Fraggle, and family, have very kindly sent me these two very welcome additions to my collection of frogs.
Master and Missy Frog are seen here sitting on top of my PC monitor.
She’s holding a bouquet in one hand and making sure that her pond lily leaf bonnet doesn’t fall off with the other!
Fraggle’s son Robin also sent me a terrific Red Arrows poster!
Categories: Frog ponderings
I’ve finished planting and sowing now until the autumn, but there’s still plenty to do such weeding, watering and harvesting.
So far I’ve had first early potatoes Swift, lettuce Buttercrunch and Lollo Rosso, some finger-tip sized radish French Breakfast
a few raspberries and, as you know, lots of strawberries. I’ve even had my first beetroot Cylindra and a couple of Burpee’s Golden which I lifted yesterday morning
cooked after lunch
and had for tea in a couple of salad sandwiches. Very tasty!
Colourful nasturtiums have started appearing
as have some poppies
and how about this bouquet of blooms on the rose Valentine Heart
I’ve seen a few of these, which thankfully are rather smaller than shown here! Ladybirds are now apppearing all over the plot, and are one of many insects I’ve noticed on the teasels
As you’ve probably realised by now there’s nothing on TV next week that I think is worth mentioning here.
Have a good weekend!
Categories: Flighty's plot
If you thought that Thursday’s story about not being able to grow flowers on an allotment was ludicrous then this story is even more ridiculous! I talked about it at the horticultural society hut this morning and the comments ranged from polite disbelief to utter indignation. That was whilst drinking our cups of tea and eating a slice of delicious strawberry flan that Colin, one of the committee members, had made with ones grown on his allotment.
I like most sausages but I’m not at all sure about strawberry and cream ones! I think that I’ll give these a miss and stick to my usual pork ones.
I was going to do a plot post but it’s such nice weather that I’m going to have some lunch, including sausages and strawberries for afters, then take a leisurely stroll through the ecology park, allotments and playing fields.
Categories: Lawn lounging
There’s nothing on TV next week that’s worth a mention so here are several blog posts of particular note that I’ve read during the week.
If you have, or can make, the time then it’s well reading all the various links and comments on them.
On Monday morning I read What’s wrong with an allotment plot full of flowers on the Guardian Gardening Blog with a sense of disbelief and dismay! I did this on Allotments 4 All to see what fellow allotmenteers thought about it, then commented, as Sofaflyer, on the Guardian post. As a less-conventional allotmenteer I really do sympathise with Chris Smallbone, who incidentally has his own excellent website Dig My Plot.
A couple of weeks ago lawn lounger Veg Plotting did this light-hearted guest post How to spot the arrival of summer on the Guardian’s Gardening Blog which sadly attracted some rather negative comments. She was unable to respond to them as she was on holiday and comments were closed when she got back. She has however repeated the post on her own blog along with her feelings about those remarks.
Yesterday Uphilldowndale did this thoughtful post Anon which is about something that could affect all bloggers, particularly those who do so anonymously. Likewise Maureen did this post British Court Rules Against Blogger Anonymity on her A View From Britain blog. I agree with what both of them say and fear that a lot of good blogs will not only stop, but probably be deleted as well. If that happens it will another step in the wrong direction that this country seems so intent on taking. This morning these related articles were in the Guardian, Telegraph and Times.
Ending on a light-hearted note I came across The Hairy Pot Plants well designed website this week which is well worth taking a peek at!
Have a good weekend!
Categories: Lawn lounging
I have to say that I’m getting to like my strawberries!
I picked some this morning
to have after lunch and with my breakfast in the morning.
Anyway there’s plenty to go round so…strawberry anyone?
Categories: Flighty's plot
to say that the broad beans that I ate yesterday were ones that I grew on the plot. Sadly that’s not so and it looks like I won’t be doing so either as mine are totally infested with blackfly. The first variety I sowed were so bad that I pulled them up during the week and got rid of them. In their place I’ve sowed more beetroot and lettuce, and a packet of carrot Autumn King.
The other ones aren’t so bad, but that’s not saying much! The ones I ate were kindly given to me by plot neighbour Joe, being ones he planted last November. Even these weren’t that good as despite having plenty of long pods they contained surprising few fully grown beans.
I had six courgette seeds, two of which I gave to Joe and of the other four just one appeared only for it to be completely nibbled away! I’ve been given a few more so I’ll try again.
On a happier note I’ve had potatoes, lettuce leaves, lots of strawberries and today I ate my first raspberry.
It’s good to see the birds again now they’ve finished nesting, and last week a jay flew across the allotments and there was wren perched on top of a bundle of bamboo canes singing it’s heart out. I keep seeing sparrows on the non-flowering Iceberg rose, presumably eating the greenflies.
Apparently Missy Fox had four cubs a few months ago, a bit later than usual probably due to the cold weather, but sadly one of them was found dead during the week. It looked okay so we guess that it had been poisoned. Last year’s cub Digger is still around and certainly living up to his name!
Categories: Flighty's plot
I’ve really enjoyed watching Springwatch over the past three weeks but can hardly believe that it’s finished for another year.
Happily next week there are three Springwatch specials being shown on BBC2 all starting at 8.00pm.
On Monday there is Springwatch Close Encounters with Simon King, Wednesday sees Springwatch Holidays with Martin Hughes-Games and on Thursday it’s Springwatch Home Movies with Gordon Buchanan.
Don’t forget that the RSPB’s Make Your Nature Count, which I mentioned last weekend, continues through to Sunday.
Have a good weekend!
Categories: Lawn lounging
I’ve now got lots of different grasses on the plot which look good
I’m also pleased to see two teasels growing in the wild flower corner
They hold water in the leaves
which insects drink from. They’re also a plant to stay well clear of as they are very thorny, on both the stems and the leaf undersides
Later on in the year I may even be lucky enough to see goldfinches extracting seeds from the flower heads.
I’ve given up trying to grow anything in the pallet patio window box at present because as you can see a fox keeps on digging it up!
Last week I was pleased to see, for the first time, a couple of house sparrows foraging on the plot.
Tomorrow sees the start of the RSPB’s Make Your Nature Count event which I’m sure that anyone who does the Big Garden Birdwatch will enjoy doing just as much.
Categories: Flighty's plot
As I mentioned last Sunday Midwife’s Muse very kindly gave me this
for which I’m most grateful. As she says I’m someone who will appreciate the roses! She goes on that I’m an old friend and for years has always had kind words to say whilst posting wonderful photos of plants
wildlife
and Tornado aircraft!
I’m supposed to nominate five other blogs for this award, as well as listing five each of my current obsessions and pet hates. I will do that but another time!
There’s just one TV programme that caught my eye which is on next week. It’s Stephen Tompkinson’s African Balloon Adventure on ITV Sunday at 8.00pm. This is the first of a new three part series where he gets a bird’s eye view of this fascinating continent.
Have a good, and perhaps, Dirty Weekend!
Categories: Flighty's plot · Lawn lounging
