Saturday

 I'm taking a blogging break over Easter but will be back on Tuesday, for sure.  In the meanwhile . . .

Wishing you all a very happy Easter

Friday

 Good morning!  After a very dull and boring start, yesterday cheered up no end and by late morning we had sunshine.  The Beeb tells me that today I can expect 'light cloud and a moderate breeze' which means the sun might very well break through at some point.

I started yesterday off with a trip to what used to be Wyvale and I can never remember what it's called now.  The plants seem as good as they ever were and inside they have been canny and started to sell some 'essentials' in food, just in case!  It seemed pretty busy but it's a large plot and everyone was distancing well.  I found a nice birthday card for Jackie and a 'spring planted', basically a large pot with a selection of plants in it.  I hope Jackie likes it - I nearly bought two, one for me!

Once the sun had emerged, I trundled over to the allotment with strimmer and mower in the back.  There were a number of people working happily on their plot and they're a friendly bunch, all waving to each other as they pass by.
I strimmed and mowed.  For ten worrying minutes, I thought I had a problem with the mower as it didn't seem to be cutting.  I lowered the blades and, no, no cutting.  After checking that nothing was jamming or anything, I finally realised that I had raised the blades, not lowered them  Doh!  Anyway, the grass is cut now and shouldn't need doing again for a week or so.

It was so nice there, I didn't want to go straight home, so I got out the fork and went over one of the beds to mix in the chicken poo manure I scattered the other day.  I think the early work is paying off as there are fewer nasty/invasive weeds coming up this year and I managed to clear a daring few that were presuming to show their ugly heads above ground.  I meant to do about half the bed but ended up doing the lot.

Here you go - an exciting picture of a dug over bed to thrill you!

I took a good look at everything.  All the pansies have survived and are sending out flower buds.  There are now five broadies showing now, lots of raspberry canes just emerging and plenty of rhubarb so I have to decide whether I want crumble or cobbler for Sunday dessert, or I suppose I could Google for ideas - 101 things to do with rhubarb!!

As you can see from the new banner at the top, the plum is blossoming beautifully, just in time for the predicted frost to kill it all off again.  The pear is also budding beautifully although that seems much more resilient and frost doesn't seem to cause any damage.  The apples blossom in May rather than April.  I've arranged to meet with Beth tomorrow to get fleece over the plum and, just in case, over the pear tree too.  And the newly planted out strawberries although, again, they should be OK as strawberries usually survive our winters.

Spring is such a pretty time of year!

The Slimming World Zoom meeting was good fun again.  It will be nice to get back face to face (Jen's hoping mid May but that's not definite yet) but I have to admit, I will miss these Zoom meetings where I can hear everyone much more clearly.

I had a another practise at the cat and background for that cushion Beth wants me to make, working on the granny squares.  I wasn't sure about the tension but noticed that the pattern gives an alternative that, I think, works better with the mainly acrylic yarn I will be working with.  We've decided that I will do the actual crochet and sewing but Beth will do the faces and features.  I am relieved; I have precious little design sense and am as likely to get it wrong as right whereas she is brilliant at that sort of thing (but can't crochet to save her life!)

Today, I am off to Jackie's for garden coffee and to take her birthday and Christmas presents.  I don't think it will feel all that warm so will be taking my duffle coat as well as a warm cardigan.

In the afternoon, the cleaners come.  I think that, if the weather is anything like pleasant, I will get out of their way and pop down the allotment.  I can always do a bit more digging and the table and benches at the back need a good clear out.  I could also start building some of the cane frames for plant support - the runner beans and the mange tout, for example, and the sweet pea wigwam(s) - they're not needed yet but it just reinforces that I am 'doing something'.  Must remember to take my fold up footstool with me.
I'm also thinking of sowing some purple sprouting broccoli seeds today.  The pack says sow now, plant out July/August (there will be room by then) and start harvesting in February.  It will be nice to have something fresh in winter and broccoli is a great favourite with us all.

Time to get going. I need to tidy up my corner of the room and put a few things away before driving over to Jackie.  I have plenty of time but won't, if I dilly dally.
Are you doing anything special for Good Friday?  xx

Edit:  Wyvale is now called Longacres!

Thursday

 Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to April, pinch and a punch for the first of the month and white rabbits/no returns.  That's me covered!!

Seriously - can you believe it is April already?  One of my favourite months; so much happens and changes in April and, with the days getting longer and the average temperature rising, what's not to love about it?
Mind you, the weather can be surprising and, with strawberries planted out and plum tree starting to blossom, we are forecast freezing weather and, possibly, a bit of snow over the long weekend - Sunday/Monday, anyway.  Typical!!  Today should be OK with a high of around 14 - around 10 degrees lower than yesterday but not so bad all the same.

Yesterday was a lovely day.
I remembered that I wanted to get a little something for Lindsey as a housewarming gift so I popped round to Morrisons.  By the time I got home, it was just a bit too late to do the allotment work, especially as I now need to leave for PT earlier than previously.

It was great to be back to face to face Personal Training.  At the moment, Lindsey has all her equipment set up in the new double garage and, with the up and over door fully open, the place is ventilated enough to suit all the regulations.  After my cold and subsequent lack of exercise plus being somewhat 'chesty' still, I was definitely not up the the standard of a fortnight ago but that will come back again.

That garage is amazing.  It's a two storey brick building and the upper floor is going to be a studio flat for her adult son until he can afford his own place.  At the moment it's an empty page so he can do it up as he would like (within reason, of course) and it will look lovely.
Lindsey reckons that the room that will be the gym studio should be ready for use by April 12th so one more garage session and then it's inside.  It needs redecorating and so on first.

After that, Val came round and we both sat out in the garden, knitting needles clacking as fast as our tongues as we caught up with the last fortnight's happenings.  It wasn't as nice as Tuesday in the there was no sunshine but it was still good and warm - warmer outside than in the house, in fact.

Today, the diary is empty until the Slimming World zoom meeting early evening.  Time to catch up on household tasks, make sure I have everything for the weekend and get that mowing done.  I'm also going to a garden centre to see if I can find some fleece to cover the plum tree and the strawberries although, if not, I have some tablecloths I could use.  They're old but not so shabby that I wouldn't put them on the table, so fleece would be better really.  Beth's going to help me lay it over on Saturday.

That's about it for today.  Enough to keep me happily and usefully occupied without feeling stressed.  Perfect.
Have a great day yourself.  xx

In memory . . .

. . . of a very lovely lady I was proud and fortunate enough to call 'Mum'.

RIP
19-10-27 to 31-03-19

Wednesday

 Good morning.  Yesterday's weather was gorgeous and today looks like being similar.

Two pieces of good news from yesterday.

The first is that I have tiny baby tomatoes - plants, I mean, not fruit!  I'm trying seven different varieties this year, different colours and types.  I should have room for three of each kind at home and definitely one of each kind at the allotment, more if there are convenient spaces for them.  Any spares can be given away to neighbours and friends.

The second is that from April 12th the Heart and Sole local walks resume.  There are a few restrictions - distancing, masks at start and finish, but how great is that!  I will have a good look at the new timetable and see what I can fit in.

I have a new project (apart from the jumper, that is).  Beth sent me over a photo of a cat cushion and asked if I could make it using more of my stash.  Here's the photo and there's also a couple of YouTube clips showing some of the finer details of making up.
I want Beth to buy the pattern anyway, which is from Etsy (supporting small businesses, etc), and I will have a go.

At the allotment yesterday, I got the strawberry plants into the raised bed, added the mulch mats and even remembered to put the netting over.  They're all ready to go now and those perky birds should be frustrated (not to mention the cat!).

I also spread some of the contents of a bag of chicken poo which is supposed to be great for feeding the soil.  Later on in the week I want to give all the dug over beds another digging, but to keep it nice and 'ready'.

I did a spot of weeding as well - never ending, that is.

In the afternoon, I had an unexpected visitor.  First of all Chris came round as planned and we had a grand time together over a cuppa.  I was just carrying the mugs in after Chris had gone when who should turn up unannounced but Jackie!  So another cuppa tea later, I booted her out (nicely) and logged on for my planned online chat with Dad.

Seriously, I don't think I have spoken so much since the first lockdown started and I ended up quite croaky.  It was lovely though.
I've arranged to go over to Jackie's on Friday morning so something to look forward to.

Today is another busy day.  
Today's allotment task is mowing and strimming the grass.  It does need doing again - the rain and the warmer temperatures have caused a growth spurt.  That's before breakfast.  The time change means that I now wake up just before seven - absolutely perfect for me although it does mean that I'm not getting my blogs up super-early any more.

Then I'm going over to Lindsey's new home for the first face to face personal training session since October.  Should be good and I'm longing to see her new house (from the outside).
And finally, in the afternoon, Val is coming over for a face to face garden chat.  I'm so looking forward to that too.

So, as I said, a busy day but a very pleasant one.  Lovely!  Wishing the same for you too.  xx

Tuesday

 Good morning, everyone.  As expected, once the clouds disappeared, yesterday was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm.  Today is supposed to be the same - bring it on!!!

I changed yesterday's plans a little bit.  I waited until after lunch to go to the allotment, thinking that it would be that bit warmer and it was.  I had a nice (distanced) chat to the chap two along before setting to.

I got four of the six bags of potting compost out of the car and emptied two into each of the raised beds, which was just enough.  Regarding those beds, we were going to replace them but the ones I ordered haven't arrived yet and I want to get sowing in those beds, not to mention planting out those strawberry plants.  When the new beds do arrive, whenever that will be, they can wait until autumn.  The near bed is for the strawberries - the three already there are survivors from last year and the move.

The other bed is for carrots, beetroots and spring onions - not loads, just a couple of rows of each.  In fact, I must start sowing some soon.

The rhubarbs have finally been weeded!  I tried to get up as much invasive root system as I could but I know I will never get it all up so it's a regular task.  It looks nice now and the rhubarb certainly looks happy and healthy.  I was able to pull some and gifted part of it to Chris over the cul de sac.  Sharing produce is lovely.
I will want more for Sunday lunch with Beth and Alex but by then there will be loads more.
We talked of splitting the crowns a few months ago and the one second up on the photo seems to have done it for us.  It's in three very distinct sections already.  One will be for our friend, Julia, one stays there and I'm not sure about the third.  Maybe Chris or Val would like it.

The trees are budding up nicely.  From top left, clockwise, they are the plum, the pear, the laxton apple (we think that is what it is) and the redlove (which is such a picture when it blossoms).

I must get some fleece to lay over the plum if a night frost is predicted as it's very vulnerable.  Allotments really are a bottomless pit at times, aren't they?

The autumn fruiting raspberry canes are now coming up nicely.  Some have travelled to the side of the ground cover but we don't mind that at all.

There are some gaps.  We have holes in the ground cover for nine plants and I think five are coming up so yesterday I went online and ordered some more.  We like to have them fruiting in the autumn so I got this:  it's thornless, resistant to disease and might actually crop a bit this year, depending on how well they grow.  Beth or I will have any spare ones.

And - great excitement - we have a baby broady!!  That means some of the others in the first double row will be popping out soon.

Thankfully, they have now turned the water on at the site so I was able to  give things a good drink - the pansies, the strawberries, the rhubarb and where the broad beans are sown.

So that's the allotment update!

I have to laugh - I've just checked my mailbox to get the link to the raspberries and those raised beds are arriving in a few days.  Now I have to decide - I think I might replace the front one, the one without the little strawberry plants, and see how it goes.  I can shovel all the soul to the middle and build the sides up round it.
I'll hold off sowing those seeds until after it has arrived.

Today, the plan is to get the housework done before breakfast, pop to the allotment between breakfast and lunch and then, after lunch, Chris is coming over for a distanced chat in my garden.  Most exciting!

I think today is going to be a lovely day.  Have a good 'un and stay safe.  xx

Monday

 Sorry this is so late - I slept a bit late and had planned to do an early morning shop.
It's still a bit dull here but the sun is trying to break through and it's a bit milder than it has been.  We're supposed to have some sunshine today and for the next two days as well so fingers crossed.

Yesterday was a lovely day with Beth and Alex over for lunch and an nice lazy afternoon/evening.  I didn't get any ironing done and I didn't do any weeding, I was just lazy.

It's just as well I am feeling fairly energetic today.  I've been to M&S and Aldi and am now stocked up with necessities for the week ahead.  I then stopped off at Homebase and got several bags of potting compost and some canes plus, as an extra, a little tray of baby leeks.  I'm not sure whether they will go in the garden or down the allotment, I'll have a think, but I do know that, while leeks are not hard to find and are fairly cheep, the fresh pulled from the garden variety is a wondrous thing in both taste and aroma.   Dad had some last year and it was a pleasure to pull them up and cook with them.

After I've put away the shopping, I have to pop out to pick u[p some Easter cards a young friend has made for me and then I'll stop off at the allotment on the way home to unload the canes and the compost and, with any luck, to get that weeding done.

Then the rest of the day is my own so ironing, knitting and general housework is on the cards.  If the sun really comes out as promised, there may also be a bit of sitting out in the garden too.  Wouldn't that be great!

So I'd better get going.  Thanks for all your comments yesterday; I have replied to them now.  Have a lovely day and wishing you sunshine.  xx