Wednesday 29 December 2010

Weather watch Wednesday...week 52 2010...and tropical heat!!!!!

Ok...so I lie, it isn't actually tropical heat in my area but it did get up to 6degrees today which is amazing as this is the first time in a while that we have got above freezing. The snow has all melted and left the streets damp and dirty looking.

We have been engulfed in a ground mist all day which magically disappeared when you left the country behind and reached the town which unfortunately I had to do today after hibernating for the past week.

But that is me now until all these silly bank holidays are over and the world gets back to rights after the Christmas festivities...then it will be back to work and hopefully a little warmer as the days grow lighter.

Still haven't been up the plot but this is scheduled for tomorrow after I have repaired my wellies that have a hole in the top....note to self...when using the cultivator ensure you move your foot before you ram it into what should be the ground...saves having to repair wellingtons and stops you suffering with 'holey' toes!!

Hope the weather is warming up a little for the rest of you too!!

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Tuesday 28 December 2010

Prezzies for the plotter!!!

Well I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas. Mine was very nice....after the initial hectic run up to the 'Big Day' I finally managed to get sat down and relax Christmas eve about about 8pm...which is definitely a record in my book!!!

We had dinner at home and then tea with the family at my parents house and it was all nice and laid back....I like to spend Christmas with just family as you never feel like you are entertaining anyone so you have a much more laid back time.


Anyway lets talk presents!!! I had lots of wonderful gifts as always and a few which were to do with the allotment too!!


I got a great t-shirt which states 'I'd rather be down the allotment'...which I have to say I did refrain from wearing Christmas day for two reasons, a) It was -5degrees and b) everyone may have told me to 'bugger off then'....and I really wanted my mince pies..lol


prezzies for the plotter allotment presents
My presents!

I also got 4 books to be used with my allotment, all very different aspects which was amazing as no-one knew that I would get 4!! One was a garden notes, one an allotment journal, one a handbook and then a grow your own eat your own...all of them very much loved!!

Obviously I got lots of bits for Christmas but I also got a 6th generation nano ipod and a kindle, neither of which are directly related to the allotment but both of which will be used immensely. I love to listen to music whilst I work and the kindle is going to be great as I can take a good book to mull over for a while whilst I have a spot of lunch and also I can download some gardening books to it so I will have stuff on hand that isn't too bulky!!


I finally got the time to sit down yesterday and catch up with all the blogs I love to follow, not only did I have some great reads but I also found I was a winner on
Dykes Edge Allotment Diary and I have to admit that I feel just a little guilty for not knowing until a week later so I hereby officially thank you Craig and I look forward to receiving my prize...kind of like a late Christmas present... :-) If any of my readers haven't seen Craig's log then go over and check it out!

Well we didn't get an official white Christmas, as we got no fresh snowfall, but the snow stayed lingering form the last sprinkling and we glittered with ice and frost all day so it was quite a pretty day.


Well that's all I have for now, I have another week of vacation left and I think during that time I might see if I can get down to the plot and maybe try and prize that shed open to check on those potatoes...I have to admit to buying them in for the last couple of weeks as entry to the shed has been impossible so I will have to re-think storage for next year...oh well, live and learn I guess!!


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Friday 24 December 2010

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas

Well it's been totally hectic around here trying to get everything done on time...but now it's Christmas eve and the presents are all wrapped and distributed, gifts are under the tree ready for the morning and the ironing and cleaning is all done...now I can finally relax.

I haven't had chance in a while to keep up with my favourite blogs and I give my apologies for this but I hope you all understand and I will hopefully be catching up with you all over the next few days.

I also missed my weather watch for the week...this week would be week 51 and there really has been no change in the weather....not much snow to speak of but still the freezing temperatures and I was greeted by a shed full of ice last Tuesday morning after a bottle of pop exploded...last thing I wanted to be doing at -8 degrees was spring cleaning the shed....it does look nice though but I must remember not to leave bottles of during out there in the future if the weather gets really cold.

Well Christmas morning will soon be with us and I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas...I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing time and I will be posting again before then on the weather and catching up with you all too.

Thank you to all of you who visit me and I look forward to hearing from you all in 20011!!

MMmmmm....I wonder if we will wake to a white Christmas this year as we did last year?? Hope not...last hing I want to be doing tomorrow morning is shoveling the snow whilst trying to watch the Turkey!!

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Wednesday 15 December 2010

Weather watch Wednesday..week 50 2010.

Well the weather has warmed up a little and the snow is all but gone though it is mostly windy and wet or foggy now so it doesn't feel any warmer at all. Temperatures are averaging at 3 degrees, although that doesn't take into account the windchill or 'damp' factor.

Everything seems to be rush, rush, rush this last week with presents to wrap and cards to write and presents to finish making so this is a really quick post.....Hope to get it all done by the weekend and then I can relax and catch up with all my favourite bloggers and write a more interesting post for you all, until then please accept me apologies!!!

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Wednesday 8 December 2010

Weather watch Wednesday week 49...and the potato problem!!

Well not much to say on the weather front really...it's still very cold and yesterday we had a record low for our area of -12 degrees...I know some places have been colder so i won't complain about it loudly....just mumble and grumble quietly to myself!!

We haven't really had snow since Friday but the snow is still there in the form of huge blocks of ice and the streets which haven't been cleared are treacherous. Today we actually have a high of freezing point so things are looking up though!!


Now for the potato problem...... firstly see the picture below.......


yucky potatoes
Yucky potatoes!

OK...do you see the problem?? Well quite a few of them are like this when I peel them....certainly not the majority but enough to be really getting on my nerves and I was wondering whether it is something I have done in the way I have stored them, whether this type of potato is prone to this...or maybe it's something else entirely. The potatoes are 'Desiree' and not only is it the first time I have grown them but also the first time I have grown and therefore stored main crop potatoes. Just so you know these were collected from the plot before the seriously cold weather and stored indoors in a black-out potato bag but I guess they could have got frosted a bit. I have been storing them in my wooden shed in a hessian sack.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!


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Wednesday 1 December 2010

Weather Watch Wednesday..week 48 2010...in pictures!!

Well it's cold and white...that's about all there is to say really. Temperatures as low as -10 degrees have been recorded...and we have been lucky if we reached 1 degree in the last week.

Over 400 hundred schools i
n the area have been closed and my town was announced as being 'cut off' this morning...and that's really saying something as we have two major roads criss-crossing us (A1 and A52).

Enjoy the pictures!!

duckschicken

The fowl don't seem to mind the weather.

chickensguinea fowl


snowy allotmentssnowy allotment

Can you see that?? That there in the sky..it's called a sun...I think?!?!?

snowy allotmentssnowy allotments

A few signs of activity...but how long ago no-one really knows.

snowy allotmentssnowy allotments

The heavy snow weighing down the netting of a chicken coop.

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