Monday 31 October 2011

Allotment work recommences ......

Well we are back from our few days away and I finally got to spend a few hours down the allotment.

The time was mainly spent sorting out the tomato plants....clearing some rubbish away...weeding (what a surprise!!) and sorting the compost heap. I did get a little harvesting done though.



butternut squash
Butternut squash.

I wasn't there long but the weather was still and quite warm so it was quite enjoyable. I didn't get the potatoes dug up but hopefully I can fit that in this week.

Life should calm down now a all house projects and visits from and to friends are finished for the year which means I can get back into routine...at least that's the plan!!



tomatoes
A bucket full of tomatoes.

Things seems to have run away from me this year and I am hoping that next season will be a lot more settled so that I can really stay on top of things.


pumpkins
Pumpkins!!

The worst thing now is that the clocks have moved so by 5pm we are losing light and that is the day done....it does mean I get cleaned up earlier though....guess you always have to look at the bright side of things too.


So hopefully in the next couple of days I will be giving more updates with some photos of the allotment too.


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Wednesday 26 October 2011

Weather Watch Wednesday.....26/10/11.......week 42

Well I don't have any allotment news for you but I thought it was about time I did a weather update which I have been seriously lacking with!!

The weather has been pretty typical for October....days are
shortening rapidly and with the clocks moving this weekend nights will suddenly come VERY quickly.

Temperatures haven't been too bad when the sun has come out....but on overcast days there has been quite a chill to the air and we have already
had a few light frosts.

Not much rain...but a few strong winds have been coming through lowering the temperature even more...I must say already I am longing for spring as I watch the trees lose their leaves and the gardens start to die back ready for the dormant months of winter.

wasps nest
A wasps nest.

On a happier note the bathroom is finished and I am
very pleased with it....I have had some time off this week but it has been taken up putting the house back to rights and tomorrow we go to stay with friends for a couple of days so it will be the weekend before I can even think about getting to the allotment...and there I will be, come rain or shine so watch this space for some updates!!

wasps nest
It broke as we trimmed up the hedge.

Got some gardening done today and whilst tidying up a hedge came across a wasps nest...luckily it was an old one with no inhabitants...but it was kind of cool to see it up close so I hope you enjoy the photos.


wasps nest
It was kind of a cool to get a good look inside, we could even see some old 'egg sacks' that the wasps had hatched out of.

Will catch up with all my favourite blogs at the weekend too...sorry I have been so absent, (wow I seem to have said that a lot this year!) But that should be it now...all should calm down and get back to normal!!

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Sunday 16 October 2011

Not much Life at the allotment...but we saw Newtons tree!!

So with everything that has been going on in life I haven't spent too much time down the allotment....a couple of hours yesterday doing a little tidying up but that's about it.

So I thought I would share one of last weekends outings with you again so I can put a few pictures up...and give a little history lesson too.

We all went to Woolsthorpe Manor...this is less than 20 mile from my home and the birthplace of Isaac Newton (now I'm sure everyone has heard of him!!)

You probably remember my visors from my previous post? So it was a 'touristy' thing...and also because even though I have lived here all my life I had never visited.

Woolsthorpe Manor
Woolsthorpe Manor...it was a drizzly day but we didn't let that 'dampen' our spirits!!

So what did we see there...well lots of stuff in the house...and inscriptions and drawings on the walls which they think may have been drawn by Newton himself...but the best thing was of course Newtons tree....that's right....the tree that helped discover gravity.

Issac Newtons Tree
JB standing in front of the famous tree. It doesn't look very big as a few hundred years ago it was blown down by storms and so most of it cut up for firewood...however the tree was still rooted in the ground so one again started to grow and produce fruit...in the photo you can see where the original trunk is laid across the ground and the new shoots have grown out of this......to think we same so close to losing such an important part of history.

We also got to pick and eat delicious apples off the fruit trees...and look for the other fruit trees that are around too. It's a national trust house and isn't too expensive and lovely for a short outing.

Scrumping and eating apples
Handing out the apples for a little snack. I have to say we were a little worried as to whether we could pick them but we were told it would be ok and really why shouldn't it, if visitors didn't pick and eat the fruit it would all be wasted and rotting on the ground. We saw pear, medlar and hazelnuts there too.

So that was our day to the Manor. My friends have since flown home and so for a day life got back to normal...then I had my bathroom ripped out....yes we are in a mess but I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it in the long run.

I know I haven't been as dedicated to my blog these last few months but with changing jobs, exams, colleges, visits, house improvements etc it has just been absolute mayhem. However get next week out the way and things will be plain sailing as jobs and colleges are now settled and part of routine and all major projects will be completed and holidays and visitors done with. That means I can get some serious work done down the allotment as I am so far behind this year I haven't even got my main crop potatoes out the ground yet....and there is so much more to do too...so with all that in mind there will be plenty of posts and updates coming your way too!!


As for the weather...we had a very mild frost the night before last so I really need to get my tomatoes harvested.....don't panic Tanya...it will all come together nicely....deep breaths..........

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Saturday 8 October 2011

A little visit to the allotment and a quick weather update!!

Well I have friends visiting at the minute so not much activity going on down the allotment but I did take them round for a quick look and we harvested a few bits!!

big beetroot harvest
We harvested some very large beetroot...it cooked up just lovely though!!


enjoying picking the raspberries
My self and JB eating some raspberries...he though it was great that we could pick and eat fruit straight off the bushes!!


Hanging out by the pond
Enjoying the view by the pond...not much wildlife around to see today though.

a stroll through the allotments.
Having a wander around the plot....we went to feed the horses and see what else was around!!

You should be impressed...that's three photo's I have put up and I am in every one!! It was nice showing my friends what I had been growing and JB loved every minute of harvesting the fruit and veg.

The weather has cooled down immensely and it seems Autumn has hit with a vengeance. The days and nights are chilly, we've had some fierce winds and today we've had drizzly rain all day. I think that is definitely it until the spring of 2012 for the warm weather so I will have to start digging out my winter warmers!!!

Hope the weather is a little better for all of you than it has been for me....not much into this cold stuff!!

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Monday 3 October 2011

Allotments 2012!!

Yes I know we are still in 2011 and we have a few months yet but I have decided to be a little more organized this year after my seed catalouge came through my letterbox.

I went up the allotment at the weekend to take some manure up and did a few jobs but not much although I did pick another 10lb of tomatoes for sauce!!

Anyway the main reason I went up was to get all my seeds and I then went through to see which would be ok for next year.

Once that was done I wen thorough and wrote a list of all I want to grow next year and then put an order in for the seeds I don't have.

I didn't have to buy that many...and with getting them half price I am quite pleased with the amount I have.

This is the first year I have looked so early at the things I would like to grow and what I have and I'm hoping that this will save me time next year as I will be able to sow stuff when needed and not have to trail for hours finding what I want!!

I have also bought a few weird seeds to have a go at too.....full list to follow in a later post...and maybe some pics. too!!

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