Allotment update Nov 28th

It was a much improved day for sunshine yesterday and I managed to go for a 5km run with Juno before heading to Wimborne where I parked at the school and walked into town. From there I headed to the allotment where I picked more greens, turnips and carrots. The beetroot is still going but it doesn't taste as nice now the cold has got to it.

Other than weeding, the main task was to sort out the compost heap which has been piled high over the growing season. I found I had covered it with carpet previously and then heaped stuff on top which meant I had a nice pile of compost underneath. Also there was a family of mice who had dug little tunnels and popped out and scattered as I turned the soil over. I expect they will settle back in now I have put the carpet back on and will be leaving it to rot down further.

 

Another night out

Bridie and I made the trip to Southampton for the women's football match between Saints and Arsenal which turned out a 2 - 1 victory for the visitors. It was a good game to watch with good skills on show, genuine excitement and a record crowd for the Saints women. I'd looked online earlier and seen they were getting about 4000 people watching, a 60% increase, which was good to see but this time there were 13400 people in the crowd. That's more than Bournemouth can get in their Premier League ground and not far short of Argyle's capacity, so not bad for a Thursday game and evidence of the growing popularity of women's football. I'd go again, no problem.

Earlier in the day, I had taken a break from running which I have done for three days in a row at 5km each time, and was on the bike for my longest ride of the year without stopping. It was just under 10 miles which is not far at all really but it was lovely without having to watch the battery or get frustrated with the assistance from the motor. An electric bike is all well and good but I much prefer the road bike. It looks so much nicer too.

I rode to Remedy Oak and on to Wimborne St Giles before swinging round by Knowlton Church and up Kings Lane before home. It was beautiful and, although slow at just over 12mph average, an indication of where I might get to as I recover my cycling fitness.

 

Wimborne allotment

Alison and I went to Wimborne for a bit of Christmas shopping but took the opportunity to do  a bit at the allotment too. I cut the grass for the final time in 2023 and enjoyed seeing the site look pretty tidy with the garlic and broad beans doing very well ahad of overwintering.

What was even better was picking some beetroot, carrots, turnips and greens, all of which got cooked for tea or to go with salad during the week. I roasted the carrots and turnip along with some squash we'd picked from the allotment a few weeks back, and it tasted great with some fennel seeds.

In the evening we went to watch Napoleon and it was very disappointing. Neither of us enjoyed it at all, which was a bit of a surprise but it was nice to get an evening out.

Early dog walk

It was a beautiful morning for walking Juno yesterday with a wonderful sunrise just before 7am. The view across to Verwood was stunning. I also had the pleasure and walking beneath the rook/jackdaw murmuration. They roost in the woods near the golf course and do a few circuits of the area before separating and spending the day feeding in their preferred sites. We get something similar in the vening too.

Goldfinches and dog walking

 Autumn on the golf course with Juno. It has finally stopped raining and the birds are enjoying the feeders in the dry.

Cooking

No photos for the post but plenty done during the day starting with three dog walks and a 5km run. I am pleased with the run as it is the furthest I've been for over 5 weeks and felt ok. 

That apart, we have been mostly at home and I have cooked up a chilli, sweet and sour butter beans, macaroni cheese, jacket potatoes, flapjacks, energy balls, vegan biscuits and hummus. There's plenty for the next few days.

Autumn walks

Juno and I walked down to Horton Lane through the puddles and the mud which have spread rapidly due to the constant downpours of recent weeks. The trees are losing leaves quickly now but there are plenty of colours to enjoy still, along with the swollen streams.

I have also started back on the running, just a couple of miles today, as well as the bike in the last few weeks. 

Maria has dance later, so it is another dog walk followed by a girls sleepover, Evie and Amelia arriving at tea time.

The New Forest

 

After so much heavy rain, it was lovely to get out into the sunshine yesterday. Juno and I got to the woods just gone 7 and the mist was resting over the field as we walked the Whitmore Lane path. I then drove into the New Forest with Joy and Juno in the motorhome. We stopped first the Rockford by the old sand pit where thousands of tonnes of material was excavated years ago, leaving these wonderful slopes. Juno and I climbed up and walked along the ridge whilst Joy knitted in the van, and you can see the car park below with Blashford Lakes in the background distance.

From there we went on to Hyde and parked by the school near the cricket pitch and took a short stroll which is about all she could manage. The drive there was perfect despite the large volumes of water on the road and the fields. Having passed North Gorley once, we headed back and stopped for lunch at The Royal Oak where Joy polished off fish and chips and a bitter shandy before we headed home.

Glen sent a nice photo and himself, Harry and Rag, so I have included that too.

Catch up

These photos are mostly taken from the end of September when The Ragwormers played at The Anvil in Bournemouth, a day when I follishly took along enough drink for the evening myself and still spent a good deal of time drinking free rum from the bar, as well as drinking with the members of Werder Beermen who had come along to enjoy the gig. I was very sick and then fell backwards, smacking my head on the hard ground and ending up in hospital for the night with my injury glued back in place.

By the time we went to St Marys for the Saints v Rotherham game a week later, I was still suffering light headedness and headaches. In fact the headaches lasted several weeks and I was then into a chest infection which has left me feeling like I've been ill for a long time, especially with the flu and covid jabs too.

The game at St Marys was enjoyable though and the girls loved being among the big crowd for the 1 - 1 draw. Maria got more items from Pandora too.

I had taken Joy to the West Moors alottment first on that Friday. Much more sedate.