Tuesday 15 November 2011

Vampires begone!

Hi there

No I haven't invested in a crucifix and an wooden stake!  I have just planted out about a hundred garlic cloves!  A FAB collection of different bulbs I purchased from Thomson and Morgan.  I have in the past been slightly dissapointed with T&M offerings but this was marvelous in quality and price (IMHO anyway).  The pack consisted of one bulb each of the following:

Albigensian Wight, Chesnok Red, Early Purple Wight, Edenrose, Germidour, Iberian Wight, Picardy Wight, Lautrec Wight, Messidrome, Wight Cristo

or two in one case!  And 5 elephant garlic cloves (6 to those of us that can count!)  Not bad for £20 less a penny.  I had looked at other garlic collections from other places but this seemed like the best value for money with plenty of varieties to plant.  They all were in good nick too and big fat bulbs too so hardly any scrawny cloves!  I planted them all in any case.  I do reckon that I perhaps should have seperated or distinguised the hardneck and softneck varieties... but being me I have just bunged them in willy nilly!  I have however learnt from my onion calamity earlier (well not a disaster) to leave plenty of room for a hoe inbetween rows.  Not necessarily the same as the planting instructions.  Imagine the space a massive garlic clove takes up then a generous hoe space then another large clove... This should be plenty.  I ended up mostly hand weeding my onions - bad times!

Apart from preparing the bed for the garlic and getting them in, the mother has weeded the lettuces for me.... FAB!  I even let her have a couple... Generous moi n'est pas?

I have been brave this week.... I auditioned for the solo in one of our choir songs... Walking on Broken Glass!  I think I did okay despite not being able to stop my hands shaking.  I would just get them under control and my mic holding hand would flip out again!  I either looked like I had Tourettes or Parkinsons, the choir is divided.  Anyway the singing was tolerable, just have to work on the nerves and have another try next week... :o)

So fingers crossed for me and as I have planted so much garlic - I won't have use of crosses over the threshold to keep the vampires away!  Good times :o)

Chat soon X

PS  - I also have bulk mouthwash on order!

Saturday 5 November 2011

Look what I made (Oh yes ME!)

Hi there

Now as the allotment is starting to gear down for the winter months, my mind is moving on to more practical matters of how to make the place more attractive/functional.  Now I DO have a chair on the lottie (borrowed from an abandoned allotment!) .  However the chair does get plonked wherever and the allotment isnt exactly a level wonderland!  We've already broken one chair by falling off A over T :o)  So today I took some of the abandoned slabs that I had forgotten about at the back of the garage and made this....

  TA Daaaaa!


Yes I know it doesnt look like much (it isnt) and this picture makes it look like its on the wonk (only slightly) but I did that!  And it give the chair a really solid base!  Well, its enough for one chair and your feet!  Maybe a bag too :o)  I do have some more so this will get extended over to the right.  It is sited just in front of the goosegogs for easy picking and scoffing while sitting...

Another thing that I have coveted on other sites was a tool store... Not a locked one but just a few pallets nailed together to keep stuff off the ground, upright and together (and not under the gooseberry bushes )  So after having liberated a few pallets from work I made this...


It was going to be a 3 sided affair but the third side was too short and long... but two sided is enough I think!  Prolly siting it by the shit heap was a mistake too....It also might be slightly wonky but I tried to take the pic in the most flattering angle!  As you can see my tools fit neatly in the pallets themselves and the bottom palle can hold my compots, pots and watering cans are threaded over a hoe handle! 

No - sorry never going to be a carpenter but a slightly tider garnener maybe!  At least I wont going for a tumble just yet!

Chat soon X