Getting caned and the Digger's Diary

On Friday, we tried Asda's Extra Special Cotes Du Rhone Villages wine, which was nice and tasty, a bit licoricey and I would buy it again.

I wasn't feeling well on Saturday (not due to the wine!) so I didn't get much done during the day, but we went for a curry with my Mum in the evening.  I made up for it on Sunday and did a non-stop shift at the allotment from 10am - 5pm.  I tidied the bottom greenhouse.

The lettuce in bottom greenhouse look amazing!  I can't wait to eat them.




I took the fig to the allotment and repotted it into a 15" pot, sowed some Nicky's Nursery wildlife seed mix wildflowers in between the gooseberries, thinned the radishes, put some bird food on the bird table, watered and redug half of the rough patch.

Then Chris came with a box of cheese sandwiches and crisps (a welcome sight!) and he helped me put the bean canes in.

I went to my mum's for homemade fish pie and cherry pie and cream.  Due to the relative failure of the pumpkin seeds I ordered some Pumpkin F1 Rocket seeds from Johnsons, so I sowed these in the greenhouse, took all the nasturtiums to harden off, repotted the black eyed susan microdot and thinned out the livingstone daisies - I turned one seed tray of seedlings into 2 seed trays and a full set of modules.   I also brought the coldframe back from the allotment as I'll have lots of plants to harden off in the coming weeks.  I didn't get home til 8pm and my hands were black :)

Two of the Atlantic Giant seeds I sowed last week have germinated, as well as the aubergines, rudbeckia and two melon emir.

I got an ace book off Amazon called 'Digger's Diary: Tales from the Allotment' by Victor Osborne.

I've started reading it and I know already that I don't want it to end.  It's very rare that I read fiction, but it's so well written and even has recipes in there too.  I love the picture on the cover, especially the lovely blackbird with its beady yellow eye.  From watching the blackbirds that live near me I've discovered they're feisty little birds - quite cheeky and not scared of standing up for themselves, bless them.

I also bought 'Mexican Made Simple' by Thomasina Miers, who's related to my brother in law.  I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes in her book, some look pretty easy and tasty.

Oh I nearly forgot - the first potatoes have popped up!