Monday 15 July 2013

Allotment BBQ Success.

Well yesterday was the day or our annual BBQ and although it didn't go off without a hitch it did happen and everyone who attended seemed to enjoy themselves.

The weather co-operated for us staying cool and cloudy throughout the morning and the sun breaking through in the afternoon as things really got going.

We have a gas BBQ at the plot which had some sort of fault so we had to start cooking on the gas camping stove (which is usually just used for boiling kettles) whilst other plot holders rallied around and brought us coal BBQ's down for us to borrow.

We had a raffle which had a variety of prizes donated by some of the other allotment holders.

The burgers and sausages bought from the local butchers were delicious and some of the other allotment holders came down with salads. We also had fresh strawberries and cream on offer.

There was also a small produce stall and a jam's and chutneys stall. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a nice social event. We started off the day with 50 burgers and about 60 sausages. At the end of the day there were just 12 sausages and about 6 burgers left so that wasn't too bad.

We will of course be holding one next year when we hole that a few more people can attend and we can think about other things to include. We really would like to see more of the villagers turn up so this is going to be something we discuss for our next event.

Enjoy the pics.

The produce stall looked after by Andy and his family.




The produce stall looked after by Andy and his family.
BBQ was sorted by Nigel and Julia and various drinks were available with your burger/sausages.



BBQ was sorted by Nigel and Julia and various drinks were available with your burger/sausages. Nigel did remarkably well under the pressure off initially having no BBQ to cook on!!
The salads were laid out on a table for people to help themselves. It wasn't planned the the flowers in the planter were set in the middle but what a lovely addition to the table!



The salads were laid out on a table for people to help themselves. It wasn't planned the the flowers in the planter were set in the middle but what a lovely addition to the table!
Kris (another allotment holder) brought down some of her fantastic jams and chutneys and they were available for sale



Kris (another allotment holder) brought down some of her fantastic jams and chutneys and they were available for sale, She was also more than happy to chat with customers and share recipes.
Raffle prizes.





Raffle prizes.
tables and chairs were laid out on the grass and it was a nice way to catch up and mingle with all who attended.



The tables and chairs were laid out on the grass and it was a nice way to catch up and mingle with all who attended. Of course dogs ans d children were in great attendance too!!

a beautiful sunset




And then such a beautiful sunset to finish off a wonderful day!

Saturday 13 July 2013

Sun, heat, work, play.....

Okay, this is probably likely to be a bit of a mish-mash post as so much has been going on that I haven't really had time to post and I just kind of want to get you all up to speed a bit.

The weather has been dry, sunny and for the most part hot here as it has for most of the UK which unfortunately has been great growing weather for the weeds so plenty of weeding has been undertaken...having said that it has been great for the crops too and i will soon be looking forward to more than just strawberries!!

Not that I'm complaining though, after recruiting a couple of helpers I got this lot...



Fresh picked strawberries.
Fresh strawberries.
So these actually filled my kitchen sink and there are now none left...I will let you know what I decided to do with them later in the week. Picking these with the help of the kids only took an hour...that of course was with a little bit of weeding thrown in too!!


 Oh yeah...I mentioned those weeds didn't I?? Well check out the bee plot....

Long, unkempt grass needs cutting.
Long, unkempt grass needs cutting.

The above photo actually isn't too bad, but.....

Waist high weeds.
Waist high weeds.
These were really bad, (can you see the top of my incinerator peeking through??)...anyway with a little help I did get this all strimmed down to the ground and now I think I have a plan in mind to try and get a handle on things. Of course this will only be in theory but I won't know until I try. It has been hard over the last few months with having all the planting to do on the other plots. So how did I get some help??

Offer a teenager a power tool and they are more than willing to help.
Offer a teenager a power tool and they are more than willing to help.

I gave my Son a power tool!! It's amazing how quickly they jump at the chance to help if they get to play with toys...having said that though after an hour the fun had gone out of it and it turned into hard work...I didn't mind though I'll take anything I can get!!

On top of all this weeding and strimming there has of course been work and the garden to contend with and then I have also managed to get to help with the bees too.
On the bee note, Jez gave me a whole jar of delicious honey and since then my Hubby and I have been taking a spoonful a day instead of the hay-fever medication you by over the counter. It has been wonderful and as it's natural it has got to 'bee' better for us!!

So I think that is where I am at for now, well more or less but I don't want to bore you all to sleep on such a glorious day...speaking of glorious days I was down the allotment last night until 10:30pm. I love going at this hour when the weather has been so hot and it is always so still at that time of the day.

Looks to be another scorcher today so I don't think I will be doing much on the allotment but that's okay...It will be nice to relax just for a little bit.

Okay, I really am going to leave you alone now...Have a great weekend all!!
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Wednesday 10 July 2013

Party on the Plot.

Well it has been an amazingly busy time for me this last week which means I haven't sat and wrote any posts but I will be telling you all about what I have been up to over the next few days...for now I just want to let everyone know about our annual 'Party on the Plot'

Party on the Plot

I know many of you are not local but if you do happen to be in the area then pop round for a burger and a chat. We have put posters up around the village but the barbecue is open for anyone who would like to come so please feel free to visit and bring along your family and friends. The more the merrier we say!!

Skinners are the local village butchers who have been around for as long as I and my parents can remember and make the most wonderful sausages so if you do get chance to visit then make sure you try one.

The poster was made by Krys, one of our committee members and I think it looks great so i would just like to thank her for the time she spent making and printing them too.

Well hopefully I will get finished before 10pm tonight so I can catch up with a few of you and see what you have all been up to.

Would be great to see plenty turn up foe the BBQ so fingers crossed!!
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