Happy New Year rom the allotment ladies!

In the mud!

My fenceposts at last! A heavy duty pallet on the heap today, so I grabbed it quick!

ChristmasDay 2009

Checked the lottie out, weather instruments and seed potato stash!Riverside walk next to the allotments fence.
A wier and bridge on the Witham.

Fresh Cut!

I can.t bear them, but the neighbours like 'em!

Tanner!

I found this whilst digging the plot this summer!

Its an 1890 sixpence.

I wonder what it would buy then?
Done a bit of research, so this tiny three quarter of an inch coin would have

had the equivalent buying power of about £12 by todays standards!

I received this wonderful staff as a gift from my good friends Richie and Jenni on the Gower Peninsula, South wales! Follow the link.

http://www.morlangwyr.com/

I visited the allotment today to melt the snow in the rain guage and check the

minimum temperature; a chilly -4ºC!

I have to check regularly for little footprints leading to the shed,

as the last thing I want is rodents eating my seed potatoes!

Complete with cammo trousers, Sandy!

Espalier!

Espalier, I have trouble spelling it!

Complete with wires, ready for growing my own kiwifruit.

The new plot number will get me a lot of mickey taking!

Strange goings on!

I strolled through the allotments on my way to the shops this morning, and it seems

someone has taken pity on Julien and provided him with a little weather protection!

Nice colour!They also left him a little friend, whom I shall name Sandy.

He badly needs a paint job!

MORE!!

A bit more plot has come up for grabs!
But this time I think I might be being greedy, serious thinking required!

A walk through town to my plot!

Just after a sharp downpour I had a walk through town to check over my plot.
Bit of a Christmas fair going on, most of them bailing out!

"Don't stroke that one!"

Keeping a low profile!

Two show engines!

A locally made roller.

Men in skirts doing unspeakable things to their noisy animals!

The river!

Julian taking care of the allotment!

Managed to erect my greenhouse screen/blackberry frame today in glorious sunshine!

Just a little cane adjustment needed now.

Pretty much finished the planter, except for a few details. One being I can't lay my hands on some nice horse manure!

The next building project is a screen with blackberries in front of the area where I want a greenhouse. This is to deter the morons trying to break all the glass!

I've assembled all the materials now and the wild blackberries seem to have taken root!

Bramley and bramble puddings, yum, yum!

Called into our local Bottoms Up on the way home for a bottle of cider. The chain that owns them is going out of business; they offered me the remaining ten bottles for half price! Yes!

Made a start on my planter's cloche lid today, didn't but didn't have enough polythene to finish it, and then it poured with rain!

Found Julien a nice charity shop Santa hat!

A bramley apple tree!

A nice early Chritmas pressie! A bramley apple tree on a MM106 root stock, which I understand grows to a decent size tree.
I planted in near gale force winds so it should stay put.The bramley in the background and my new (pallet) planter. I'm going to try growing salad leaves in it just as soon as I've finished the hinged cloche top, and laid my (gloved) hands on some good manure! A Victorian winter idea so I'm told!

Not much happening at the moment, but Spring will soon be here!
Managed to get hold of a few paving slabs to make a bit of a patio, as just outside the shed can get a bit muddy! The shield on the roof is awaiting a horseshoe!

My new helper!

This is Julian, he's in charge of pest control and night security!
I daren't leave him out until after Guy Fawkes night, but he's not quite finished yet! My little kindling enterprise took off today, I sold a couple of bags!

Mentioned to a fellow plotter the other day that I was after a bit of slotted angle for a little project which hopfully will come under the general heading of greenhouse and blackberry anti-vandal screen!
This morning when I arrived on the plot, slotted angle! Nice people! Bit of tidying today; I wanted to complete clearing my latest bit of plot, but unfortunately my arthritic knee beat me! I'll try again tomorrow.

Suprise visit!

An old pal, Gareth and his partner, Lois visited today!
I was given an hours notice, just enough time to tidy, vacuum and put the toilet seat down!
Here they are with a bottle of my pineapple and grape wine.

Gooseberry vodka!

In July this year I placed all the gooseberries from the plot in a big jar with some sugar and two bottles of vodka!

Yesterday I bottled it! Its very tasty! The specially labelled bottle will be a Yule gift!

This is what I did with the fruit. Blind baked shortcrust bottom and puff pastry top.

The only addition was a little lemon juice and some honey!

Potato patch!

Cleared nearly all the new plot! This is for next seasons spuds!

Sorting out a few creature comforts today, as well as a bit of gentle digging!
Cuppa soups to warm me up!

Into the new bit!

First half of the new half plot dug over and weeded today; the next bit has to wait a while as something not quite organic has been used on it!
The greens are the previous tenants sprouting broccoli which he requested I leave; well, he has paid the rent up to next March!

Made a start on the new bit!

The bug box is now installed! Perhaps a bird box next.

Started clearing and digging my new plot today, and seem to have aquired another neglectful neighbour; an old hand too!

Stone thrower proof wire window guard? I doubt it!
Just need some plants in the window box to grow on the wire. Note the nice net curtain!
Tomorrow I really must do some work on the new bit of plot!

A shed at last!

A free 5 x 5 shed! £10 deivery, £14 roofing felt, £15 bolts and screws, £6 wilko preservative, and tomorrow a clasp and lats for the roof!

Anchored to the floor as the prevailing wind tends to take sheds away
It used to be a dog run, so lots of spare panels. One of them made a new base and plenty more for shelves ans fittings.

Priority job is a wire net window cage to stop stone throwing contests from the nearby walkway!

Think I'll make it a window box while I'm at it!

More plot!

Looks like I may have doubled my plot size!

I'm hoping to take over the bit right next to mine!

Old George from our allotments, who is no spring chicken, decided to abseil down the local church, some 240 feet! All for charity of course.

The local TA help him over the worst bit!

Strict instructions not to touch the statues!

Both feet on the ground and looking very smug. Suppose I shall have to put hand into my pocket now!