Happy birthday Alex

I was up early on Sunday because I had an appointment late afternoon in Newton Burgoland. H and I had to go to Alex's 18th birthday party. Alex is Miss L's beau. I made myself a bumper breakfast to keep me going. I was feeling a bit tender after yesterday's exertions. The greenhouse is a little less full now but there still is space at the lottie. Since I had been so good with the weeding I decided to risk sowing seeds directly on the plot. I had a tray of Jolent leeks to plant out. Easy enough and there is room in the bottom end of Bed1. Then a couple of rows of Beetroot. But have run out of the fancy stripy type so I had use the seed for the Pronto variety. Pronto is quite small and almost black the red is so deep. I did a bit more hand weeding and the other seedling really stand out.

I had a tray full of legging Astor seedling. After separating them I discovered I had rather a lot of them. In Bed4 I planted some by the French beans and another block by the end of the Pea rows. I still had loads left over so I went to the top end of Bed2 and planted the remainder, three deep across the end of the bed. It will look nice if they survive. I hoed off bed2 in preparation for more sowing. The Spinach I put in is grow very well. I think Spinach is one of those plants that does not like being started in pots and transplanted out. When I have done this in the past the plants just bolted. This year the direct sowing is giving big lush plants. With that in mind I sowed another two rows of Spinach. I dropped in a row of lettuce. All the sowing and transplants get a good dowsing with water. It had rained overnight which helped the previous day's plantings to establish.

I had a another bash at hand weeding on the path and pulled out the few leggy weeds that had made it the sun in the spud bed. I had decided that I had finished but just as I was about to leave the plot I decide than I should weed the Onion bed. It was quite easy the pull out the chickweed from around the Onions. Last Autumn I tried Japanese over wintering onions. I am happy to say that they are ready. I only lost a couple through the winter. I bent over the tops and used the fork to release them from the soil in the time honoured fashion. I hope they will be ready by next weekend. That done I finally went home and it was not evening midday.

I had a brew then showered and shaved to make myself presentable for the do. Since we had loads of time on our hands, H and I went to Whatton Gardens. H has adopted it. We saw it last in March in the freezing cold and biting gale. This time the weather was much more benign. The fields round the gardens had sleek bay horses dozing by the water tough. Later fit looking Short Horn cows and Belted Galloway cows sauntered across the field into the shade of the massive Oak and Cypress trees. The gardens were in full early summer bloom. The long border was magnificent, a hundred yards long ten feet deep and plants anywhere from a foot to ten feet high and arranged tallest at the back shortest a the front. Te Rose garden was heady with scent tea roses. Some of them smelt like sweet lemons. The lawns wee mowed to perfection and the woodland rides had been strimmed back. It had not been done long as there was a heady aroma of wild Garlic that had been chopped down with the strimmer. We sat on the benches careful provided for the view. H had to check out the ice house. No toads in there this time.

The only shame about the gardens is that the perfect walled kitchen garden is not worked properly. The gardens has all the attribute of the great walled garden, good position, thick walls. It even has chimney within the walls to heat the soft fruits. There are potting sheds and modest glass houses. Last time we were there the kitchen garden had a couple of WBC hive. I would dearly like to get my hands on it. It could easily become a life's work. We had plenty of time to stroll about and dream then back to reality, we left to get over to the party.