Saturday 2nd March 2013

Picked up 17 gray paving slabs from a person advertising on freecycle and took to the allotment. Cleared the right of the shed (as you look at the door) and extended the path and set in the kerb stones and made the base ready for the grow house that is going to live there, or perhaps the coldframe has just popped into my mind.

I met Addy for the first time today he is the guy who has taken on plot 2, and had come over to see how things were drying out and when he may be able to come over with a cultivator and turn over the  grass that is coming up all over his plot. He spent most of last year just clearing (3 skip loads) and weeding by hand, does not sound like he actually managed to grow much due to the continuous rain.
 
So picking up and laying the paving slabs took me from about 8:30 - 12:45 then I went home for some lunch with the intention of perhaps doing some clearing up of the back garden, and sorting out the last fence panel. I was about to start when Keith my brother -in-law asked if I could come out to play (code for he was going to the allotment) as it happened Pauline (his wife) was with him. Unfortunately Jen was waiting for one of Emmas friends to arrive whilst Emma was in the shower so told me, she wouldn't go and to go and play....

As instructed I took some more water and a mug as Keith has a stove and kettle in his shed, but currently we have no water on site until it's turned on at the end of March (funnily enough the same time we have to stop having fires on the site..... don't go there I know).
The new young couple on 3B were there digging and weeding, Owen was over on his fruit tree plot at the rear of the allotment.

Did a little clearing up then Keith called me over for a drink, which I was finishing when low and behold Jenny (my wife) comes bowling into the site with a Mug and a large grin on her face. Emma had dropped her off on her way out shopping with her friend. As much as there are times I love being the only person over there, I do like to have her company, even if she and Pauline are only taking the Michael out of Keith and I as we labour.

So I managed to dig out another two Hawthornes and removed a vast amount of weeds and work my way along the way up to the middle rose. I did however bend the fork in the process.

I took an old suitcase with me to lug the panes of glass home and Jen helped by breaking the large panes up into the suitcase, I could see she was enjoying herself being destructive. The Suitcase was so heavy that I had to use the barrow to get it to the car and only just about managed to get it into the recycle bin.  Also came away with another three black bags of detritus for the land fill wheelie bin.
Popped into the DIY shop on the way home an bought a mid range (in price that is) fork to replace the bent one - This one has a slightly longer handle and I'm hoping it's going to last, and I need one as I'm hoping to get a few more hours in tomorrow.