Lotty meanderings

This season is our first full one on the allotment. Although I have tried veg growing in the past, it has never been on such a scale as this. I have to confide that I am still nervous about it. The planting and cultivation from seed through to the finished vegetable goodness fills me with both wonder and fear. I never tire of seeing those first seedlings pushing through and relish potting on plants until they are ready to go out into the big wide world. However, once in the ground I cluck around them like a mother hen and feel devastated when something goes wrong. I take it very personally and feel like an allotment failure.

Now, horror of horrors, I am faced with task of successive planting!! If I have gaps after harvesting I must fill them or be faced with the charge of not utilising my plot effectively. Bare ground is wasted ground!!!!

Today, I proudly unearthed the rest of our garlic - this was a big success. The garlic has been in the ground since November and today the beautiful luscious bulbs saw the light of day. Between you and me I think I have produced enough to last a lifetime - but I guess I can always barter with some of it. However, to get back to my original train of thought, I now have a 19 ft x 4 ft bed to fill!!!!! What can I possibly put in that bed??? If I was any good at all as an allotmenteer, I would now produce several trays of green and burgeoning plants that would perfectly fill the space!!! Not me, oh no - I am going to get out the books tonight - when it is far too late - and come up with some half-arsed scheme that will end up with me just covering the bed over and forgetting about it! ...........but then again there is always green manure!!!!!! I think that will have to be a different blog topic for another day.

By the way, the photo is of our recycled trailer tent which has been magically transformed with one of those cheap plastic greenhouse covers into our very own tomato and salad house - nifty, eh?!

The Solstice

Well, was it today or yesterday ...........damn these leap years?!!!!

Either way, it's here. A time for a moment of the longest day and the shortest night. The sun is at its highest and the Oak is supreme for one last time before the Holly reigns again. All is joy and bliss ...... or is it?

For me it is a time of deep thought as the wheel of the year turns slowly round and we begin to look inwardly toward the darker half.

At the allotment, and also emotionally and spiritually, we are reaping what we have sowed. We look at what we have planted and created and see what has been a success and what has failed. We now have the chance to start to plan for the future ..... but on a lighter note, to celebrate success - vegetable and otherwise!!!

So while all is lush and green around us and inspiration comes easily, the Awen flows through us while all life is bounteous......plan, plan, plan and stuff your face with courgettes !!!!

Blessed be at Alban Hefin xxxxxx

Our Allotment last year

A few photos to remind us how much work we have put in on the allotment over the last year.
This is how it was - just a big overgrown area that had not been cultivated for at least 20 years.
We strimmed, raked, strimmed again!! Put a shed up and dug in some veg beds..................

It has been hard work - but worth it!!

Monday Blues

Well, another day, another dollar as the saying goes.

The picture of Bryn Celli Ddu - an ancient burial site on Ynys Mon - thought I would include it because it is a lovely place to just be.

I have just returned from work, thank goodness.

I find it terribly hard working in Ultrasound, as I do, in the summer months.

I spend all day in the dark or under artificial light while my patients' all swan around in their summer clothes exclaiming about the heat outside!! It's pants!!!!

Poor Steve has just gone to do a night shift - so I guess it could be worse.

Just had an e-mail from a lady who is running a women only drumming and generally celebrating, shamanic-type weekend in Devon in September. There are still places left - so I am tempted to go.

Wychwood Music Festival (pt 2)

The Silent Disco!!!!!!

Just to explain ...............

This was filmed in a Big Top filled with hundreds of people all listening to one of two DJ's (which you could switch between) on head phones. So this is the video of what it looked and sounded like with the head phones off!!! It was hilarious - but I guess you had to be there!!!!

Wychwood Music Festival (pt 1)

Welcome to The Proclaimers!!!!

Sunday morning

Well , had a lovely day yesterday.
Spent a few hours down at the lotty putting in some brassicas that had been growing in wooden wine boxes for the last few weeks. The plot is looking ok but lots and lots of weeding to do as always.
Plans for today are to move some more sweetcorn, squashes and tomatoes down there from our garden coldframe and basically weed until my hands bleed and my back gives up!!! Oh the life of an allotmenteer!!
Went to the Blue Boar yesterday evening with Tim and Julie and had a very lovely evening. Good company, good conversation, good food and good wine - perfect.

Lots of things!!

Well, too much to tell really...............
Went to Blue Boar barbecue and had a good time.
Boring week in work after the bank holiday.
Then ........went to the Wychwood festival!!!!!!!
IT WAS FAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saw some fantastic bands; met some lovely people; bought lots of ethnic trinkets; ate lots of scrumptious food and the sun shone down on us all weekend!!!
Life does not get any better then last weekend!!!
Watch out for further updates on this - we do have a couple of great video clips, unprofessionally shot by me on my phone! I will let Steve upload those.
Now today I have to go and do a LOT of weeding down at the allotment. Steve went and strimmed yesterday so that we could see where the beds are!!! So, I will go and do some more retrieval today!!