Today I have been helping Tam at her little allotment. Thank goodness it's just half a plot say I! Today I set to on the back half which was terribly overgrown, with Figwort like small TREES! That's how good the soil is there! Lots of Nettles too, which had their revenge on me as it soon got sunny and I shed a layer and revealed bare arms.
I forgot to take a before picture of the bit I tackled, so this is to the side of it (and now half done too). That's Figwort at the back, nearest the edge of the photo. The big leaves at the front are Comfrey, so that will be useful next year, for plant food drinks.
Now you can see the bench at the back AND the back fence! Both were smothered in head-height Nettles and Figwort. Whilst I did this, Jon had Rosie and Tam was clearing the membrane of the path, which was 6" deep in good soil. They intend to put bark chippings down, so she scraped up the soil and put it on the bed next to it. T&J couldn't believe how much I'd achieved, but as I said, I'm no stranger to hard work - just wind me up and let me go :) It feels SO good to have been able to help them and make a difference.
Tam has allowed me to sneak this one in, after she improved on my original phone photo. Rosie looking Quite Grown Up now!
One of the other allotments had a tremendous picking of cherry tomatoes. I shall concentrate on those next year and not bother with the beefsteak ones.
Then we had a stroll along the Promenade, and went to get chips and Fish Bits at the chippy which fronts the Royal Pier, by the penny arcade and games room. We waited AGES though (about half an hour) as they were doing meals for people in the bar the other side, so when it came, and we went through and sat on the Pier (a bit windy), our joint bag of grub was demolished in short order. I'd not eaten since breakfast time and was famished.
I enjoyed my journey through the mountains as always, although it was a bit overcast for the first half, but I drove into sunshine. There was a stretch of heath meeting the road, and the acid yellow of the Gorse (I think it's Western Gorse flowering this time of year) was echoed by the bushes of Meadow Vetchling on the verge. Further on there were still a few blue flowers of Scabious, but I forgot to look out for the Chicory which I noticed last time. Such a glorious blue flower. I wish I could have just stopped and taken photos of the Mountain Ash trees which are an absolute picture at the moment. The berries are orange but in the light today looked scarlet and were everywhere. Yet, I was looking for Hawthorn berries and saw very few. A couple of trees with some berries as I came off the mountain towards Aber, but it hasn't been a good year for them. Too wet perhaps when they were to be pollinated (and of course, not many insects either). Plus last year they had the most AMAZING flowering - everyone said they'd never seen anything like it, so perhaps they are resting this year too.
Home again now, obviously, and about to heat up the other half of the chicken stirfry and rice I cooked last night. I'm glad it's something very simple as I'm quite tired now.
Tam and Rosie arrive late afternoon tomorrow so I shall probably cook Beef Cobbler, and I've got a decent chicken for roasting on Sunday. That will make a nice change as I never have a roast just for me. Enjoy your weekend.
Lovely Aberystwyth. Not so fond of nettles though!
ReplyDeleteIt was good to get some sea air and look across the waves.
DeleteRosie looks so sweet - and keen to help with the gardening! No wonder you are tired - that was a big day! A quiet time here, but today was the first day it was warm enough to get out of "winter woolies" and into a summer dress - but I cheated and wore a merino cami underneath!
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't want to be sitting still, ever. I wonder who she takes after . . . Glad you are going into spring now. At least when autumn has set in properly, I get a break from gardening.
DeleteSounds like such a lovely drive (we’ve had fields of chicory round here - chicory instead of wheat - but the sheep are enjoying it now). I was admiring my front grass yesterday where my hawthorn hedge blends into blackthorn now with lots of dark purple sloes with pink knapweed having a second flowering underneath. Looks pretty, but you’re right there aren’t so many hawthorn or Rowan berries this year and the two crab apples in the garden are noticeably devoid of fruit after a bumper year last year. Rosie looks like she wants to get down and help. Never too young to start gardening. T gave me a big hand in the garden last weekend. He shifted a ton of compost onto the veg plot and dug out a (inherited) dead box ball. The other box balls are fine so I think this one was water logged. I added lots of homemade compost and planted the space temporarily with a group of alchemilla mollis and brunnera (divisions from the garden) to keep the soil covered and will see what happens this winter. Meanwhile I have taken cuttings from my healthy box. Tastiest cherry tomato to grow for a quick return is Sungold. Have no idea how Monty Don manages all those giant tomatoes in Hereford. I think he must use commercial practices, ie extra heat and light which is hardly sustainable to satisfy one man’s whim. He has also controversially laid land drains all across his garden to mitigate against the winter flooding. But he made his garden on a field that is in fact a water meadow so what does he expect. I’ve sown a green manure over my front veg plot and will plant the garlic as shallow as possible on ground that grew potatoes this year. I always earth up potatoes with rough and ready homemade compost so this area is now beautifully friable and crumbly. I never hang up my gardening tools and probably do more gardening in autumn than summer. Compost heaps to turn, hedges to bottom out, sweet peas and broad beans to sow, asparagus to cut down and mulch, apple trees to lightly prune and top dress with ash, roses to heavily prune and mulch, willow to cut and turn into wreaths, hazel wands to cut and sharpen, tools to clean and sharpen, wood to bring in, ash to spread … it’s fun and being outdoors and busy in the winter is so good for us. I’ve had my porridge and am now off to meet a group of yoga friends to sow a patch of boring mown grass outside the village hall with my wildflower meadow seeds. The green gym mowed it really short and strimmed even shorter a dozen circles and we had a big dollop of rain last night so the ground will be crumbly for raking and scuffing the seed into and more rain to come to settle the seed. This is exciting! Have a lovely busy weekend. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteFields of chicory must look absolutely stupendous. I love that shade of blue.
DeleteYou put a lot of time and effort into your garden and it is sounding wonderful. I'm doing bits here and there in mine and desperately need to get out in the yard and try and clear moss and weeds. I had bought a plug in weed burner but the smell of the smoke screws my lungs up so I personally can't use it!
I'm inclined to think that Monty Don doesn't garden as you or I do. I dare say he can afford the heat and light for his plants which us normal gardeners can't. I'll look out for Sungold next year and give those a try.
Lovely photos, wow, how hard you worked.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend with the family.
Alison in Wales x
It wasn't that tiring clearing Tam's plot as there was more top growth than stems and NO GRASS. The latter is the bane of my life here.
DeleteHave been having a lovely time with Tam & Rosie here, and today (Weds) Gabby is here at lunchtime and bringing lunch with her.
A really good day..Rosie looking very rosy pink!!
ReplyDeleteRosie even rosier in her cheeks last night so teething starting to happen in earnest I think.
DeleteRosey looks as if she's got something in common with her Gran...she looks wound up and ready to go! She is a doll. It sounds like a soul satisfying day.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't she just? She hates being laid on the floor and wants to be sat up and watching what's going on. Oh gosh, just wait till she's mobile!
DeletePretty as a picture Rosie with her proud dad behind. Looks a good day out.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day out and a great distraction too. Distractions needed still of course, and I imagine although it's a while since Paul died, you still have days which are hard to get through as the memories hit home.
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