Hey there! Snow time blues

Dear All

******** snow stopped play *********

the end - that WAS January.....

Not sown a seed or turned a sod.  I have been lazy.  I have not even rifled through the seed packets. Most unlike me.  I have normally started Chilli's and maybe even tomato's by now.... Hmmmmm ennui strikes.

Perhaps if it snows again this weekend, I will get the house done early and spend an hour or so in the potting-shed-alike... I dooo have a few seeds (chilli's) that could be doing with getting on.  The Rainbow chilli's in particular were brill and super hot this year.  If I use one tonight I shall be sure to save a coupla the seeds!

Anyhoo - Hope that you are all finding your Mojo... If you find mine, smack its bum and send it home please :o)

Chat soon X

3000!

OH EM GEEEEE people!  Just logged on today and I can see the read count is 2999!  It cant all be me obsessively checking and re-reading surely!

 Congratulations if your my 3000th reader - I wish I could know who you were.  I have a loyal but steady regular crew of about 10 so you can all pat yourselves on the back!

I am just at the point where I am starting to think about getting the seed stash out and starting off some chilli's.  The good think about having this blog is its easy to look back and see when I did things last year and if they worked, rather relying on my memory!

I used to know a poem that started off:

My forgetterer is getting betterer, but my rememberer is broke, to you this might sound funny but to me this is no joke!

Me in a nutshell I'm afraid - if its not written down or I'm not reminded its gone.

Anyway in other exciting news - choir - we sang in Trafalgar Square in December in aid of the Children's Hear Foundation - It was bitterly cold but FAB  R C Trafalgar Square  you can't really see me in this as my face is hidden by a massive fluffy mic but my ponytail is putting on a stirling performance.

Yet more excitement - I seem to have stumbled across my dream job...  I wont say too much here just in case but its organic, friendly, small, a little bit hippy dippy, closer to home and they want to pay me more money.  I say they do but I haven't met them yet!  I have met the lady from the agency however and it sounds AMAAAAAAAY-ZING!  I'll keep you updated.  Interviews likely to be next Weds/Thursday!

Anyway must choose what chillis to start of - numex twilights are a must!

And thanks for your support and love and just for generally reading all the rubbish I come out with

BIG LOVE XXX

Chat soon X

Finaleeeeeeeee

Hey I ave finally got the garlic in the ground!  Whoooo hooooo!  Although having had a chesty cough and three days off work last week, it was looking dicey for this weekend too!  However like a good girl I got up, packed my lottie bag, guilt tripped Mr B into coming with me an off we set. 

I used the top bed for this as I have not had onions in it before and it will be nearly a whole section of the allotment planted up!  I have varieties messidrome, germidor, edenrose, chesnok red and elephant garlic.  I can't remember off the top of my head in which order though I did do a nifty little diagram!  Beside that I do have three rows of eschallot grise, apparently a prized ingredient (excellent marketing which I fell for!) and then only two of electric red onions.  This was all I could fit in as a) I haven't dug enough and b) the ground which was slightly uncovered at this edge and was frozen.  I reckon there are about as many again which I didn't get to plant so I will come back to these in the spring perhaps....

And as for broad beans.... sigh ... not done. I have a vague entertainment of starting them off at home in loo rolls and then when the ground is soft again in spring putting the little plantlets in the ground like that.  So the advantage of growing them early in to non frozen compost and hopefully and early harvest to combat the greenfly... I shall think on it.  I may have some free time on Tuesday. 

Having my pre Xmas haircut tonight (have had a bit of a hair disaster vis a vis colouring and over straightening and now some of the ends break!) and then Weds running club if I'm fit enough and Thursday Choir is singing in Marlow... Just have to learn my solo for "all over the world" by ELO.  Oh yes a solo and this time by clever choosing I don't have to share!  YAY!  Mine all MINE!

Anyway back to the allotment, I got the planting done and Mr B took down the beans and the poles and helped me re-spread the tarpaulin over a bit lower down the plot.  Looks much neater and ready for the long winter.  I doubt I will get anything else done until its chilli time next year.... apart from the broad beans that is.... eventually :o)

Hope you're all well and Chat again soon X

Ciao for now !!!

When will I see you again?

Hi there!

I must admit to a heinous crime... I have not been to the allotment for the past THREE weeks! shocker.  I think that apart from the depth of winter this is the longest that I haven't been since I got it!  I couldn't be bothered the first weekend, then had a family funeral to attend and was mega busy last weekend.  Sigh.  Must do better would be my report card.

The long awaited garlic, onion and shallot order arrived!  YAY I hear you say "she can stop twanging on about it now" ALAS the weather is sooooo bad (rained all night) that I fear I wont be able to get there this weekend either..... BAH - I also have to drop the car off for its MOT Saturday so that's out anyway.  We will see what happens on Sunday.  Maybe I can go and cut the beans down at least!

I think I will start the broad beans anyway at home.  I can then get them out when the weather is drier.  Yeah thats a plan stan.

Diet is going well.  Still on the Dukan and about 9 lbs down so all good.

Work is slightly frustrating still - they are still fannying about and no further contract has been offered.  Really hoping for a permanent one this time (as always).  I wouldn't say no to an extension but I would seriously start to look for something else.  My boss has promised me a definitive answer by the end of the month.  7 days it is then.... (watch this space I suspect it will be just like last time and only be offered something 2 days before the end!)

Anyway Christmas is coming.  Need pressie ideas for Mr B.  sigh.

Better get on Ciao for now and chat soon X

OOOOOOOoooh - Films - ARGO is the best film I've seen for AAAAAAAAAAGES!  Go SEE GO SEE :0)

Like a cream cake at fat club

Well a moan then a retraction, now a moan again...  I KNOW it says on your website I can expect them any time from September - December but DAGNAMIT I want my onions, garlic and shallots NOW.  The bed is ready and raring to go.  I finished digging it all on Saturday and its looking inviting - like a cream cake at a weight watchers fat club.  I haven't started my broad beans either, but one of the people at the allotments who knows what he's doing (not just guessing like me), says he just bungs the seeds in the prepped bed in November and leaves them to it.  Less work = less work so I like the sound of it!

Anyhow - back to cream cakes (drool).... I have started the Dukan Diet after having bumped in to a friend (we'll call her Maude*) at the garden centre natch, and commenting on how good she looked and what plan was she doing - this is a normal convo for me and this particular friend - we met at a slimming world class and only lost a fiver a week and an hour of our time!  But we gained a friendship that is largely based on slimming, our respective allotments and swapping weight loss plans.  "The Dukan diet" she replies "and I get to eat food!" - a low blow I thought as she knew I'd been doing a meal replacement milkshake diet, "I've lost two stones in 6 weeks" she trilled knowing how to hook me!  "tell me more" says I - and a week later I've ditched the milkshakes and am on a low carb, low fat roller-coaster WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  She was right it is FAB to eat!  Mmmmmm best of all I get to cook, which I miss.  I cant  knock the not eating Cambridge/slim n save - I have lost THREE stones (Maude* THATS THREE STONES) since January (in bursts - I have eaten food in between!)

I don't think it covers cream cakes though... Ooooh and I'm making Maude* come to choir with me on Monday - so dont tell me its not a loving an giving relationship!  Oh ho no!

Anyway I am off to Derbyshire for a Family thing this weekend so its unlikely that they will be providing me with made to measure diet food so lets see how we get on.

I hope there's cake!

Ciao for now, chat soon X

*UGLY substitute names given to protect the guilty innocent

Well butter my buttocks and call me Susan

After a rather disparaging post on Friday maligning Thomson and Morgan and their Customer service - I am rather forced to eat my words.  I did indeed email them on Friday at 3.36pm - I received a reply at 3.49pm.  Good news - Not only have I ordered Garlic and Shallots but some onions too!  Bad news - I have to do lots more digging to get the beds ready!  Oooops :0)

I got the the lottie on Saturday and have made a good start on this years potato bed - I will be putting the overwintering things here.  I'll get it dug over and then whap in the onions, garlic, shallots (broad beans too if they will fit), then I can make a start on the others in my own good time.  Having stuff in the ground overwinter really encouraged me this year as I could always see that some of the allotment was actually doing something and looked good.  So the more that I get sorted out now the better.

Also got hailed on and soaked to the skin but never mind!  Worth it - came home with yet MORE beans - the Frenchies are STILL flowering!  WOW.

Anyway this means more work to prep them for freezing.  Thank god for Chest freezers.  :o)

Have a good week and chat soon X

Not a whole lot going on...

As the season draws to a close, I find I am spending a lot less time at the plot and spending my time doing things like (don't faint) jogging.  I am still going tot he plot either Saturday or Sunday for a couple of hours but that's all I seem to be able to muster at the moment.  The beans perversely are still producing beans although at this time of year a lot of them are on the tough side.  One set of french beans were flowering like mad last week but I am sure that we'll get frost before too long.  Maybe I should wrap them in  fleece to give the beans a fighting chance!   Who knows we could be picking until November at this rate.  Everything else has definitely given up the ghost.  I think I have ordered some garlic but I think I have deleted the email confirmation and now cant remember if I have some coming or not.  How long should I wait?  Should I just bung some in and then if I get what I think I've ordered see it as a bonus???    I don't know it just seems like too much effort.  I think I'll email T&M and see if they can trace an order to this address..... although they are notoriously shit with emails... phone calls... service.... sigh... I have two hopes!

I am however thinking of controlling the paths better (gaining some control) by laying down spare carpet.  I meant to do this this year too!  I'm crap really aren't I? however this will mean that I'm not spending the majority of my time strimming or cutting with shears!  There are some paving slabs at work which the handyman has not only said I can have but he will deliver too!  So we should be able to have a paved area for two next year instead of just one!  YAY two seats!  :) I also have some plans involving wooden pallets..... However we'll see if I can get the carpet thing done first eh!  I think I'll measure up at the plot and then cut the stuff at home which should make it a bot more transportable.  I am only a girl after all - a good one however there are limits to my capabilities!

Films watched recently: Judge Dred - Good, Looper - Great, The Sweeney - Excellent!  Thank god the school holiday kids shit is out of the way!  

Right lets go and put another job off.... Google here I come!

chat soon X