As soon as that fence is back up...

...I'll get round to ordering the grapevine. I only hope we are here long enough to reap the rewards.


Speaking of such things, i e wine, I have bottled my apple wine from last year and it looks tremendous. Nice and clear, but at the moment it tastes a bit like dry sherry, very strong, dry sherry. Nearly knocked my head off this morning when I had a sip - a mere sip, no more than a drop really. I think I may have a dangerous brew there. And there's me hoping for a nice subtle Pinot. Ho hum...


I cleared the last of the brussels off the allotment this afternoon and will probably go do some digging tomorrow, get a bit more muck in the ground and check the onions and garlic - looked fine, but it did look like some had been lifted slightly. Got about a hundred in I guess (stupidly can't remember what they are at the moment!) mixed varieties.


There are new allotment holders around me. One bunch seem really nice - cans of lager and a nice big bonfire! - but the other seems a bit bi-polar. Still, better than Skippy, on the next door plot. Skippy, because all he ever talks about is what he has picked up for nothing out of a skip. Actually, he does say things like, "Couch grass, not good", or "You don't want to do it like that mate, you wanna try putting the fork in a bit straighter, then pull back...", or "See that? Found that behind Tescos. Brilliant it is, display board, plastic based, won't rot you see, not like your wooden boards." 


The couch grass conversation was ludicrous. He just kept saying, "You really don't want it you know." To which I kept replying, "That's why I'm constantly digging it out." "Yeah well it just re-roots itself. You wanna burn it." On the day of this conversation I had a bonfire smouldering away and it's main contents was, Elymus repen. I don't like being rude. In fact, I steer away from it as much as I can and I like Skippy - when he's not there.


Couch grass. This old fella came up to me earlier on the same day I had the conversation with Skippy. The dialogue was thus:


Old Fella: Couch grass that is.
Me: Yeah, I know.
Old Fella: You wanna get rid of that.
Me: I am, it's why I am building a bonfire-
Old Fella: You wanna burn it.
Me: Actually, I'm making wine out of it.
Old Fella: (silence)
Me: (big smile, all teeth and rolling eyes)
Old Fella: (frown, gawp at the bonfire, back at me and exits, hot foot, stage right)


Happy supping!

The sun is here!

Isn't it nice when the forecast is right?


Off to start cleaning my in-laws new home. It's council sheltered housing and what with all these cuts, the council don't do it for you any more. So instead of being up to me knees in allotment mud, it's up to me arms in Cif! And using sandpaper to rub down some appalling use of Polyfilla. 


They have a little bit of garden too, so I may start on that as well, if the sun keeps making it's warmth felt.


Happy daze... 

Just for this moment in history...

I can't claim to be a person that has had that much effect on anything much and I guess we are all like that. However, at this moment, watching what is happening in a country such as Egypt, with it's thousands of years of occupation, domination by despots and dictators and it's $800million of "help" from the US, I can only feel humbled by the PEOPLE. We all know that the future is open to pretty much anything, but right now, it's so wonderful to be a human being. Imagine what it must feel like to be an Egyptian!


My life as a gardener pales; all our lives pale don't they. One thing it does do is show us how we can make a difference, if you don't want it, you don't have to accept it.


As Mr Lennnon said:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gedqNpd_90g


Keep on REVOLTING!!!


Peace innit?

My word...

...I tweeted it this morning about the lack of "heavy rain" that we have supposedly been about to get round these here parts and four hours late I returned from a job with my new boss(!) soaked to the skin. Mind you it wasn't from heavy rain, merely rain that persistently pissed down. Still we got everything done that she wanted too, so that's nice!


I haven't asked permission to post any pictures from my new garden, so here's a taster. This is the magnificent pond, love it!

Hopefully more later.


Keep wading!

Life is getting good Pt2...

These are pictures from Pat's, one of the long border, the other of some of the buds sprouting through the earth. This time of year makes my heart soar. Just to tidy the borders and while clearing the old leaves and dead bits you come across life re-affirming itself in the persona of buds... 

This is what it looks like in the summer:

Just be happy!

Life is getting better!

Just picked up another garden contract - 2 acres just over the border into Bucks, about 5 minutes away. My week is now nearly full up - will keep back some hours for those "odd-jobs" here and there though - so it's pretty good stuff.


Thing is, only one of my regular client's was picked up through advertising, all the other others are word of mouth and the only one I picked up from an advert is a friend of a friend anyway (small world in Tring & the surrounding villages!) I only have one paid for ad now, in a shop window in a posh village down the road from here (it's the village currently being used for the "supernatural thriller" Marchlands on ITV1). The below garden is in said village, lovely place, 2 great pubs, but they have far too many Morris Dancers for me to feel totally safe there! 

Yes, it's a fake sky but it's mildly convincing. This is the garden I am putting a lawn in where the herbs currently are in the middle bed. Also, I have cleared a plot for veggies, excellent!


Anyway, off to clear out the old Volvo so I can put the tools back for tomorrow morning at the new garden.


Happy smiling!

Pathway to heaven...

Ah well, perhaps that's a bit over the top, but I am enjoying cementing the old slabs back in place. Five hours work so far; another five tomorrow and cracked it - well hopefully not cracked too much, if at all!

I have been on Twitter since just before Christmas and have been sharing this blog on there and on Facebook ever since. I now have over a hundred followers on Twitter, but don't get it still. How does it work? Is it actually useful or is it just another exercise in ego? Am I shooting myself in the foot here by voicing my misgivings? Whatever, I would love someone to explain the reasons for being on Twitter. I just cancelled my Linked-in Account, basically because there are too many peopl from my former corporate life on there (shiver) and am on Facebook only because I have several friends in quite a few different countries around the world - it's lovely to keep in touch and have a luagh with them (very occasionally some of us even meet in real life, blow me down!!!!)

Is this virtual world we frequent just a big ego boost?

Happy cementing!