On Friday evening a couple of us met at the Railway Inn for a few beers. We talked about all sorts of topics; fishing, beer, Land rovers, cars in general, allotmenting, allotment business, manure, greenhouses and had a chat to Barney the farmer. The weather continues cold although Sunday afternoon was sunny for a while. The consensus seems to be that digging the ground in the frost is a bad idea. That makes me feel a little better about the lottie. Most folks seem to think, like me, that sowing seeds indoors starting mid February is the right time. Six weeks from mid February is the end of March. By then spring should be well under way. That gives me a month to get the paths done.
I am supposed to be getting my Land Rover back soon so that means I should be able to truck the gravel for the paths about to my hearts content. Getting Land Rover backs means I can empty some of the stuff out of the garage and back into the Landy where it belongs. The evenings are getting brighter. It is not dark until 5pm. I can start to do outdoor stuff in the evening soon.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Idleness
The weather remains too cold to dig. I have been down to the lottie to check it is still there and to feed the birds. Mr Google say I should prune my grape vines during the dormant period in the winter so that is a quick job I can tackle.
I have not been idle. I have doing some house fettling at home. I took the crow bar to the dining room last weekend. It did not take long to fill a cubic meter skip with plasterboard and other assorted rubbish. I kept back all the timber. When I finish the house jobs I shall de-nail it. I am sure I can find I job for it. The rag bone came round on Sunday. They were happy to take away the galvanised ducting and few bits of copper pipe. There is not enough to make it worth my while taking it to the scrap merchants but for them the little bits add up to a pay day. H was not happy that she did not get a gold fish. When we were little the rag bone man with his horse and cart would patrol his round. He would have a little present for the kids that brought him stuff. A gold fish in a bag, probably got from same place the fair people get theirs and it last just as long, a donkey stone or a windmill or a balloon or a lollipop. We were easily pleased back then.
Sunday I tidied up the wiring and fitted a new light pendant. I put the ceiling back up and plasterbroad the new walls. Each evening this week I have done a little job. Monday repaired the holes in the floor, Tuesday Fencing [cannot miss that], Wednesday patched the damaged plaster, Thursday levelled the floor. So I should be in good order for the weekend for more ceilings and laying the floor.
I have also seen the farmer who is going help us with the new allotment plots and held down a full time job. I am thinking about what to get started. I know some lottie buddies will have lots of stuff started. I lack a heated greenhouse or a huge sunny window sill so setting seeds is still a few weeks off yet for me. I dare not look in the greenhouse to see if the plants I over wintered have survived. Fingers crossed. I though I might repair and clean my hive frames but the wax is as brittle as a wafer. So having wasted a couple of wax foundation sheets I gave that job up.
H is perusing the catalogues and paint swatches for the dining room decor. I hope she like Magnolia.
I have not been idle. I have doing some house fettling at home. I took the crow bar to the dining room last weekend. It did not take long to fill a cubic meter skip with plasterboard and other assorted rubbish. I kept back all the timber. When I finish the house jobs I shall de-nail it. I am sure I can find I job for it. The rag bone came round on Sunday. They were happy to take away the galvanised ducting and few bits of copper pipe. There is not enough to make it worth my while taking it to the scrap merchants but for them the little bits add up to a pay day. H was not happy that she did not get a gold fish. When we were little the rag bone man with his horse and cart would patrol his round. He would have a little present for the kids that brought him stuff. A gold fish in a bag, probably got from same place the fair people get theirs and it last just as long, a donkey stone or a windmill or a balloon or a lollipop. We were easily pleased back then.
Sunday I tidied up the wiring and fitted a new light pendant. I put the ceiling back up and plasterbroad the new walls. Each evening this week I have done a little job. Monday repaired the holes in the floor, Tuesday Fencing [cannot miss that], Wednesday patched the damaged plaster, Thursday levelled the floor. So I should be in good order for the weekend for more ceilings and laying the floor.
I have also seen the farmer who is going help us with the new allotment plots and held down a full time job. I am thinking about what to get started. I know some lottie buddies will have lots of stuff started. I lack a heated greenhouse or a huge sunny window sill so setting seeds is still a few weeks off yet for me. I dare not look in the greenhouse to see if the plants I over wintered have survived. Fingers crossed. I though I might repair and clean my hive frames but the wax is as brittle as a wafer. So having wasted a couple of wax foundation sheets I gave that job up.
H is perusing the catalogues and paint swatches for the dining room decor. I hope she like Magnolia.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Happy New Year
There has not been any allotmenting leading up to and over the Christmas period. Mainly because the earth has been buried in snow. I have been down to the lottie at least once a week to fill up the bird feeders. The hedges of the lottie is full of birds. As soon as I walked away from the feeders the birds were on the nuts and seeds. The soil is still very wet from the thaw.
Even though the deep snow has disappeared it is still cold with regular frosts. Despite the cold everything is not dead. Things are growing. The Willow at the end of the plot is starting to shed the shells to reveal the catkins. The Hazels are showing their tassles...oo missus. Now the snow has rolled back the over wintering plants can be seen to be thriving and of the last autumn plants have been killed off.
On one of the visits I had a sit on the snow covered bench and had a drink of the Sloe Gin from my hip flask and took in the scene. Cold, quiet and alone.
Even though the deep snow has disappeared it is still cold with regular frosts. Despite the cold everything is not dead. Things are growing. The Willow at the end of the plot is starting to shed the shells to reveal the catkins. The Hazels are showing their tassles...oo missus. Now the snow has rolled back the over wintering plants can be seen to be thriving and of the last autumn plants have been killed off.
On one of the visits I had a sit on the snow covered bench and had a drink of the Sloe Gin from my hip flask and took in the scene. Cold, quiet and alone.
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