National Tree Week started yesterday and continues through to Sunday 6th December during which the BBC is attemping a world record with Tree O’Clock.
I have three trees on the plot. There is an elder which has more than doubled in height this year and is now well over four feet tall. The common hawthorn is a couple of feet high and my mighty oak is approaching a milestone one foot!
I wonder just how many years it’ll take to be like NiC’s magnificent oak!
I came across this interesting and informative wildlife article earlier in the week, and also this superb jay photo.
I appreciate that I’ve not been mentioning nature and wildlife programmes lately but I’ve been watching virtually no TV! However I shall sit down and watch Gardeners’ World:Women and Gardening which is on BBC2 8.00pm tomorrow.
Have a good weekend, and happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it!
Categories: Flighty's plot · Lawn lounging
Last week I ordered, and received, most of the vegetable seeds that, hopefully, I’ll be growing next year.
Because I only have a small half-plot and grow just for myself I got them from MoreVeg who supply seeds in realistic quantities, and don’t charge p&p on orders over £6. I used them last year and have found them to be an excellent company to deal with.
Looking at what I grew this year, and what I really enjoy eating, I decided on the following for next year.
Broad bean Medes, Runner bean Desiree, Beetroot Burpee’s Golden; Carrots Little Fingers, Paris Market Atlas and Yellowstone (Organically sourced); Cucumber Marketmore (O/s), Lettuce Mix red/green salad bowl, Sweet Corn Double Standard O/s); Tomato Amateur and Gardener’s Delight (O/s).
By concentrating on these next year I’m sure that I should be able to do even better than I did this year.
MoreVeg says Sow Grow Eat Enjoy which is something that I’m rather looking forward to doing!
Categories: Flighty's plot
A whisper of leaves ~ Margaret Ingall
The sound of the Autumn is soft as a sigh,
A whisper of leaves as a breeze passes by,
In colours bravura, both brilliant and bold,
She’s clad in red-russet, in pumpkin and gold.
Her perfume’s distinctive, of bonfire and smoke,
sharp as back leaf mould, and mellow as oak.
Her touch is of tree-bark, enduring and rough,
crisp as a corn stalk and conker-shell tough.
Her bounty is rich as the gown that she wears,
a tumble of berries, ripe apples and pears.
She pauses too briefly, then turning her face
abandons the world to the Winter’s embrace.
Have a good weekend!
Categories: Lawn lounging
As I mentioned last week I’ve been awarded this by Allison @ A Tasteful Garden!
She says that the rules which apply to it can be broken if you dare…which is good as I do!
Brag about the award…well doing this post is surely doing just that.
Include the name of the blogger who gave it to you and link back to them…which I’ve done above.
Choose a minimum of seven blogs that you find brilliant in content or design…here’s where I dare break the rules as I really am reluctant to do this as I think that all my lawn lounging friends blogs fit the bill here.
That said means that the next rule isn’t appliciable so I won’t mention it.
Lastly I should list at least ten honest things about myself! Mmm okay…
As you will have realised I’m not really 5 but 62. The only things that I remember about being around 5 are watching the Coronation on TV and having my tonsils removed.
Blue has always been my favourite colour, however I’ve never owned a blue car but I did once buy a pair of blue suede shoes.
Her voice sends a shiver down my spine and makes me weak at the knees!
My mum always tutted at me for eating apples including the core and pips, and yes I still do! My dad always peeled and cored his.
I’m always reading several books at any one time. At the moment they include The Judas Sheep by Stuart Pawson and Billy Connolly, Journey to the Edge of the World.
I rarely wear a wristwatch. I own two automatics which means that when I do I invariably have to sort out the correct time and day/date.
I’ve never broken any bones or have any scars.
I’ve worn glasses for just about as long as I remember. I used to get hayfever so I’ve never tried contact lenses, which I’ve never really fancied anyway.
I’ve always wanted to do this but definitely not this! Well would you?
Taking on an allotment two years was like a dream come true as one of my few regrets in recent years was not having a garden. It’s a simple pleasure but one that truly is one of my best ones.
Categories: Lawn lounging
There have been plenty of good weather days recently so I’ve been making the most of them working on the plot.
Yesterday I moved my non-flowering Iceberg rose to a new spot just across the pathway from the Valentine Heart rose. I’ve done this in the hope that it’ll be happier there and look like this next year.
I also planted out the Michaelmas daisies now that they’ve finished flowering and been cut back.
It’s been good to see that the pot marigolds are still flowering,
and I shall be growing lots of them again next year. A sunflower even started blooming again last week, although the flowers were only a few inches diameter.
I’m leaving the sweetcorn stalks standing through the winter then I’ll crush
the stems and put them in the bottom of the compost bin once it’s been emptied.
As well as sunny days there have been plenty of wet ones so conditions have been ideal for the fungi which have appeared all over the plot!
Sadly I have to say that when I arrived at the plot on Monday it was clear that there had been an act of vandalism! The peanut bird feeder was lying on the ground empty and in a right state. Luckily it was easy to see who the villain was as it had left it’s muddy paw marks all over the place. I won’t be replacing this feeder but will continue to top up the seed one for the smaller birds to enjoy.
Have a good weekend!
Categories: Flighty's plot
My week started well enough last Monday as the sun was shining and I spent the morning working on the plot.
A couple of weeks back over on Allotments 4 All Betula had made this suggestion and the idea of donating to my good cause Thrive was agreed on. On Tuesday morning I set up this JustGiving page for her, and as you can see we’ve raised £120. With the extra donation that I ‘ve promised and added GiftAid amount that will take the total to over £150, and needless to say we’re well pleased.
Wednesday was the real down day! I spent much of the time on the phone on various personal/family/business matters and basically got nowhere. On Allotments 4 All a member who’s an internet troll decided to try and cause mayhem with endless pointless topics and offensive remarks. I ended up going to bed early with a headache, then woke up in the middle of the night realising that I’d not only not done a draft for my Thursday entry here but also lay there wondering what the heck to write about anyway.
Thursday morning I walked to the library and on the way met Tyson who’s a wonderful fluffy white, blue-eyed Huskie just like this one. He’s a youngster but getting noticably bigger every time I see him, and as his owner said thankfully less boisterous as well.
That lunch time Daffy phoned me to see if I was okay as she’d noticed that I not been commenting on blogs, including hers, for a couple of days nor done my Thursday entry!
Yes I’m okay I told her…I’m just having one of those weeks with too many minor niggles! No, niggles not giggles! Chatting with her always brightens up my day.
Yesterday was a so-so day but the real plus point was that Allison@a tasteful garden has given me a honest scrap award! You’ll see that she says that I’ve got gardening prowess which made me smile somewhat quizzically.
Glo (Porcelain Rose) emailed me and listed several of what she thought were my minor niggles. I would quibble with her over the suggestion that my running out of tea and biscuits is one as that would definitely have been a major catastrophe!
Today was a beautiful sunny day so I spent a very pleasant and productive morning on the plot. More about that in a forthcoming post. Whilst there Joe kindly picked and gave me this bunch of chrysanthemums
So it’s been a bit of an up, down and up week, and please don’t remind me that it’s Friday the 13th next week!
Categories: Flighty's plot · Lawn lounging
maybe tomorrow…if not…then…
have a good weekend!
Categories: Lawn lounging
The relatively good, and warm, weather lately has certainly provided a final flourish thanks to some pot marigolds
and the rose Valentine Heart blooming again! 
Plot neighbour George likes growing flowers such as these Michaelmas daisies
He’s very kindly given me a small clump which I’ve planted near the shed.
The pallet patio window box has been planted up with mini daffodils and white crocus, and under the wood chips is wire mesh to stop any wildlife having a dig!
As you can see the hydrangea is now looking somewhat faded.
As I walked towards the site gates during the week a grey squirrel scampered across in front of me and climbed up the willow tree. That’s the first one I’ve seen there although Trevor at the other end of the site has had problems with them in the past. Glo’s not the only one with a mouse as twice recently I’ve turned back the compost heap cover to see one scoot out of sight! Both bird feeders were hardly touched for ages but the one with peanuts has started to be used again and I stood watching a magpie pecking away at it the other day.
I’m sure that you’re all wondering how I got on with the Jerusalem artichokes. Well I have to say that I’ve eaten a small amount twice and I really found them rather bland. Thankfully I wasn’t blown away by them either! I think that I’ll just dig the rest up, keep some of the tubers to replant next year and enjoy the plants and flowers.
Categories: Flighty's plot
is a lifelong lawn lounger, sofa flyer and book buff
