up" as Uncy Derk put it. So I was not ready for Tea. H and I went out for a drive to calm down. We went over to Donisthorpe orchard to see the trees in blossom. We had a surprise. Someone had been to the orchard and mowed the grass, cleared the path [which I had never seen before] and pruned the trees. The tree were covered in blossom so a good harvest can be expected. Having finished my book about English folk customs a felt I should at least have a "wassail" at the trees but I did not have any refreshments with me.



H and I took a walk up the track, away from the allotments, to the crest of a low hill and looked across the bright yellow fields of Oilseed Rape to the distant church spire poking out above the trees at Stretton en le Field. We watched the colours of the sunset develop; yellows and pinks of the sky set against the gathering gloom. A nice end to an odd day. Sublime to the ridiculous, you work out which is which!

White Shirt and Timber

I went down to the lottie on Thursday evening to do some watering. The weather has been really warm and I am determined the Carrots are to grow so I am watering them every day. Whilst I was there I thought I would edge another mini-veg bed along the drive. We have another youth who wants to try their hand at allotmenting. As usual I got carried away and completed the three beds we had bought timber for instead of just the one that was required for the weekend. It does make the border look tidier and it is another job off my list.

I only went to do watering so I was wearing my work clothes; shirt and jeans. An hour and half of hammering, sawing and screwing timber together made me quite hot and a bit disheveled. When I got home I turned the shirt inside out and hid the ex-white shirt in the laundry pile. I hope H overlooks the shirt on wash day.

I have been fretting about the Asparagus crowns I put in last year. I was not convinced they had survived the winter. Last weekend there were small tips pushing through the soil. Was this the Asparagus at last? No doubt about the answer, today the stalks are between six and eight long. Every crown I put in last year has made it. H wanted to try some. She was disappointed to find out she will have to wait until this time next year for the first crop.

G'day

Our friends who came to visit on Saturday were coming back to Loughborough on Monday. H arranged with them that they should come for tea. The reason they came to this area is because Mike's sister is studying at Loughborough Uni. We said Shane [the sister] should come too. It was lovely to see them all. We chatted, took the mickey, the girls; Miss L and Miss A stayed with us which is something, told a few jokes, Miss A gave us some verse Gaelic. We even sat outside with a few beers.

Susie & Mike used to be our neighbours. They are New Zealanders by way of Australia and have travelled for years. They are currently living in Dublin. They have been tussling with what to do next. Their daughter is of an age to go to secondary school and they have decided that she should be schooled in Australia, their second home. Miss L is delighted with the idea. I have been informed that she to have a gap year in Australia. H is considering how to get there since she does not like flying. We [H] are/is seriously considering going by sea on a cargo vessel. That will be an adventure. Miss L tells me she will meet us there. She does not trust ships. They sink!

The Kiwi's went to York for the day and were coming to us afterwards so I had time to kill. First off I went to get some compost from the garden centre. I went to the lottie to plant out more Broad Beans. I also sowed Carrots and interplanted the rows with Marigolds. I made deep drills and filled them with the compost and then gave it all a good soaking. Only then did I sow the Carrot seeds. Then a bit more water to settle things in. It is a bit if a palarver but it worked last year and that was the first time I got Carrots to grow. There are still some volunteer spuds in bed 2 so I had to dig them up. I am going to have to find a better way to harvest spuds. I must have dug up at least three dinners worth of unharvested spuds. About 1pm I came home for a spot of lunch. After a snack I cleaned up the borders, planted out the Gladioli and various Lettuce. I made up some more trays of Lettuce, sowed Spring Onions and finally got round to sowing m' Brussels and Purple Sprouting Broccoli. My budding dropped off some PSB to the lottie unfortunately he left them outside the fence so the they made a tasty snack for the Rabbits.

I had plenty of time to have a shower and go to the offy for some beer and cider. Miss L came for a spin. She too was looking forward to dinner and was still excite about her new shoes.

Degree Level Pottering

I had blanked this from my mind. H & Miss L decided that Miss L did not have any shoes to wear to the leavers prom. In a weak moment I suggested we go to a Shopping Mall. I really choose this to reward Miss L for her dedication to revising. The shoes were an excuse and you are not supposed to give in without a fight even if it is just a token struggle. We decided upon Merry Hill near Dudley. The first mistake was to ask the computer for directs. The second was not go earlier. It was the best part of sixty mile tot he Mall when I thought perhaps forty five. The Mall opens at eleven on Sunday's so everyone is up and about. We got there about twelve. Even H said we should give up trying to find a place to park. At the last try we found a spot. The parking was free which was a result.

I was over whelmed by all the people and conspicuous consumption. The ladies shopped. I along with all the other Dads loitered outside the shops. The advance standard Dads had newspapers to read. Miss L found a pair of shoe she just had to have. It was a very long faced girl that was dragged from the shop with the promise that she could have them if she did not find anything else. As luck would have it she did find something and at half the price, Phew! We got something to eat which to my surprise was reasonably priced. We decide to eschew the computer instructions and read the map that lives in the car. The map might be 2001 vintage but Dudley and Ashby have not moved since that date. It was a pleasant trundle through the 'burbs of Birmingham. We past the Black Country Museum and made a note to turn later in the year.

On reading the map we saw that the village of Wall was near the route home. H and I keep seeing the signs for it. I pasted it every day for two years on my commute to work but never stopped in. The village of Wall was a Roman mansio and there are excavated ruins to see. Wall is right on Watling Street the A5. The notice boards describe the buildings, there uses and the reason for the villages decline. Essentially Lichfield which is only two miles away become more powerful and Wall declined. We walked round the shorter of the two sign posted walks. It was a pleasant enough diversion even in the light rain. Unfortunately the village pub "The Trooper" was not open.

The next leg was straight home. The homeward journey took us a little more time than the outward journey but it was ten miles shorter and at a leisurely pace so less fuel used.
we might not have seen Wall otherwise. Miss L was so excited she went straight upstairs when we got in and tried on her new shoes with her dress. The second choice shoes are spot on. So honours even for the day.

May Day, M'aide

I have been reading a book called "The Magic of Spring" by Richard Lewis which about his search for his roots. His English roots. I am just at he bit where he has spent a wet May Day morning on top of Giant's Hill at Cerne Abbas with Cotswolds Morris men. I had no urge to get up extra early and dance round the lottie naked but for hawthorn in my hair. I might have if I could have found some lusty virgins who were up for an early start. I had to settle for morning with Terry Wogan, soft boiled eggs, door stops toasted dripping with butter and homemade Damson jam.

I took myself off to the lottie for more digging. This time to try and finish bed 3. The Spinach and remaining Broccoli was picked over for the best leaves and sprout then pulled up. All the spinach and some of the Broccoli was chopped and fed to the worms. The rest went in the compost. I saved a particularly leafy Broccoli for Steve's chickens. I hope they approved. The digging is producing more weeds. I have filled all the compo bins and now the loads of weeds are piled against he last bin. However I have a plan! I just need some time and to get my logistics sorted out. First I have to empty the big compost bin. The compost is going to go on the beans but the beans are not ready to plant out. I was going to put some as top dressing on the Asparagus but the bed needs weeding first. However I worry that I will damage the crowns if a just get stuck in without being able to see sprouting stems. I also have some new crowns to go in. These are Pacific Blue, a Purple variety. It is supposed to be even more sweet than the green varieties. When the big bins is empty I will divide it in two using a pallet.

I can not remember what I did on Friday but I am sure there was digging. On Friday H got a call from are friends who live in Dublin. They were actually in Loughborough visiting relatives
and asked if they could visit on Saturday. H said yes. They were to come over in the the afternoon. This was good timing as I was on poo duty. I also arranged to meet the new plot holder at the lottie to share some seeds to get him started. That done I was home in time to get lunch and get cleaned up. They arrived at the appointed time. H decoded to take them to Lichfield since in the time they lived near us they never visited the town. H is a fan of Lichfield. She particularly likes the Cathedral and Erasmus Dawin's house which is just across from the Cathedral. We had Tea at a cafe which on the surface was quite posh. It had a Maitre'd but he was clearly nuts and staffed by timid little poppets. The food was fine and not expensive.

Refreshed we took a turn about the Cathedral. It was impressive. It claim to fame is that it is the only Medieval church with three spires. Erasmus Darwin was the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Erasmus was a doctor and a learned man. He and his pals set up the Lunar Society to discuss scientific topics of the day. the Societies name derives from the timing of the meetings. They held the meetings each full moon so the moon would light their way on the road home.

We toured Erasmus's house. It is only £3 for adults and there are hands on things for the kids to do. H would prefer just to sit in the herb garden. Being a hottish day and the garden is walled in the air was full of heady scents. I must admit it was nice jsut sitting their. All done we headed home and said goodbye to our guests.

Is this a holiday?

I have been on holiday from work this week. I made two lists, one for home and one for the lottie. The main task for this week was to complete the path along side bed 2. This I have done. It was heavy work. I managed it two four hour stints, one Monday morning and the other on Tuesday morning. The closer I got the top end of bed 2, the harder the work. This area has never seen a spade or a fork since I got the lottie. It also contained a lot of stones to say nothing of the weeds. The ground rises slight to the top end so the volume of soil to shifted increased. The soil was in good shape. I thought it would be really poor. I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to throw the extra soil onto the bed which helped fill it out. I reserved a barrow and a half to fill up my new gooseberry bed. I fitted the last plank which finished off the borders. That was pretty much Monday and Tuesday dealt with.

At home on Monday afternoon I fitted the lights and power to the shed. The shed has had a supply for a while but it was not hooked up in the proper manner. That is to say the supply just ran to a box in the shed. I put all the wiring in trunking which looks really smart and put the a bulk head light on the ceiling. It even has a pull cord switch by the door.

Tuesday afternoon had me fitting two new sets of shelves in the shed. One to hold all the empty demi-johns and a set to hold all the jars of preserves. This makes the shed a lot more tidy and it uses up some of the timber that was stood about the shed. I gave the shed a disinfect whilst I was about it so now it smells sweetly too!

The weather turned on Tuesday evening. We were treated to thunder storms with great flashes of lightening and crashes of thunder which eventually petered out to persistent rain. So no digging on Wednesday morning. Instead I went to the next town to collect wood for the mini-veg plots. I got some to finish my last edge [top side to bed 3]. Having dropped the wood off I came back home and did some things for the Society as Secretary. We have a new chap starting on Friday. H had to go to work in the afternoon for an hour. The wind had been blowing and the sun is hot when it is not obscured by cloud. The cloud cover had broken up giving the occasional shower. I popped back to the lottie on the off chance the soli might have dried a little. The wind and sun had dried the pile of soil on the unfinished path. I was able to throw that around the bed. Bed 4 was a bit soggy but I planted out a couple of trays of brasiccas [Hispi Cabbage, Snowball Cauli & Monet Spinach]. Note to self - I must sow Sprouts.

Wednesday afternoon was spent pottering in the garden at home. I have finished weeding and feeding the beds. Planted up a few Foxgloves I had in a box since last year. I hope they will flower. I confess I have not looked after them very well. The Gladioli are sprouting in the greenhouse as is the Fig. I am waiting for the all clear on the frost front before putting the Fig out into the bed I have prepared. The minaret fruit trees are coming into flower as is the step-over Apple.

Spending some time in the garden I have noticed all the bird life. A couple of Robins have moved into the box we put up last year. The Blackbirds are nesting in the Ivy. House Sparrow mob into the garden and just as quick are gone. The Blue and Great tits seem to like the Willow at the end of the garden. The Wren is not happy at all these intruders seems to throw his/her tiny weight about to mark its territory. The Black birds make a nice job of turning over the bark paths. We get some Long Tailed Tits a visiting and some Gold Finches. The Starlings, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaws and Seagulls do not bother with our garden. It might be because it is too enclosed. I saw a Bat the other evening which was nice.

The Frogs & Toads have moved into the pond for the annual love in. H spotted a Crested Newt in the pond. She nearly fell in she was so excited. The Goldfish continue to survive. I never feed them but seem to be thriving even though the biggest one used to live in a fish tank in doors. We put him in the pond two years ago and is making a living out there. I have even given the grass the once over.