Monday 27 April 2020

Monday

Good morning, everyone.  I gather today is the last day of nice weather before a change sets in.  The predicted rain will be most welcome to me (and the allotment/garden) but the lower temperatures won't.  Time for winter woollies again!

Do you remember that when I was sorting out my old seeds last week (or maybe the week before), I found some old gardener's delight tomato seeds and thought I may as well give them a go?  Well, today's bit of good news is that some of them are coming up.  That's a bonus as I nearly threw them away. 
I can see that every spare nook and cranny will be filled with a tomato plant.  Definitely a Good Thing - can one ever have too many fresh tomatoes?  I say no!

It was delightful at the allotment yesterday.  I was the first to arrive so had to open the gate, gloves on and anti bac stuff in great evidence, before getting out the fork and working over some of the prepped ground.  Having done that, I tackled the side of the shed which was in an utterly disgraceful state with old and disintegrating pieces of wood mixed with garden canes and other unmentionable stuff.  I threw most of the (unusable) wood further back amidst the trees where it can quietly rot down over time, pulled up copious weeds of various kinds, sorted the canes into shorter, longer and medium and put them back more neatly where they are now easy to get and use.
The shed is a rickety old thing but it does save me having to take so much with me each time I go.   Anything valuable doesn't get left there, of course, but anyone who thinks our old tools are worth nicking must be bonkers!
One day, maybe, we will have a posh one, but it's not worth the money really.  I'd rather spend on better soil, raised beds, etc.
I know it doesn't look much, but it's so much better now than it was this time yesterday.

I watered (loadsa beans now), cut some rhubarb and took a few photos.


Then I came home, enjoyed breakfast and generally pottered around doing a few bits and bobs before settling into catching up with my ironing while I also caught up on some Mike Jeavons 'A week on . . .' things on YouTube.  He does make me smile; he has a very dry sense of humour.

A new week starts today.  I wonder what it will bring.

Something energetic:
As mentioned above, there seems to be a change of weather in the offing so, in case they are right, today I am lugging the mower down to the allotment to give the grass a good haircut because it doesn't do wet grass all that well and gets all clogged up and hard to clean.  The other thing on the list is weeding around the permanently covered areas that have bark chippings down.  Those pesky weeds will always find a way!

Something for house and garden:
I need to spend some time dealing with the ravages of the weekend before finishing off the ironing (I couldn't face the sheets and quilt covers yesterday) before settling down for the afternoon idleness.  I wonder if the tomatoes will arrive today.

Something social:
I will suggest a chat to Chris and see if she can make it.

Something creative:
I'm busy crocheting double knitting into strips of squares for a dolly's blanket.  I doubt it will get anywhere but it's keeping my hands busy and making a tiny little dent in the disgracefully large stash of yarn.

Something entertaining:
There's something that looks quite interesting on BBC4 this evening.  Called 'Museums in Quarantine', over the next four evenings art critics are 'exploring' (that's what it says) some of Britain's collections and exhibitions.
In case you're interested, tonight is the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Tate Modern, tomorrow it's about Rembrandt at the Ashmolean, Wednesday is about Tate Britain and Thursday is in the British Museum.  I'm going to set them to record, I think.

So that's today sorted.  I wonder how much I will actually get done. 
Have a good day, whatever your plans are.  xx

12 comments:

  1. The allotment we had years ago was plagued with theft and pointless vandalism, we gave up in the end. At least now we have our own 'allotment' safe in our back garden and admirably worked and maintained by 'Him Outdoors'. Yours is looking very good, Joy, well done. xx

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    1. That's kind, thank you. It's certainly looking presentable, unlike a month ago, and worth the hard work. It'll be great when the plants are in and growing too. It's the easy time now that the early work is done.
      A great shame about your allotment but you seem very happy with the space your garden provides and it looks really lovely.
      xx

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  2. I think your allotment looks amazing Joy. we have a field of lotties at the back of the field - i will try and take some pics - but they are a very elite few. They have cctv and are deeply suspicious of us mere non lotty commoners! Think the waiting list is about 17 years long!

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    1. If they're that posh, I'm not surprised. There's probably rules as long as your arm too! The nice thing about ours is that if you have a bad time and can't get there for ages, no-one seems to fuss. Very laid back.
      I'd love to see some photos, if you can, thanks.
      xx

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    2. Mission accepted! Might have to wear my camouflage gear hahah

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  3. It's definitely cooler so I won't be sitting out on the patio today or the rest of the week if the rain turns up as promised.

    The allotment is looking good ... give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work

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    1. Thank you very much. I'm really pleased with how it is all looking right now.
      It's dull here now after just a bit of hazy sunshine and the back door is firmly closed. I will be telling myself that rain is a Good Thing.
      xx

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  4. Well done getting the lottie all sorted.
    I fold my sheets and doona covers fresh from the outside line....So ditch ironing ,life is too short ! Watch John's dance video on Going Gently instead.

    So many fabulous old movies included.

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    1. < grin > I love a nicely ironed sheet - worth the trouble, I reckon.
      xx

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  5. I hope you've had a lovely day, Joy, and thank you so much for the kind comment you left on my blog! You asked about what a sand dollar is. It is a type of sea urchin that you find, along with shells, when walking along the beach. Perhaps you call it a different name in the UK? I read online that they are also called sea biscuits or sand cakes. Hope that helps!

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    1. THanks, Debbie. I've never come across the term before.
      xx

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  6. I agree with you about tomatoes. They can be used in so many ways but you can't beat eating them freshly picked, straight from the plant. X

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