It could have been mid summer! No housework for me this weekend. Today, the kids and I scoffed brekky and headed for the greenhouse. Loads of seeds are up so we did some potting on, then they sowed lots more - they are better at it than me! Then they went off and played whilst I cleared the plants from around the pond and replanted them around the garden. My darling emptied the pond, stripped out the stream, chased dozens of frogs around the garden with the kids in tow, then got the hedgetrimmers out and cut back our neighbours conifer. He fixed the side gate and we had a general tidy up. Just in, we are having home made pizza - shame the basil has finally kicked the bucket. Tomorrow after brekky we are off to the allotment for a couple of hours, or as long as the sprogs will let us. Then home to start digging out the new improved bigger pond. A lovely day.
I'm so glad that someone else had a good day Emma. We are hoping to go to our half plot tomorrow. It's much easier than the one we went to today cos we broke the back of it last year. Also it only down the road. Hope to get some sweet peas in there too and get some weeding done around the spring greens. Hope you manage to have a good innings tomorrow
it's just so nice to get out in the air..we stayed for 5 hours today..not working all the time, mind you..lots of tea and chats with some work done in between ;D
Emma another contented A4A lady. I was in the greenhouse for a few hours, wanted to finish the bean trench but it is just so wet and too heavy for me. Either let it dry out a bit or yell help to one of the kids. :)
Hope you have another good day tomorrow. It is so great to be out there with the sun shining.
Lorna
I had a great day and I didn't even get to the plot! Hoping to make good progress tomorrow though, there's a roast dinner in it for OH if he behaves and comes with me ;) :-*
I too got out ,not able to do a lot but it was very relaxing tying in neglected rasp runners that should have been done already.Almost got around to planting out a raised bed but ran out of steam.It was a good day.XX Jeannine
i lasted about 45 min and had to come back because of the high winds :'(
Put in 3 & 1/2 rows of onions & red salad onions, 1 & 1/2 rows or aaron pilot early spuds and 2 rows of kestrel 2nd early spuds. Also got some DIY done (re-waterproofing the chicken shed). Sowed kelvedon wonder peas in sections of guttering totaling about 6ft . Now under coldframe.
Made my final raised bed, went to a hilarious talk by Christine Walkden [from christines garden on BBC2 last year] then to a wedding party this evening! Not bad at all!
Great day for me too!
Faffed around in the garden, put in plants from the old house (forgot to label them so they are prob in the wrong places!) sowed LOADS of seeds, soaked meself in radox, had barbequed pork loin, lotsa vino, and loud rock music, now off to bed..............more of the same tomorrow I hope! ;D
Ditto!! Had a lovely day yesterday. For the first time in ages felt as though I was back in the saddle. Have started my seed sowing in earnest, and had a really productive day at the lottie, lining paths with bark, clearing and organising, and digging. Was very windy here too but it was quite mild, so put up with it. Off again for another day at the lottie. The winds dropped but it's a bit of a grey day, but totally enjoying the weekend. Just came home with that lovely feeling of well being. :D busy_lizzie
I had a blissful day lined up, then OH discovered a pressing need to visit a friend in Shepperton, forgetting that its rugby today, so is now stuck on A316. Boys are at respective friends houses, so I can't leave til he gets home.........and the day is slipping away.........grrr, sob :'(
I;ve just come back for lunch... Got the red duke of yorks in but i dont have any ground ready for the maris bards grrrrr. I've sowed some BBeans, peas and mangetout... and i'm going to plant out some potted garlic when i go back down. I have the wood all ready for raised beds and flower bulbs need planting too.
Good news is my goosegogs have come to life!
Still a bit wet for the rotavator which is a bugger but i've turned some beds to help them dry out.
Off to buy some straw now to mulch mulch mulch and for paths.
Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on March 10, 2007, 17:53:10
Then home to start digging out the new improved bigger pond. A lovely day.
Hi Emm! not been able to read Lotties much for a few days, so picked up on this just now.....so what's the new plan for the pond?........ and just when it was settled and established, the lady wants an Extension ::) ;D
I've just come back for lunch too. :P
Got some potatoes in - charlotte, some shallots and red onion sets. Also moved some self set broad beans that had seeded in the wrong place. I hope they survive as I have not had time to get any seed in.
Collected brussels, parsnip and rhubarb for dinner tonight...
...another wonderful day.
Fingers crossed it's going to be dry tomorrow- I'm itching to get to the plot. Did some wotk in the garden yesterday & been for a nice walk today, but must try to get some lottie work done tomorrow.
I finally got to the lottie yesterday. Lifted the remains of the celeriac, carrots and parsnips and spent most of today washing and chopping and blanching and freezing. Dug over 3 beds. Still mountains to do though. it's a bit early here for potatoes and suchlike. Great just to be back outdoors. Number one son came along too and gave me a hand so it was a lot of fun. The last of the celeriac were monstrous! Unfortunately Peter -OH - had them washed and peeled before I could photograph them in all their glory.
Ive had a lovely day too, the sun was warm and inviting so i popped on my wellies and spent a couple of lovely hours digging and chopping away.
I cut down my lavatera, which i do each spring to save it getting out of hand and the whole garden appeared to be literally full of lavatera branches :o... and Mr Honeybee would not have been best pleased if i asked him to transport them to the dump in his brand new car :o
So i painstakingly chopped them down and filled up the brown recycle bin ::)
Then inspired by EJ, to have a pergola for my pumpkins and squashes i set too clearing the desired space for the prospective work, which meant i had to dig up and move my very much loved camelia and peony :'(
Was a bit worried, but i think i did a good job and have relocated them successfully i hope.
Just made a huge lasagne and garlic bread and about to crack open the chardonnay, what more could a girl wish for ;D
Oh had to laugh at teenage son, he said to me "oh you smell of outside" ;D ;D
Well, what a day. Heaven is the only word I can use to describe it. Normally the children last an hour or so on the plot, today, the whole day! We arrived just after 10am and whilst my love repaired the shed roof, the urchins and I planted a row of gladioli bulbs and 4 rows of Kestrel spuds. Then after some weeding and raking - the children do love to rake - we popped home for a quick bite and they were all so keen to get back, that we hardly sat down! My love and daughter popped to Wicks to buy wood for the new fruit cage, so number on son and I carried on weeding around the globe artichokes and rhubarb, tidying up all the old canes, picked chard, sprouts, purple sprouting and leeks and then when the other pair arrived back, we went for a lovely long walk around the site whilst he made a start on the building, then they played by the stream (I know health and safety and all that.....) whilst I carried on getting the squash area clean, raked and ready. Lots of people came and went during the course of the day....I would say, even if it were a brief visit, over three quarters of the plot holders popped by today. Now the sprogs are bathed and yawning, and I am feeling rather worn out. Bangers for supper for us. I would love a glass of red, but I have been ill all week so don't want to risk it.
Tomorrow I am off to the quacks after work to sort out a referal for my hernia, it is causing me almost constant pain now, and I am hoping to have my tetnus (aagghh) jab whilst I am there.
Lish, the pond is lovely, but I have decided I want it to be more of a feature. There are so many great pond plants, and there just isn't room in the current little pond. It will be roughly twice the size, with a long meandering stream. Very exciting!! ;D
what a day loved every bit of it early start at 6.30am down the plot, made loads of new boaders and a good tidy up, got my hands on a great big tree stump which i will use ad a table for tea breaks.
done some digging, watered the seeds, and back home 7 hours later, next job the weekend spuds to go in and sow some peas in pots and sort the green house out.
happy digging everyone
Well, we finally go tthe lottie today, yippee! ;D Beautiful sunny day, i took both my coat and jumper off at one point :o
Finally finished our wood chippings paths, planted about 80 of each red baron & sturon onion sets, noticed the garlic we planted about two weeks ago is sprouting already ;D and planted two rasberry bush things, one in honour of my uncle who passed away two years ago today and one for dear supersprout. Straw mulch will follow soon ;)
Just had pie, mash & gravy for supper, and now enjoying a large glass of red wine & watching football, all in all a great day ;D
Lovely day had by us here today as well. Got loads of brambles cleared, chopped back a MAMMOTH Fuchsia , double dug and removed stones from another bed and planted more leek seeds. Didn't get around to sowing the tomato seeds I had promised myself I would get done as M-I-L rang and is unwell so made them a cottage pie to take over for tea and made a lush cauli cheese and smoked bacon for us.
In fact the only down side of the day was coming in very grubby and tired, putting the the offending jeans/fleece into the washing machine then discovering the 'hands free' phone is on a 60 degree wash :o
Still... no more dirty phone calls for us then!!
VG x
What a wonderful weekend. We finally finished the (bordered) seed beds, and my OH strimmed loads of brambles from the garden's borders.
Our neighbours (farmers), seem to appreciate the effort we are putting into restoring our garden, and love seeing our children playing. One of the sisters came round with again fresh eggs, and we went through all our packs of seeds. She told us exactly when to plant them, and what needs a cold-frame, shelter etc. She obviously picked up on our enthusiasm and took the OH to her patch, and he came home with tonnes of fresh veg. Just boiling the beetroot now :)
Finally got to the plot at about 1pm but needed some sharp sand for the carrot bed, so braved the rugby traffic for a Homebase run - normally takes 5 mins took 30mins grrr.
Planted the new strawberry bed - 40 new plants, Malling Opal and Perfection from Dobies, very healthy looking plants but still have half the bed to fill even with 12" spacing. After 40 holes dug and filled the knees could take no more, so......sharp sand and compost on the onion and carrot bed and also a bit a chemical warfare on the couch to make digging a bit easier.
Was going to take some pictures but left the camera at home - doh
I knew England had won because of the enormous cheer that went up and then the endless choruses of Sweet Chariot - wish they would learn the verses!
transplanted the rest of the calis and cabbages in to bigger fibre pots,
I've had to plant up the french beans in the poly bed as they had gone mad..
watered everything in the greenhouse that needed it,
covered the last carrot bed with fleece to get it ready,
planted kohl rabi and turnips in small fibre pots, trying to grow them and plant so less slug damage, fingers crossed
worn out now, just put the heated blanket on to ease all the aches and pains when I get to bed.. ;D