I've never been to an apple day event before and I was curious about what happens at one. They seem to have apple days all over the place these days in the East of England. We went to one in Tring and we met up with the cousins at the same time - so it was three boys running around an orchard and attempting to eat rotting windfalls. Boys eh?
They did love the demonstration of apple mashing and pressing and tasting the lovely juice that was produced.
It was a good shopping opportunity for me as I bought a jar of apple chutney and some wooden wine cases - I think I saw Alys Fowler using these for planting salad veg in her own quirky cutesy way
John bought some cox's orange pippin and blenhim orange variety of apples.
When we got an allotment in my minds eye I saw how it would be - all happy grafting. We would become a beautiful cheerful gardening family heading to the allotment at weekends producing bountiful veg and of course the sun always shining. Each one of us would become attuned with nature and the great outdoors.
It could never be a drag.
I would never be seen shouting loudly when at the patch. There would be no need to constantly tell Owen "stop it". He would never be bored but entertained by all the possible jobs he could do. My baby would be gurgling happily not wailing when he found himself at the patch. Oh yes and John would not try to forget we need to visit the patch, but skip there happily, knowing exactly what needed to be done.
Then today happened.The weather looked pants so my hopes of going to the allotment were small. Owen had a birthday party to attend in the middle of the day so when we got back I nearly fell over when John suggested we go. It was trying to rain but we thought to persevere and the wind was whipping across the town so not too promising. Huw did not murmur as we arrived at the site and sat in the pushchair happily and yes he was awake (although I'm thinking to blame the drugs he is taking - antibiotics - as he has been unwell on and off since I returned to work. I must look up the sedation effects of Augmentin as that's all that's different about his routine at the moment!) At the plot Owen immediately got stuff out of the storage box to do. Have I walked into a parallel universe?
At the plot next door our neighbours were at work with their young son, I've not seen them for many months. They were struggling to entertain him. Dangerously I suggested to Owen to get his Tonka truck out and go and play with him. To be a kind bigger boy. Knock me down with a feather. My son put his angel hat on and did exactly this and they played happily together until we left for home. Huw continued to be chilled and watched on contentedly from his pushchair.
We have strimmed some more of the paths and we have dug some more of the beds, finally the plot is starting to regain a sense of shape. I have hope that we will be well ahead for the spring because of all the autumn digging we intend to do. The plans for next year seem so possible now if this ambience lasts into further visits.I also had a good chat with our neighbours and know which potato variety they found the best this year and what they plan to grow in 2009.
Such a satisfying day, pinch me for I may be dreaming.
I am so over the moon that the school now has a gardening club and that Owen chose to join it. Secretly I'm even pleased that I offered to help out. It really is fun to see the kids digging in the dirt. My group found a millipede, the poor thing came under such close scrutiny especially from the boys.
I love going along as I have no idea what I will be doing and I don't even need to worry about planning it as it's not my club. For the last two weeks I have helped plant out strawberry transplantings into two old white sinks. The kids are keen but very chaotic.
I have no expertise to offer as I know little about running a club and just have some haphazard gardening knowledge. Teacher will be all to aware of this if she takes a peek at my plot, which is a stones throw away from hers, as the limitation of my knowledge is on full display. The good thing is one of the gardening gurus from the allotment site (often to be found in the shop that I find a little intimidating) visited today to offer advice. I think he was a little surprised I was there but he quickly realised it was in the context of mother not gardening guru.
I wonder what we are going to do as the year unfolds, I'm keen for suggestions of things to do especially if it is raining. I want to be helpful not pushy as I could really empathise with Mrs Be and the new help for her club. Mind you if I just keep checking in with 'Carrots and Kids' I'll have no problems as I expect to see lots of good suggestions to follow.
These gardening clubs seem to be all the rage at the moment and I'm not used to being fashionable so its going to be a strange experience.
I had trouble parking down at the site today. It was literally bristling with activity everywhere. I popped into the shop to pay my membership and order potatoes and onions for next year. I got a little bit of chat today, I do find the shop a little bit intimidating probably because when you order stuff you have to give your plot number and I feel that I'm judged as soon as I say it as a hopeless grower. They know the state of my plot and are I think often on the brink of penning me a letter about it.On the plot next door they were putting up a new shed which they seemed to be having fun deciphering the instructions, but intuitively had put it together very quickly.
I left on my own this morning to get on with some digging the others were to join me later about lunchtime. We got quite a bit done, I have space now for planting garlic and winter onions. John strimmed a large area of grassy weeds ready for us to mulch and cover overwinter, this is where the spuds are going in next year.
Owen was very industrious he built a dinosaur sculpture out of garden bits and pieces. He also found some earthworms, it is impossible to explain to a 5 year old that he shouldn't touch earthworms as they don't like it.
It's lovely to have had such a warm and bright weekend even with the sad damp note of autumn wafting on the breeze. Autumn is my favourite time of year, the colour of the leaves turning, the anticipation of warm fires and wearing woolly jumpers and a sense of new plans hatching. I think the sense of a new start at this time of year comes from being a child and having the start of the school year, and this is heightened by Owen now being at school.I have such a large new beginning this autumn, with being back at work. Oh and the mad plans that I listed in my last post well none of that happened last week after work as - the baby was unwell and a total how do we manage work,home etc panic set in.
So Sunday has been catch up day. I cut back the first lot of raspberries and weeded around my leeks. I just couldn't quite get around to do digging in the time that I had.
Still we did manage to get a visit to a garden centre today, they had a bucket of 50p seeds packets and I got this little lot. I thought I would give seed sprouting a try as they were so cheap. I hope they taste good well at least it is something that I could grow that the slugs won't eat!
This working lark is really tiring I really hope that no one else is ill this week as I've got an allotment and garden to sort out.
I love purple and yellow together
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