Get out the Champagne and Cigars

Exciting news we will soon be hearing the sound of tiny wings. Blue Tits have decided to set up home in the bird box which we put among the plum trees a year ago. We stood and watched for ages as mum and dad went back and forth with nestmaking stuff, will try and get some pictures but do not want to spook them.

We agreed to go to the plot on Saturday whatever the weather as we were getting very restless and felt that we were falling behind with the work to be done. We arrived at 8.30am and the sun was shining and after some recent rain it was so easy to hoe (hoe hoe) and weed. We pulled a few cabbage and put in our broad beans and some red onions.

The herb bed is coming along nicely and with the recent rain and milder weather the garlic and onions look really healthy. The plot is beginning to look cared for again and we hope that we can put in our seed potatoes this weekend.

Please Help

I would really like to add links to our blog but for the life of me I can't work out how. So many people have us as a link that I would like to put them on our site .BUT HOW DO I DO IT ?

I am probably being very thick here.

We went to Coolings Garden Centre this morning to buy some more seeds. We bought some on tape, has anyone tried them? Meant to cut down on thinning, will give them a go. We also bought a parsley plant and some more Daliahs.

Coolings are selling plants called " Green Goddess" which are meant to be OK in a water shortage. They have bought a Green Goddess fire engine to promote these plants and have it parked in the centre of the site.

Cooling are great, in the three years that we have been buying from them we have not had one failure.

Brass Monkey Sunday

Our first time to man the trading shed this year. We tried to keep warm by weighing and bagging fertilizers, bird food etc. We had three visitors all morning and only one of them bought something, three bags of stable manure. Our site took over the running of the trading shed last year and we are ( well Reg mainly ) trying to smarten it up a bit. We are just beginning to show a bit of a profit which will go towards the upkeep of the plots.

After closing we meant to do a bit of hoeing but the wind just cut through us so we called it a day. I don't mind the cold but the wind really whips across the site at times. Our garlic and onions which we planted last year seem to be doing really well and I gave them a scattering of chicken manure pellets and will now leave them to fend for themselves until harvest time.

Felt really bad on the way home as we had to buy some veg, I really must learn how to store more of our stuff .

Super Sunday

We went to the Dulwich potato fair Sunday morning. We arrived soon after it opened and it was quite busy. I managed to buy some Sarpo Mira and Axona as we were badly visited by blight last year so thought that we would give them a try and see if they are as good at resisting it as is claimed.

Barbara bought a dwarf iris for the flower bed on the plot and planted it next to the peony which we inherited and last year separated into two as it was so large.

We paid our rent for the coming year and were asked if we would man the trading shed for about five Sunday mornings. We both enjoy this as it gives us a chance to chat to other allotmanteers that we may not otherwise get to meet.

We have been trying to decide what to grow in each bed but every time we make a decision when we reach the plot we change our minds.

It seems that birds love peanut butter as it was the first thing to disappear from the tree we made.

Birds Xmas Tree

Spent Sunday afternoon on the plot. We have discovered that to maintain the plot 2and a half hours is just enough at each weekly visit this time of year. It has taken me two years to learn to slow down and finish one job before I start another and if I don't finish then there is always tomorrow, it is after all a hobby. I must learn to relax more.

Barbara redecorated our small Xmas tree for the birds and really enjoyed doing it. You could hear them all in the trees chattering urging us to leave so that they could get to the feast.

Tried a bit of hoeing but it was really to wet so pruned our winter raspberries and tidied the herb garden. We also sorted out our compost heap. It has taken two years to get it to a usable state and the next time that we need some good compost we can use our very own, how good is that?

We have decided to try to grow one vegetable that is new to us each year, this time it is Kohl Rabi. Know very little about it so any recipes welcome, will update on how it goes.

This Sunday ( 22nd ) we are off to the Potato Fair at Dulwich, all very exciting.

Happy New Year - we are back

We did not go to the allotment to do any work for about three weeks before Christmas as we were so busy and I had caught a dreadful cold. We just called in every now and then to make sure all was ok. The plot is looking very bleak but the garlic, onions and cabbages and chard are all looking healthy.

Christmas eve we decided that we needed some time out so went to the plot. I did a bit of gentle hoeing and dug up the parsnips for Christmas dinner while Barbara set about making a xmas tree for the plot out of twigs and branches from our plum trees. The decorations were milk bottle tops which my mum gave us and the robin came from the pocket of our scarecrow that my grandson made for us. It was a lovely warm sunny day and was a perfect way to relax before the next hectic few days.

We are going to plant our Christmas tree and redecorate it with fat balls, millet and peanut butter filled cones for the birds and will post pictures later.

Frosty Plot

Have not been to well of late so have not visited the plot as often as usual. Barbara and I did go early this morning though and it was perishing. We were able to take home some potatoes, swede, parsnips and a cabbage and also some rosemary and thyme to go with the shoulder of lamb that we bought from our favorite Greek shop. This shop is wonderful and opens at 7am on a Sunday morning, rest of the week it is 6am so they do get a bit of a lay in. Barb was a bit put off as next to the shoulders they had sheeps heads complete with eyes ( apologies to all veggies reading this )

Last Saturday we visited Borough Market near London Bridge. If you have never been it is really well worth a visit. Lots of stalls selling fresh vegetables, meat, fish, cheese,oils, herbs, wines, bread. I could go on and on.

These are a few pictures we took today.