Winter bits and bobs

[oldherbaceous]

Gosh, do i head North/east or South/west, both dishes sound yummy...

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've just seen the enviromesh cover from the carrot bed flying across the garden so will have to retrieve it.

I'm glad I'm not driving over the Pennines to the airport today. It was wild enough last Friday when I took my son for his flight. Why are drivers in such a hurry at 6 am? Driving in the dark on unfamiliar winding roads in gale force winds is bad enough without having cars almost touching your bumper blinding you with their lights in your rear view mirror and then overtaking you on double white lines on blind bends.

Better go and catch the enviromesh.

[oldherbaceous]

Orf up to Wisbech in a little while, for some hard labour. Might be able to burn a few calories off since over indulging at Christmas.

So saying that, it's going to be a big fry up as soon as i get there.

[peter]

Went for a lovely stroll around Hatfield Forest yesterday, dog loves the place.

[Clive.]

I got my square of digging completed yesterday...more to do but other bits and bobs to use up/work around.
Did a bit of pruning to thin slightly the cordon Apples...so I can now complete the "headland" of the dug square.

This morning we had a really squally shower that made it plenty wet on the top once more...so I had a fiddle around with the tele' aerials in the loft....front room can get Freeview now, just, from I think, a repeater of the Tacolneston transmission. Back room tele' is served from Belmont as it should be around here.

Then had a bit of fun with a Mamod model Stationary Steam engine.
A former work colleague was having a bit of a loft clear out before Christmas and arrived one day with the Mamod engine that he had had as a child.
£20 of genuine parts later the engine had a little run today...first time since the 1960s.?....

I should add that the steam up was in the greenhouse....and not on the kitchen table..

Clive.

[Clive.]

Out this afternoon to get the seed Potatoes...a couple of weeks later than last year I think.?
Went to Parkers garden centre at Anwick and bought Premiere, Lady Christl, Kestrel and Ambo.
Premiere we tried last year but Ambo is a new one to the garden at home here...I have grown it at work for several years on the medium to heavy soil there...so we'll have to see how they do on our lighter ground at home.

They are all trayed up now to chit...missing Dad for that job ...even in his last weeks in January 2011 he was able to do that task, counted and recorded the number per 3kg bag.

I think most customers that came into the garden centre whilst we were there were in to buy their seed Potatoes, Shallots and Onion sets...it was lovely to think that this same time honoured thoughtful preparation to the vegetable growing year is going on in many households still.

Having said that there was not exactly a crowd in either of the garden centres we went to. We continued a little further to Ruskington GC and bought a Mahonia to go in the front shrubbery at work.

The roads seemed very quiet...same as we noted when out two weekends ago....but just the job for getting about and enjoying the views on the journey too..

Anyway, Premiere, in their tray, are now under the television table in the dining room...and the other 3 trays are about to go under the sideboard in the hallway...

Clive.

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Clive, it is funny how a fairly mudane job like buying seed potatoes, still gives as much joy as the very first lot of seed potatoes purchased, it really is something very special.
The same with setting them up for chitting.

Hope all is well up your neck of the woods?

I managed to get a nice chunk of digging done over the allotments today, very satisfying indeed.....

[peter]

My clay based plot are still too soggy, so yesterday I renewd thirty-odd feet of fence.

Very windy, so maybe the soil will dry out a bit...

[Monika]

Our ground is still too wet to dig, but next week's forecast looks quite good, particularly towards the end of the week. So, hopefully, I will finish spreading out all the home-made compost from our largest bin.

Today when the sun came out for a smidgin, the cold greenhouse looked really spring-like: lots of small narcissus, cyclamen coum, three different irises, pots of primulas, violas and, in the food line, parsley, bay and chives.

And outside, our small wooded bank is covered in snowdrops, winter aconites and anemone.

All in all, I think, we should have a new thread: Early spring bits and bobs! Hang on, there is very cold weather forecast for February!!!

[donedigging]

My seed potatoes arrived on Friday....very exciting
No digging for me today , have got to the heavy clay end...too sticky

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Donedigging, the digging you have already managed to do, looks so much better than mine.

Maybe i need a few lessons.....

[donedigging]

OH, you are such a tease
I am sure your digging is far better than mine

[Tigger2shoes]

Oh you boys .... stick in the ground rattle it about abit ....digging done !!!!
Us women dont fuss about double digging and all tat tripe ...just as long as the soil isnt compacted so the veg has room to move thats all you need .....Now remember your talking to a ladie ....whoes veg do very well with a mimumum amount of digging done

[oldherbaceous]

I just can't seem help myself, i just have to have a little dig now and again.

[Parsons Jack]

Been busy lately packeting seeds for the allotment association. It seemed like a good idea at the time to buy in bulk and re-pack them, but I'm not so sure now
We try to keep the seeds priced at £1.00 per packet.
The seed potatoes arrived last Friday, and another order has already gone in.

Totally out of the blue, a Certificate of Merit arrived from the council, so one or other of my plots can't be too bad I suppose