Allotments again

I popped in for an hour to the allotment at West Moors yesterday evening, on the way to collect the Maria from dance and had a great time in the sunshine watering the courgettes and squash, along with the different plants already springing up. One observation I will make now is that the soil is not as productive here compared to the Wimborne site. I suspect the beds have not been properly manured for some time and the speed of growth is slower. I may be wrong and the growing season, which is really underway now, will show just what the plot here has got to offer.

The photos are mixed up above but it is easy to tell them apart with the allotment at West Moors having the raised beds.

Wimborne is looking good. I did the ride there and back in sunshine once again and had a good chunk of time putting the green caps on the ends of the bamboo canes, the shorter ones anyway, in order to avoid injury in case of tripping or similar types of accident. I got rid of a lot of nettles before turning over the compost heap and emptying the compost bin into the heap, It will all need to be kept more moist but it should kick on a bit now.

The big bin can be used for water carrying again now that the robins have fledged. The nest is now empty and that helped me when it came to watering. I got the beds weeded and hoed and have planted up lots more runner beans, french beans, peas, carrot, beetroot, chard and leaf beet. That means almost all the space has now been used and there is already a lot going on with runners already up and climbing, peas doing well and potatoes, garlic and onions nearly ready or maturing. It is certainly looking well tended.

Sunshine and visitors

Plenty has been going on over the past couple of days starting with yesterday and a meeting I had with others in Woodlands about the setting up of a historical society in the village to work on archived material which has been kept in the Methodist Church for many years. We are looking to get the different documents and photos online and have them catalogued for easy access. Having joined the village hall committee expecting a few meetings a year, I seem to be getting involved in a lot of local initiatives. That's good but I have to be wary of getting too involved and committed.

Juno was excited and ended up wearing her dog bed, as shown above. Our visitors from the USA, Chris and Gale, were here for just the one night but we enjoyed their stay. I collected them from Salisbury train station and we were joined by Joe and his family, Bridie and Joseph and had a great time. Lovely to catch up with them and maybe we will head to Philadelphia next year in return.

I have been cutting the lawns for Joy and took a photo of the back which was covered in daisies and buttercups. It is such a shame to cut them but Joy likes the grass kept tidy. However, we have almost completely complied with 'no mow May'. I noticed a Robin collecting insects and ant eggs from the lawn and borders as I cut the grass. In fact it was one of a pair and they have a nest in the garage. They go under the door to gain entry and to exit. The nest in high in a corner, as above.

The other stand out sighting was the stag beetle which was huge. I hope the photo gives some idea of its size. Very impressive just clinging onto the side wall of the house.

Grey Wednesday

Having got the children on their respective buses, Alison and I got our morning jobs done so we could be out before 8.30 to get off to Wimborne where we strimmed the grass at the allotment and picked more broad beans. It is looking very healthy indeed at the allotment and all the plants are doing well with the exception of the French beans which appear to have been eaten. I'll have to get some more of them in pronto.

From there we headed to the garden centre for seed compost, string, kale seeds, peanuts for the birds and some lufah seeds which Alison is keen to grow. That was a stopover on the way to West Moors where we planted out the courgettes and squash and put them under cover. Again, all looking good. 

Then it was Lidl for a couple of things and home where we had lunch before Juno ate the internet cable linking the plug in the socket to the box on the wall and took out the internet. Not very happy at all. I have managed to cobble something together but it is going to be more expense in replacing the lead. An engineer from Openreach is coming tomorrow.

I had already been for a 4.25 mile run avoiding the rain this time and then got Juno out for a not very happy walk before settling down to complete some forms for Artsreach on behalf of the village hall. There is so much to do I'm regretting getting involved with the committee. History group, makeover team, Artsreach and other things too.

 

Downpour

Back home and out with Juno early, the sun was shining and all was set for a relaxing day. The birds were dleighted to have their feeders filled and it was fantastic to see a robin feeding two young, chaffinch, blue tits, great tits, goldfinches, starling and so on with the added bonus of nuthatch and most special of all, a colourful male bullfinch. 

I got the grass cut, the grass on the verge raked, the hedge trimmed, lentil soup made, lentil burgers made and salad prepared. 

Alison was down with her mum and then off to collect Maria which meant I was out with Juno in the woods before going for a run. Great timing. I managed a couple of hundred yards before the heavens opened and I was soaked. After a few light showers, I was very disappointed by my inability to read the clouds and I ended up soaked to the skin. Just the worst timing ever. At least I managed 4 miles before getting home for a hot shower to warm up again. 

Watergate Bay weekend

There is a photo of the view from the Brunel Bridge crossing from Devon into Cornwall which I did on Friday when travelling down to meet with family at Watergate Bay. It was a lovely train journey with just the one change from Salisbury - Castle Cary - to Newquay where I got to enjoy some further fantastic views walking the cliff path from the station to the holiday park. 

Paul and I walked back to Newquay the next day for a look around the town when the weather improved throughout the day giving us a warm day with fantastic voews from the Fort Inn where brave starlings, sparrows, jackdaws and gulls flew in and out constantly in search of food.

In the evening we were at the Merrimoor for a meal which we enjoyed before travelling back on Sunday to endure the football. 

The train back was fine too and as a bonus, I walked to the station from Leigham quickly enough to be able to catch the 8.15 rather than the 9.15. Good to be home of course but what a great way to spend the weekend.

Allotment Wimborne style

Maria missed the bus this morning which meant I got to drive her instead and that gave me the opportunity to pop into the allotment in Wimborne before I have a few days down in Cornwall. It was fortuitous in that the beans and peas are up and vulnerable to the rabbits which get inside the allotment fencing regularly. Last year they devastated the first sowing of runner beans and, in order to avoid a repeat, I was able to put up the mesh netting to protect the emerging seedlings. 

There are runner beans, peas and climbing french beans and they are looking good. The garlic has another month to continue to ripen off and the onions are pushing on well. I picked some broad beans, the first of the year, and look forward to plenty of greens soon too. The potatoes and strawberries are incredible and show just how good the soil is here. 

Once home I was into the woods with Juno and then back in the garden doing some more odd jobs and planting some further squash, aubergine and runner bean seeds, as well as a sowing of lettuce seeds.

After lunch it was time for another trip to the village hall where we were meeting to look at how to enhance the 'kerbside appeal' of the hall and possible improvements to be made in the hall itself. I had a bit of a run back and found Glen at home and keen to go with the dogs up to the village green where we played with the frisbee, to Rag's delight.

Now the tea is on and we are enjoying roasted cauliflower and red pepper salad, along with a few broad beans to be followed by a trip to Verwood to walk the dog and get a few things from the shop. 

Another busy day.

Things didn't quite pan out as planned yesterday evening with several heavy downpours spoiling my planned trip to the allotment on the way to dance. That meant I was off there this morning instead as I had to take the car for MoT later in the day and this seemed a good way of spending the time beforehand and without having to drive too much extra either.

It was a lovely morning and Juno and I walked past Martins Farm and up towards the woods which would take you round and back to Remedy Oak. There are plenty of sheep in the fields of Woodlands these days, something quite unusual in previous years but there are still lots and lots of horses. We saw 5 roe deer, including two young ones, in one of the horse fields. They must have had an undisturbed night before we up in the early dawn to spoil their untroubled feeding.

The allotment was nice to weed after the rain and I have got it just about cleared now. There are shallots, potatoes and spinach in the top photo with a blackcurrant bush behind. That is absolutely laden with fruit waiting to ripen. Fantastic! I staked it up as the weight of the fruit is bringing the branches lower in a number of cases and they will be more vulnerable to pests on the ground.

I also staked the raspberry canes for the same reason. In the same bed there are the first runner beans coming through. Such a joy to see them pushing up. Lots of seedlings are coming through too and the peas now have a lovely string and bamboo framework to climb and find support.

The car passed the MoT and I went for a 5km run whilst waiting before heading home for a quick bit of lunch. That was quickly followed by a bike ride back down to Verwood for a dental appointment which was over in about two minutes without any concerns. Always a relief!

I did a bit in the garden again and then did pasta with pesto for tea, a salad with white wine vinegar dressing, barbecued chickpeas (my own concoction of miso paste, tomato puree, olive oil, a pslash of water, tomato ketchup and maple syrup) and the children ate it up well.

Joseph and I are just back from a walk with Juno where Joseph had his skateboard and was showing real improvement in his balance and control. He's got a sleepover tonight.

Busy, busy, busy!

Juno and I were out just after 6am and took ourselves off to Remedy Oak golf course before getting back for breakfast, for us and our many visiting birds. From there we were soon off for a run which took us out towards Mannington, me quite slowly and Juno tearing around. We ran close to 4 miles and enjoyed being off road.

Once home I was next off to the village hall where I was cleaning the railings which surround the car park. They have become covered in algae and moss and we are trying to spruce the site up in order to entice more visitors and bookings. 

After lunch I was out in the garden trimming the hedge, the inside and outside of the front hedges, having checked there were no nesting birds, as well as using the shears to avoid the noise and disruption of the electric hedge cutters.

Juno and I went for another walk and did a litter pick heading in the direction of the crossroads, having done a litter pick in the oppostie direction yesterday. It's fair to say I am feeling tired after so much exercise and physical activity. However, I am stopping at the allotment at West Moors on the way to collect Maria from dance which means I'll get some more done before watching Liverpool at Saints later.

Football and The Ragwormers

The photo shows The Ragwormers performing at a private party in the garden of the The Albion Inn down in Verwood where the backdrop is the old railway bridge, the road out of the town having once gone over it. I remember the road being moved decades ago now and used to work opposite the pub at the ply saw mill. That was my first job after leaving university, my actual first job.

We had a great time watching the band, the mood exhilarated after the tension of the penalties in the Cup Final, won by Liverpool. I'd started watching football at 12.15 with a 6 - 0 victory by Celtic to confirm their victory in the league, followed by dipping in and out of the play off game and the Liverpool game. By yesterday the Premier League took centre stage with the Spurs game to start, skipping the West Ham game and then Everton losing to Brentford. 

Man City missed the chance to effectively wrap up the league and so it goes on to Tuesday when Liverpool play at Saints.

Sorry but it’s the allotment again

It's been another busy day starting with an early dog walk of course but I then stayed in for a while to ensure I could log on to ticket website for Arcade Fire who are performing in London on Sept 8th. I managed to get that sorted plus rail tickets and a hotel near the O2 Arena so Alison and I can make a big deal of the trip. This is a gig both of us have wanted to go to for a long time and it is worht our while splashing out a little for it.

Once complete I parked at QE school and walked down to the allotment where I did a lot of weeding, tidying up the beds, watering, putting straw down for the strawberries, planting and general tidying. The garlic has about another 6 weeks or so to go and there are broad beans ready for picking any day. The transplanted spinach and chard has taken well, I am grateful for yesterday's rain,  and I put together a frame for the peas to climb. That was the exciting discovery on my arrival, the emergence of the peas and with the crop from West Moors too, we ought to have plenty of lovely peas to enjoy through the summer. 

The climbing French beans are up too and the potatoes are looking very good after being earthed up. There are other seedlings coming up too including beetroot and turnip, so a very exciting time. 

I had managed a 5km plus run earlier in the day too and have also included a photo from Remedy Oak golf course where the sun was fantastic first thing.

Dog walking and rain

It's been a welcome return of the rain, although not enough of it to really soak into the ground. This evening we are back to blue skies and warmer temperatures after a grey day when Juno and I had a run/walk early on across Remedy Oak golf course.

The weather meant having the opportunity to get plenty done at home with the conservatory and utility rooms being thoroughly cleaned, as well as being ideal for time playing with Juno. She enjoys her games and it is welcome exercise in the home for her.

I am looking forward to seeing what the rain has brought to the allotments, both in terms of germinating seeds but also in terms of the need for watering. I'm not sure there was enough to mean I don't have to worry for a few days. It would be sad for things not to make it because they were thirsty.

Allotment Wimborne

 It was another day with time spent on the allotment which gave me the chance to enjoy a ride through the quiet roads to Wimborne, 18 and a bit miles round trip. The first task was clearing the grass from the newly dug bed having left the turf in place when doing the preliminary digging last week. I then got on with strimming the grass before earthing up the potatoes.

The spuds are looking good and the bonus was the way in which seed from the greens last year has come up between the rows of potatoes. I was therefore able to dig some of them out and to transplant the seedlings into the new bed. That has given me something like 20 plants with the prospect of others if required and a crop of chard and spinach to come later in the summer.

I also got down to weeding out the couch grass along the edge of the plot near the runner beans. It is looking neat and tidy with plenty growing which is very satisfying. Even better was seeing the robin sat under the wheelie bin on its nest of four eggs. I was a little worried that the disturbance last time might have caused the adults to abandon the nest but it wasn't so.