Wahey! I'm back after a blogging drought. I blame the computer people at work, who have decided to block access to blogger so I can no longer start writing posts in my lunch break. Bah!
So, what's been going on in the last three weeks...?
The weekend after the excitement of getting the strimmer working was the bi-annual Bedford River Festival - so no allotmenteering for us! The plot judging took place on that Sunday, and then we had to wait over a week to find out if we'd won anything!
On the following weekend the committee had hired a skip to clear some of the rubbish and unwanted carpets with accumulate around the back ends of allotments. Adam was going away for the weekend so got up extra early to lend a hand clearing bits and bobs. Then I popped down about 10am to spend an hour or two helping clear up and then doing a few odd jobs on our patch. Eventually finished about 2pm when I realised that I was grubby and very hungry! But in that time I'd done some weeding, collected up the shallots and garlic which Adam had left drying in the sunshine, and transplanted our leek seedlings to their 'proper' place, where they can put on some weight ready for winter. Frank - the Italian with the huge field of tomato plants - gave us two old oil drums which we could use as temporary water butts. Now we just have to get them rigged up to the guttering. I also had a coffee with Louise (who's house is just 2 doors down from the allotment gate) and she gave us ten cauliflower seedlings, of various varieties, and some beetroot chutney.
That's one of the very best things about allotments - the sense of community and the fact that people are happy (most of the time) to help out and give you their surplus. Plus - free cauliflowers!!!
In the afternoon Adam's mum popped round along with her sister June and Emma, June's daughter. June especially has been really great, donating bits and bobs for the allotment including a compost bin. This time we were grateful recipients of a rotavator (ooh!) some tools and one of those dustbin-style incinerators. in appreciation we gave June some allotment produce - mange tout, shallots, potatoes and garlic - along with some homemade elderflower cordial and some orange, ginger and rhubarb marmalade.
Monday evening was the presentation of the cups and certificates from and judging the previous weekend. and no - we didn't win anything. But those who did win - it must be said - had quite spotless plots, whereas ours certainly has a few weeds (a few! ha!) here and there. Mike was given the Allotment Society Award 2008, and well deserved, as he's single-handedly cleared three or four plots which had become entirely overgrown, to make them more appealing to newcomers. And they're just down the site from us, so that'll mean less weed coming in our direction too. Anyone who reduces our weedage deserves an award as far as I'm concerned.
Adam spotted our first decent sized courgette this week, but we left in on the plant so as to be able to take a picture before we picked it... and then we didn't go to the plot of a few days.
Oops!
You'd have thought we'd've learned from last year that courgettes like turning into marrows all of a sudden.
Update on this weekend to follow. It's too nice a day to sit at the computer any longer!!!
4 comments:
How rude of work! You'll have to write your posts in Word and then cut and paste when you get home ;)
Have you got courgettes coming out of your ears yet?
Mine did that rotting off before they got very big but now there are loads of them so I am compiling courgette recipes. Courgette cake, yum!
xxx
Great to have you back! Yes, you have to keep on top of those courgettes or they will take over the world if you let them.
I think courgettes grow twice as fast overnight otherwise there is no sane way to explain their rapid expansion.
What's your recipe for courgette cake, nic? I tried to make one last year, but it was... unappealing. I'd like to have another go - but is there anyway to make it less, well, green?
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