As you may have noticed I have been very very quiet on here. I have been so busy though. I think the allotment is ahead of this point last year (but I have been too scared to check back and see what the blog says). My spuds are in the ground. I have seeds sprouting everywhere. My aim is to avoid a dreaded allotment letter this year.
I am already eating some purple sprouting broccoli and plan to have rhubarb crumble this weekend.
The problem with spring it is over in a blink of an eye so I have also been enjoying its distracting beauty with my camera.
There is so much going on with family life too which will keep me busy for the foreseeable future, but if anyone wants to help let me know. As I don't think the home salad beds are going to be up and running soon and I am cultivating a back garden of thistles again. Never mind eh, its always swings and roundabouts.
There are definitely some huge signs of spring happening and I know that I must not get too over excited. I keep noticing how light it is in the early evenings. Little green shoots are appearing. Yesterday was one of those bright days and we took the chance to visit Bennington Lordship gardens a place that I wanted to go to for a long time. It is only open for a few weekends throughout the year, and February for the snowdrops is one of its main times. There were lots of people there photographing the snowdrops and walking the grounds. I was unable to resist the temptation to get out my quirky camera, and caused the usual amount of curiosity with it. I didn't get the best results with it the flare of the sun on the glass but for me it captured the joy of the early spring sunshine.
Lets hope spring is on the way and there is no late snow.
Seedy Sunday is one of those things that is becoming a fixture on my January calendar. I often carefully engineer a reason to go to Cambridge and stop off at Trumpington for the seed swap. This time it seemed so busy, it is definitely getting bigger every year.
So what did I swap for? I only took some sunflower seeds for the boys to grow and some blue climbing beans. Both of which looked like they had been saved by someone.
I also donated a small amount of money to the Heritage Seed Library for some 'Majorcan' pea bean seeds, and some 'white serpent' squash.
I didn't just get seeds from the visit but surprisingly for a seed swap I got a plant. I left clutching a Jostaberry, I think it will make a good addition for the allotment.
Well the sun shone today and I made my first trip of the year to the allotment. I was decked out in my new wellies a little pre-Christmas treat to myself after my last pair sprung a leak. Perhaps 2011 will be more allotment chic than last year.
I did some digging and some tidying and had a good think about how I wanted the growing year to be. I harvested some parsnips, my first, I wanted them for Christmas but they were frozen solid. We ate them this evening and they can only be described as totally lush.
In the sunshine as I commenced working I felt again that feeling the one which reminds me why I have and love the allotment. The smell of fresh air and damp earth. The peacefulness and the possibilities. I hope to keep this liberated feeling and not fall under the chore thumb. Or the heavy hand of the allotment police.
I now have a huge task list from my little look around. I will need to put it in an order and allocate some tasks to someone although the dreaded digging will have to be avoided for him.
I also feel I might spend a little money down at the patch this spring too. Plans way hey.
Its the New Year.So I should be pushing ahead, forging the shape of the new year. Everyone else seems to be urging others to take part in new projects make their resolutions.
I can't seem to get into the swing of it. I might do some new projects but I will start them later in the year I think.
As for the allotment I can only resolve to have a better year than last. I will work harder at it. I will get some manure down soon. Fingers crossed that Sunday is a little drier and even a little warmer then I can make a start with a full assessment of the plot and one long to do list.
At home I will get the two small raised beds made and up and running for lettuce etc.
I also should resolve to not start my seeds off so early with over excitement at the first signs of spring.
I couldn't boil things down to a word theme for the year, but came up with these two words to focus my year "space and place" I'm hoping that by thinking about these things I will get some order to 2011.
Happy New year everybody. x.
It is here the much anticipated day. No allotment parsnips as frozen solid in the ground. I did brave the snow to reach my Brussels at the allotment, but they are a little damaged by the weather. Never mind there is always next year.
Merry Xmas everybody enjoy the festivities.
I know that it is the theme of the moment with all the cut backs etc. I just didn't expect to be experiencing this trend with regard to my allotment.
Firstly there is the increased costs, imagine my surprise when we got the free paper this week. Right on the front page was this article. It does seem like a huge increase but I have paid £10 a year up until now, and I think that £52 isn't too bad. as long as it doesn't keep on increasing at this rate each year.
Secondly, my digging service has been greatly reduced, it has always been sporadic, but now it is unlikely to be any good for the foreseeable future. Somebody managed to get himself some unexpected surgery and digging is banned for a bit.
Might need to have a new year digging party at the lotty and twist a few of the invitees arms.
Things are well behind at the plot for me as the cold snap has put a end to some of my allocated lotty time. Roll on new year hopefully things will be better then
