Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: LauraB on January 06, 2007, 16:54:40
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It has been raining on and off here for three weeks, I'm itching to get out there and dig but it's just too wet.
I am toying with the idea of giving up the allotment and building an ark instead ;)
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Same here, can only harvest at the mo'
Grass needs cutting as it's so mild, but it is never dry enough!
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I saw something big and yellow in the sky today. I vaguely recognised it but couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called. ::)
Then the wet stuff came back again. :'(
Spent most of the day trying to rebuild the broken greenhouse. We now have 3 sides fixed ... for now !
I might have a bit of a dig tomorrow if the yellow thing comes back. ;D
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Mrs. KP,
As we've now paid the war debt, the yanks must have turned the yellow thing on for a while.
Don't envy you up there though. Every weather map I see for Celtland is blue!
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I was so keen on the plot today, had been planning a nice 'relaxing' day there all week. So it's my fault it rained! Sorry. Persevered and went anyway (on the bike). My previously waterproof jacket wasn't. I really just wanted to transplant some ailing lavender plants. Actually really felt like digging (had brought a real plasticy raincoat for at the plot) but was just cold and wet through so didn't take long for me to give up. And tomorrow is more of the rain...bah.
Tina.
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well I managed to stay up there all day despite the rain - sheltered in between deluges in the greenhouse and sowed my sweetpeas.
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I managed to get to the allotment on Thursday and Friday 10am till 3pm both days. First time since before Christmas. Just a few spots on Thursday and a bit of drizzle on Friday morning, but the ground is so wet no chance of putting spade to soil.
Contented myself with starting to clean out the shed and greenhouse and replacing some rotting wood round one of the raised bed.
Complete bliss just to be down there again.
Rosemary
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I managed to get to the allotment on Thursday and Friday 10am till 3pm both days. First time since before Christmas. Just a few spots on Thursday and a bit of drizzle on Friday morning, but the ground is so wet no chance of putting spade to soil.
Contented myself with starting to clean out the shed and greenhouse and replacing some rotting wood round one of the raised bed.
Complete bliss just to be down there again.
Rosemary
That is my plan for tomorrow. Just me, some cleaning things, a flask of coffee and the rain. That's if I can find the shed and greenhouse through the jungle :)
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Managed to clear away one of my sprout beds and lime it , as found a plant with club root :'(.. I to cleaned me shed out and blocked the hold made by Mr&Mrs rat >:(. It started to rain when in the middle of that all important job of chinwagging with fellow plot holders, ended up in my nice clean shed with a brew but not all was a loss as we managed to put the world to Rights. ::) ;D
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I got 90 min wed,Thurs,Fri. Had a good tidy round, Cleaned out shed, finished a path. Trip to skip with rubbish. Bought all new seeds and potatoes from lottie shop today for all my varieties I intend to grow this year- early, late, maincrop. Spent about £30. Only tomatoes left to buy. Getting pumpkin seeds from a neighbour.
A friend went and repaired my greenhouse and did some bits & bobs. Will see tomorrow. Tomorrow - Gonna go and box in areas against fence for pumpkins, cucumbers, rhubarb.
Forecast dry here tomorrow. Cant work ground though, but plenty to do
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I got to mine Thursday and Friday when the kids were at school.
Dug over a 6m by 2m bed for my raspberry canes in that time and my back is now reminding me that maybe I pushed it a bit too far considering I haven't done any digging since November!
It's been vile here today - rain, rain and more rain. Gave up any hope of actually putting in my raspberries and went for coffee and a shopping spree with some friends instead.
Don't care if it rains tommorrow - it's my birthday and I've asked if we can all pop down the road to Wisley to buy 2 blackcurrant bushes and be let loose in the RHS bookshop for 1/2 an hour while my OH and the girls have cake and coffee.
(I'm not really a high maintenance kind of girl ;D)
..... and before anyone else says it.... OK maybe at 36, "girl" is pushing my descriptive powers a little too far! ;)
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(I'm not really a high maintenance kind of girl ;D)
..... and before anyone else says it.... OK maybe at 36, "girl" is pushing my descriptive powers a little too far! ;)
You are as old as you feel missus ;)
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(I'm not really a high maintenance kind of girl ;D)
..... and before anyone else says it.... OK maybe at 36, "girl" is pushing my descriptive powers a little too far! ;)
You are as old as you feel missus ;)
But what if some bits of you feel older than others....! ;D
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Wheyhey!!!!!!!!!
My Terrex Autospade came yesterday - ready for when I get too old to dig with a shovel, you can move serious soil with that.
Plan for the future!
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Rained all weekend, and is still raining now! I am supposed to be working tomoz, but the garden I visit is prone to flooding. I might end up cancelling and going later in the week. The forecast doesn't look great all week, lots of showers. BOOHOO
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I haven't been near the allotment this weekend, and that's most unusual. Nothing but rain, and I can't finally get rid of this bug I've got either.
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Decided to brave the drizzle and try and finish off the glazing in the little old greenhouse I inherited with only some of its glass on my lottie.....couldn't finish it 'coz the roof panes just wouldn't fit! :'(
Persuaded OH to come down and try to cut the glass, he took one look, shoved the whole frame sideways (much creaking and squealing of already fitted panes, I went very pale..) and the rest fitted in brilliantly, all except the very last bit which was a shade too big. He decided to try and trim it down.....and yep, the whole pane broke! **$@~~~**! quoth he, downed tools and went back home....
Meanwhile I stayed and did a bit of tidying up, and found a dusty bit of glass in the rubbish pile....which fitted the gap! Hurrah! Now I just have to hope the blooming thing doesn't get blown away in the gales next week!! ;D ;D
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Managed to get down to mine this morning, limed 3 more beds and pruned my blackcurrant bush's and cut down the raspberries.found a new rat hole into my shed so will have to get some stuff 2moz as lottie shop don't sell it. had word with a few other pot holders it seems there's more rats this year. (have any of you guys found this to so) by 11 the rain had returned along with it's mate the wind.which is still blowing. :(
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talking about rats, I don't know if anyone remembers, THE CLUB built a new club, right over four of our 35 year old plots ( I don't hold a grudge ::)),
when they knocked down the old club, there was an 'avalanche' of rats out into the surrounding area, all houses , there was a right to do, all the neighbours complained, we've got quite a few on the allotment but we've also got local cats
they got in quite a lot of trouble :-X :-X ;D ;D
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I,m sitting here, rain still lashing down suffering from a 2 week old cold reading
all the things other people are doing that I need to do if only I had the energy
(I,m not usually a giverinner) soI,v done something!! I,v ordered this kitchen garden mag that every one praises. I,v got a sense of acheivment now proper job
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you never know, there may be free seeds or summat with it, great magazine :)
I'm also suffering with a nasty cold that won't go, still, soon be spring ;D
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it rained all day Saturday and was forecast for all day yesterday too but it stayed dry all day ;D managed to dig a few more feet of my first bed – an advantage of light 'valley loam' soil. am trying hard not to think about all the stuff I want to get done in the next few weeks!
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At the weekend managed to put up my raised bed for carrots on allotment ( had cut, protected and predrilled wood at home). Filled it with 12 bags compost and 12 bags of sand mixed with growmore and some soil from base of raised bed - plan to add it some more stone free soil shortly. Cut new roof for 2 sheds. Felt pleased but tired.
Plan for Friday/WE depending on weather to remove roofing felt that is on one shed as all torn, protect wood underneath, put new roof on and re cover shed with roofing felt. My father is making a new door, if it is ready put this on. Second shed re roof.
Its so satisfying ticking off the jobs/ ideas once they are completed. We will have had the allotments for 4 years in February and have put on 2 sheds (one was made from a much larger shed) , 2 also came with 2 of the allotments, put up 3 wooden composts and 3 daleks. Permanent structures for runner beans, 2 areas in cased in polythene (with wooden structure to hold it in place), a large area with fruit, storage area, using pallets to keep things off the ground and made a number of hoops from iron rods and pegs to hold nets and fleece.
I wonder whether there will ever be a time when I can just go and sit down and have a cup of tea. We are often the only ones down there in the cold and rain.
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, ....2 also came with 2 of the allotments, ....
Cant have more than one on our site due to length of waiting lists :(
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Just got home from work the wind as got up a bit, :o we a bit a luck will blow the bloody rain away. ;D
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:-[ no sent more my way :'(
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The rain/mud/rust has now got into the padlock to our lottie site and seized it completely. Not even WD40 will shift it. So now, even genuine plot-holders are legging it over the gate or hopping through the broken bits in the fence.
*groans and prepares to beg council for a new lock*
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The rain/mud/rust has now got into the padlock to our lottie site and seized it completely. Not even WD40 will shift it. So now, even genuine plot-holders are legging it over the gate or hopping through the broken bits in the fence.
Hacksaws at the ready...... ::)
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Weatherman says fine tomorrow for us South Walians ;D ;D ;D
cj :)
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The rain/mud/rust has now got into the padlock to our lottie site and seized it completely. Not even WD40 will shift it. So now, even genuine plot-holders are legging it over the gate or hopping through the broken bits in the fence.
*groans and prepares to beg council for a new lock*
Or could someone have superglued it? If you go to the Council moaning about vandals, would they be more sympathetic?
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my special waterproof padlocks are now full of water and refuse to lock ..
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Alas, Robert, the council hears us moaning about vandals on a regular basis. But so far, no help at all. >:(
*grins in sympathy at mc55 and 'special waterproof padlocks'*
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the rain has stopped the cold germs are still having their wicked way with me
I,v got telewest laying a new cable across my front gardeb on friday so have been
tracking the old one in case they trample over everything (its only a few inches down and my hellebores are budding) nextdoors daffs are as well
SPRING is trying to come
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I am soaked. >:(
Just got back from a trip to the lottie before working nights, nice and sunny on arrival, happily clearing out greenhouse and shed as too damp to dig......fodoom! Cloudburst, just like someone throwing buckets of water at me!
Laugh as trying to get all the shelving unit bits I had been attempting to put together back under cover as quickly as possible, result...drowned rat!
Sat in the shed for 20 minutes gently steaming until rain slowed, slunk back home for lunch...hrrrump. :(
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If you had called I might have been in Deb... then you could have had a coffee... I had a bit of a shunt in the torrential rain at 7:00am so was organising the insurance and repairs!
::)
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I swear the foundations were shaking last night. Still absolutely blowing a gale and torrential out there this morning.
Too scared to try and inspect. Mind you the more that blows off the roof now, the more we can get repaired in one sitting (once the wind has died down enough for some brave soul to get up there and give us a quote).
::)
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If you had called I might have been in Deb... then you could have had a coffee... I had a bit of a shunt in the torrential rain at 7:00am so was organising the insurance and repairs!
::)
Sorry to hear it dad (http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/smilies/f_hug.gif)
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Horizontal rain outside the classroom not long ago. It seems to be clearing up now though. Doubtless not for long!
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Fierce blusters outside the garret. Inside - the first full windowsill of seeds!
(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/IMG_0385_11Jan.jpg)
;D ;D ;D
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Heavy showers and gale force winds today at work, stopped raining now but still very windy.
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All this rain on my clay soil makes me feel like i'm going to have to wait for ever to get any digging done. There never seems to be a happy medium, we've either got too much rain or not enough rain.
On my last visit to my allotment i carried most of it back on my boots.
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It's dry today! I'm off! (Will probably get hit in a monsoon again later on1 ;D)
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Half of my neighbour's plot has water standing on it :'(
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All this rain identified leak in my chicken cree. After recently cleaning them out I noticed the straw & cardboard was drenched. Rain had been leaking from the side of a window. Spent 3hrs today rectifying this. Replaced the entire front of the shed. Put in a larger window with opener - double glazing too. Silicone sealant all round. Replaced all cardboard and fresh nesting bedding.
Considering the guy who had the plot before me was a landscape gardener - we have rectified or replaced everything he did as it has all been disastrous. The one day there is a break in the weather and I could of done tons on the plot - It was spent repairing the hen house. Had to be done though. Happy hens are laying hens I suppose ::)
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It's dry today! I'm off! (Will probably get hit in a monsoon again later on1 ;D)
And I was right, it rained again; so still can't dig. I'm sure this weather waits for my days off! :'(
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According to metcheck, tomorrow is going to be dry and even (wait for it) sunny.
The weather will get worse in the week or two after, though. Will be even windier next week.
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Wot u got there then ss? I'm desperado to get sowing something lol!
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Hasn't rained here all afternoon I been over lottie for two hours today planted a bush from my garden to stop prying eyes next to the park. Planted kiwi bush, bubblewrapped compost daleks, moved horse poo and tried to dig up fig tree that has sprung up in the middle of the plot. ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Wot u got there then ss? I'm desperado to get sowing something lol!
Dunno what ss has got, but I reckon I've got ss in my garret...those windows and window catches look ever so familiar ;D
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:o @ lish they don't make garrets like that any more ;) ;D ;D
for kitten, three trays of banana shallot seed. The other tray has first beetroot and carrot (multi sown) and Hamburg Parsley :)
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Correct Laura the sun is out the sky is blue blah blah blah raining in my heart. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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"Go on then tell me what banana shallot's are" :-\ ??? :P :-[
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Hi froglegs, banana shallots are long, promised to have a smooth sweet flavour ;D
I've not grown them before, nor do I know their relationship to other long shallots like Cuisse de Poule or Longor ??? I've heard you can get them readily in France. In the UK, so far as I'm aware, there's only http://www.bananashallot.com/ or seed swaps.
About 20 of us are trying banana shallots for the first time this year from one batch of seed saved in the UK. Each seed produces one shallot. I think a number of other A4a members have grown them and may be able to say more about flavour and growing.
These were sown on 11 January - first sprouts today! (http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e220/supersprout/smilies/costumed-smiley-024.gif)
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Thank's for that Supersprout, as they say will watch this space. ;)
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Just seen the forecast for the next week , guess what ? Very wet and windy.
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A super day here in Shropshire. Had a nice hour in the sunshine :) ridling weed roots out of very dry soil which has been under a tarpaulin for a.year.
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Weather dry up here in Durham for first time in weeks managed to fight against the wind long enough to get new raspberry canes in and wire strung across posts for them to grow on. I've come home for a warm now.
Claire
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same here, in golborne, wonderful, dry breezy, sunny, just put 2 redcurrant bushes in, we've marked out the new piece of land for another allotment, got someone interested already and marked out for the new raised bed area for anyone with bendability problems.. ;D ;D
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Headline news...
Big Yellow Thing Appears in Middlesex Sky
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-- ;D --
/ | \
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Headline news...
Big Yellow Thing Appears in Middlesex Sky
;D ;D I turned my compost mountain, weeded the winter lettuces and cleared part of the brassica bed. Hurray!
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Got down the bottom to do some couch and meadow grass clearing... sunny and not too cold 1-3pm... getting cold out there now though!
;D
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isn't it amazing how much everything looks and seems when there's a bit of sun ;D ;D ;D
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Ah well, there goes the sun for another week at least :'(.
cj :)
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well, it's supposed to be dry here tomorrow, I hope so, we've got jobs planned, has the weather forecast changed again, oh, no, not more damp, dull !! :-\ :-\ :)
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Well, today was beautifully sunny. Was at the lottie for 8am and came away at 3pm when I was too stiff to hold a fork ;D
It'll be dry again for another session on Wednesday, and best of all there will be blazing sunshine on Saturday and Sunday next. Woohooooo!
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Talk about rotten luck. Weather was good today but wind blew 8 sheets of glass out of greenhouse and moved it!. Had to remove each piece of glass to adjust frame bact to position. Also re-did the base whilst it was all in tatters. Took all day!. Lost all weekend from doing lottie stuff to doing repairs caused by the weather. Not a happy teddy >:(
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Well I saw a bit of sun but also felt the force of the gale and it was bitterly cold so didn't venture anywhere. Roll on spring ;)
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I've got a heavy clay soil so I need more than one fine dry day to get started. At the moment it's still sticking to my wellies when I visit. I'm keen to get digging as there are lots of weeds to clear. Anyone with a clay soil managing to get any digging done?
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only 'cause we've put paths in :)
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back panel of passie g/h popped out again tonight. judicious use of uv/waterproof sellotape will last til the weekend.
i have bark paths which are only just remaining over the waterline.
my garlic and strab nets are still in place though. i tie good knot ! :P
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I've got a heavy clay soil so I need more than one fine dry day to get started. At the moment it's still sticking to my wellies when I visit. I'm keen to get digging as there are lots of weeds to clear. Anyone with a clay soil managing to get any digging done?
Me. I've given up waiting for dry weather. If I wait, I'll not clear enough land for the coming season.
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As new allotment holder I have discovered if you say "I'm going down the lottie tomorrow" then it will rain. If you are busy and can't get down there then it will be a beautiful day. As my tasks all involve clearing and digging I am donning wellies and raincoat and am just gonna have to get down there. :'(
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if it's just too wet to dig, Emmy, it might be better just to cover it up :)
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Same here Emmy, except i didn't even need to say it out loud i just thought it! This morning i thought 'ooooh we could go down the lottie for a bit of clearing today seeing as i've got the day off now' and lo and behold it's clouded over and is now drizzling! Charming eh?! ::)
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Hi manic, it's only drizzly at the mo...oh no I've done it again!!!
I am going to cover the best part of plot while I make little bed to start off with this year. My partner is gas man so gets lots of boiler boxes- will these do the trick or should I go for carpet or black sheety stuff my allotment neighbour uses. Have read lots about this but no one thing is ever recommended as best.
When I say digging I should really say weeding as all my poor lottie has been totally neglected by prev tenant.
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As new allotment holder I have discovered if you say "I'm going down the lottie tomorrow" then it will rain. If you are busy and can't get down there then it will be a beautiful day
That's exactly right, you have to take it by surprise ;D
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I'm going to bide my time then.....POUNCE! ;D
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It's bucketing down here. I looked at the weather forecast on Monday and it was supposed to dry up towards the end of the week after some 'light' rain. So I picked Thursday as an allotment day. Today i was going to tidy the garden at home....so it's raining hard.
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It's been raining here most of the day, glad I did my lottie jobs at the weekend. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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It was exactly the same in 1976. They were saying that it would take three years to replenish the reservoirs, and lo! The heavens opened.
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As new allotment holder I have discovered if you say "I'm going down the lottie tomorrow" then it will rain. If you are busy and can't get down there then it will be a beautiful day
That's exactly right, you have to take it by surprise ;D
So that's where I'm going wrong...
OK, well in that case I won't be able to get down the lottie at all this weekend or next week when I'm forced to use up my annual leave in the middle of January....... ;D
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I won't be going to mine for months, now we'll have another drought which is just as bad!
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Wet and windy here today,lots and lots of wet rain, story in local paper Enfield Advertiser. "Despite the recent wet weather, the Thames Water ban is still in place across Enfield. But there is hope this week that the recent rain means that the company is considering dropping the ban shortly. However, Thames Water has warned that it has reached the end of its tether with 203 homeowners who have ignored warning letters since the ban was put in place last march."
But I see no warnings for water company's, who's burst pipes don't get fixed for weeks on end wasting thousands of gallons of water. >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( :-X
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what have they been doing, watering their gardens and washing their cars with a wet suit on ? ;D ;D
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The mind boggles Scousers. ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? :-\
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In sunny Cornwall it is no better,although the flowers are starting to appear,oh dear the winds are so strong,i even saw a rook flying backwards but it is not cold ,but the rain has sent are little stream into a torrant,with the lawns a sodden mess,however Mr mole is not pertubed by all of this his little mountains are getting to be quite a feature on our landscape,however i think ive got the better of him ,i have put a small speaker down his hole and have played the Des O Conner song dinky dom don please to say hes gone next door, ;D ;D ;D
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ray says, which hole are you talking about, and where in Cornwall are you,
Cornwall's our second home, we're going to St Ives and St Austell this year, can't wait ;D
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Well the rain....and the wind has stopped here. Just got to wait for the the ground to dry out. Oops sorry I forgot...I won't be going to my allotment for months!
I've been upgraded to half an acre, I've just noticed! So how many postings do you have to do to move up the grade?
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yeah M im in between St Ives And St Austell,what one would call Mid Cornwall,central to all it has to offer,we are 9 miles from Truro,as for which hole like the wood pecker said ,i put my finger in a woodpeckers hole,woodpecker said god bless my soul take it remove it. ;D ;D
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Well yesterday was like the end of the world, today was like the first day of spring the sun was out the sky was blue slight wind was blowing but a nice day. Went to the lottie for an hour planted a blackcurrent bush twig thingy, put the Dalek coats back on after blowing off ( thats the coats not me), cleared up all the rubbish that unbelievably blew down my end of the site and put the carpets back on the manure. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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And passing through Tesco's on the way home from school I spotted the papers going on about how winter has finally arrived!
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It really was beautiful today! I managed two hours down there this morning, clearing brambles. Metcheck says tomorrow will be ok too - and I reckon one more day will see the whole plot clear, ready for marking out beds and digging :)
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and I reckon one more day will see the whole plot clear, ready for marking out beds and digging by LauraB
yahoo !! ;D ;D ;D
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And the best bit is, I'll have a 6ft bonfire to keep me warm in the snow next week ;) ;D
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yeah M im in between St Ives And St Austell,what one would call Mid Cornwall,central to all it has to offer,we are 9 miles from Truro,as for which hole like the wood pecker said ,i put my finger in a woodpeckers hole,woodpecker said god bless my soul take it remove it. ;D ;D
Whereabouts? I used to live at Foxhole, my mother is at Lower Sticker.