After the rain

I ventured to the plot on Friday just to see how things were after a brief break in the constant deluge that we seemed to have had for the last few weeks.

Generally, things look ok. The weeds have gone mad, and the ground has become really soft - so I'm hoping to finally get the carrots in the ground and maybe make a start getting the rest of the plot in shape ready for next year (I know, talking about next year already, but I think we can write off the rest of this year...).

Here's how the plot looks from the gate.

You can even see the shadow of my Brokeback hat! - keeps the sun off my neck!

Anyway, I checked the onions and they seem to be close to being ready to pull up. The leaves are starting to "fall over", so I guess I'll soon be pulling them up and drying them out ready for storage. Here's how they look collectively...

..and a how they compare to my hands (?), not bad eh? (onions that is, not my manicure!)

I also checked on how the butternut squashes were doing and they seem to be romping away nicely - even if they are starting to sprawl accross the paths. I was given a tip by someone to put them onto some old tiles to keep them off the ground, so I placed some old roofing tiles that Dad gave me underneath the trail of squashes. Some have already been eaten by something - I've no idea what.

The cabbages and cauliflowers seem to have settled in - albeit with a little munching from some creature, slug or caterpiller. They are at least starting to show signs that they are growing.

Sprouts seem to have settled in nicely too - although some of them seem to be a little on the p*ss, so I've propped them up with the bamboo canes, and crossed my fingers they sort themselves out in due course!

I had a quick look at the apple tree that I mentioned before and noticed that there are in fact a grand total of around 10 apples on the tree - two of which were within my reach so I plucked them off. To my untrained eye they look like Bramley's, but I'm no apple expert - if you think otherwise, please feel free to comment.

I also think that the tree itself could do with some t.l.c, so any apple tree expertise would be greatly appreciated - I think it need a bit of pruning personally, but as previously mentioned - I'm no expert!

Anyway, with the kind genourosity of my good neighbour Stuart here's my harvest for the day...

Two courgettes, a handful of runner beans and sugarsnap peas, two Bramley apples and a load of plums.

I gave Stuart a load of runner beans and in return he said for me to help myself to his plums (ooh-er missus). His trees are absolutely laden with ripe plums, and they are even starting to fall to the ground they are so ripe. I think I'm going to make some spiced plum "butter" that is in the current issue of Good Food that landed on my doorstep this morning. I'll let you know if I'm successful or not...

Back on track - ish!

After a week of convalescing (nurses orders), I have discovered two things. 1. Daytime television can rot your mind. 2. Weeds grow faster than you'd imagined possible.

That said, I was pleasantly surprised when I ventured back down to plot 35 for a good bit of old fashioned hard work.

I set off at 8:30 with a bootful of tools and goodies (only half of which I have so far learned how to use), and spent a good 4 hours weeding, planting, harvesting and generally "zenning out" man.

First on my list of to-do's was dig up one of the beds of potatoes to see how they'd faired after what I thought was an attack of blight. about half an hour later (and with a slightly stiff back), ladies and gentlemens, I give you - potatoes....



I found this cute little freak of a potato too - isn't that veird, look it has a nubbin!

Please don't ask me how many there are(I'm rubbish with weights), but it was a trug-load as you can see. I have another bed of the same variety (King Edwards) to dig over, but I need to save something else for another day!

Once these were removed I dug in a load of compost into the bed and planted 6 cauliflower plants and 12 cabbages - lord only knows if they'll survive, I had somewhat neglected them of late due to my foot swellage.

It was my most fruitful harvest yet - I think I may be starting to enjoy this damnit!

Here we have this weeks shopping:

Runner beans



Corgies



Some sneaky blackberries I spotted.



I grew impatient waiting for the onions to be ready so pulled a couple up to see what they're like - surprisingly, they're like onions...



I'd posted (I think), earlier about the fact that I have some form of apple tree on my plot, and that it had no blossom on it earlier this year. Imagine my surprise when I saw this on the tree...




Yes, I was underwhelmed too! There are about 20-30 apples on the whole entire tree, maybe enough for a crumble someday?

Had a little rummage around the butternut squash plants whilst I was there too - look what I sawed!



Here be my first ever tomato - I think it's a plum. I'll keep this photo in an album, along with a lock of it's first hair.



Well, the lady wife's cooking a roast, and the tatties I pulled up earlier smell lovely - that, and I'm afew glasses of red down, so I'm going to call it a day here, before I really start to ramble!

Bitten by the bug - in the truest sense!

A few days ago I visited the plot just to do a bit of tinkering. Wearing my flip-flops my feet were constantly tickled by plants and weeds as I walked around. Anyway, I was crouched down and was picking some peas when I felt a more persistent "tickle" looked down at my left foot and saw some kind of bug on it, at the same time I brushed the bug off without much thought. Then saw a little dot of blood and realised I'd been bitten.

Thought nothing of it and carried on life as usual, until yesterday when it got too painful and swollen that I resorted to seeing the nurse.

She told me I should have come sooner as the poison looked as if it was travelling up my leg (a red "line" halfway up my shin). She prescribed double-dose anti-biotics, along with antihistamine, no alcohol, plenty of rest and stay out of the sun.

I took a photo of my feet side by side:



...but it doesn't really show home much the left foot has swollen up, so I took a picture of each, flipped the one of the right foot round so you can see what difference there is. This is my right foot, and how my left pretty much looked before the bite:



..and this is the bitten foot:



All in all, it's pretty much scuppered my weekend plans - last night it was really painful (these pictures where taken this morning, and it's died down a bit already), but the drugs seem to be having the desired effect.

I've got to go back to the doctors on Tuesday (or sooner if it gets worse), so looks like I'll miss out on a good weekends work!

Blummin insects!

Moral of the story - wear wellies!