The first bit of real work for 2008

I'm either turning into some weird form of magpie, or developing some sort of Diarmuid Gavin personality complex, and started being drawn to, and making stuff out of shiny metal.

It all started a while back when I saw a skip full of scrap metal at work. We recycle a load of this stuff all the time, but it never struck me until recently that I could put some of it to good use.

Here's what I saw on that epiphanous moment:



Isn't it a beautiful thing!?

After a little thought, I decided that I'd turn this scrap metal into edges for raised beds, so here's what happened earlier today...

It started with me and a bootful of this scrap metal, I then flatted out one of the "lips" of the bits of metal and bent the other over to form a neat edge. I bent some at 90 degrees to form corners and help give the whole thing a bit of rigidity, and then simply bashed them into the ground, linking them onto each other as I went.



As you can see, the first ended up a bit squiffy, but I like to look at it as quirky character! Or manufacture/nature juxtaposition.



The second was a bit more successful:



Only another 16 to go!

On another note, my garlic is showing signs of life (finally)!!



The onions either side have yet to show any signs that they're still there, but those in the shed have started to poke through. I've about 10 of each red, white and standard onions just in case those in the ground fail completely.



After all that my knees were hurting and my wrists aching from bending the metal, so I'll attack this in chunks I think, I'll get there in the end - hopefully before the spring!

What with these and my planned pond, I should have plenty to keep me busy over the coming weeks...

Unexpected start to 2008

Nothing much to report as far as the plot goes, hoping to get down there this weekend (in between showers) and get some work done. What with Chistmas and New Year to recover from, haven't had much time to tend to plot 35!

Anyway, the real reason I'm sat here madly typing away listening to Nik Kershaw is that yesterday I had some really good news - well I think so anyway.

When I first started out on this adventure I was (and still am to a great extent), very green around the gills as far as what growing veg involved. So, armed only with the modern marvel that is the internerd I looked up sources of information and stumbled on a forum - The Grapevine. The forum is run by Grow Your Own magazine (another great source of information), and is populated by a brilliant bunch of people (at least I think they're real!?) who are knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and altogether a humourous bunch. They've kept me going and helped maintain my enthusiasm - if any of you are reading this, thanks!

Whilst I don't know much about gardening yet, I often pop in and post the odd thing or two, questions and alike, sometimes gardening related, mostly not and they have accepted me into the fold (I think I could be classed as some form of forum stalker in actual fact).

Quite unexepectedly and completely out of the blue I was yesterday awarded Member of the Month for January 2008 - the first of the year. I was shell-shocked! I thought this particular accolade only went to those that helped others on the forum, and those that brought something to the table as it were. It may seem like an odd thing to get excited about, but when you just go onto the forum to "chat" to others, share experiences, successes, failures, laughs etc, you don't expect recognition. I even get some goodies into the bargain, and a banner by my name - how cool is that!?

If any of the voting members are reading this, thank you!

Here was the moment it happened: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/general-chitchat/gyo-member-month-january-2008-a_11566.html

One valuable lesson I've learnt over the (almost) year I've been doing this, is that a sense of humour goes a long way, and hopefully having made a few people smile has been my contribution to all those fellow grapes who've helped me.

I'll post photos of my goodies when they arrive, I can hardly wait!