tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37668183550475778982024-03-15T12:11:49.622-07:00John's BlogRandom thoughts, recipes and photos. John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-62032906552601218412024-03-15T11:48:00.000-07:002024-03-15T11:48:11.709-07:00Life on The Weald - February 2024<p> </p><h1><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - February 2024</span></h1><h2><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and at Home and in the kitchen </span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO_gaixexJFzdbWB_4hxjjIGfl9XdSpB9MxmNUJXsO0oew3wfP9YXUclf_VYX7gKc0JLyXo6Ry3wj6BcpTlsdvlNtu-0N9VxjxQ7x6ymZRGr8iKv2akKwkWEhvtM1VuN-a3wej6NWry3NeKxzyNnNPMMydVRt86Euqbr7XjKTe01HzYYbfOAFoAHfmkEl/s2048/910F9F70-E2F3-4FB7-BDFA-8CF0DECE2935.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZO_gaixexJFzdbWB_4hxjjIGfl9XdSpB9MxmNUJXsO0oew3wfP9YXUclf_VYX7gKc0JLyXo6Ry3wj6BcpTlsdvlNtu-0N9VxjxQ7x6ymZRGr8iKv2akKwkWEhvtM1VuN-a3wej6NWry3NeKxzyNnNPMMydVRt86Euqbr7XjKTe01HzYYbfOAFoAHfmkEl/w640-h640/910F9F70-E2F3-4FB7-BDFA-8CF0DECE2935.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the wet autumn and December and the unpredictable, unsettled and changing January, things were beginning to look a bit more hopeful at the beginning of February and there was produce to be harvested as well as a lot of delayed preparation for spring planting. Unfortunately we did not experience the cold, dry February that we needed - globally the month turned out tobe the warmest February on record and as far as the UK was concerned one of the wettest.</span></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2 Febuary</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The early morning rain had stopped by midday and the afternoon was cloudy, with a high of 10C. After removing the fleece there was sign of the most recently planted broad beans but also a few weeds that need to be removed. I lifted a few of the remaining leeks, expecting them to be damaged by alium leaf miner but was pleasantly surprised that they were OK so I left the others in the ground. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-PFNoWz04Iewgvqm_k4XlAsQiBQ1olfzs09vwzxnBLJ87ZHxhxn29oX0vIpcwlC62Ws34hLF43Ef5f21ECKDZRTNSQp4IRTZADWnAZx0tWL1H_AKNitI6b91eWhyqV4BNZeQStPgdoa2YJjujlC0j5oX35P23rjBcACI-ju7dP_K1y-tF-8LMGgKAgEu/s4032/IMG_6836.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-PFNoWz04Iewgvqm_k4XlAsQiBQ1olfzs09vwzxnBLJ87ZHxhxn29oX0vIpcwlC62Ws34hLF43Ef5f21ECKDZRTNSQp4IRTZADWnAZx0tWL1H_AKNitI6b91eWhyqV4BNZeQStPgdoa2YJjujlC0j5oX35P23rjBcACI-ju7dP_K1y-tF-8LMGgKAgEu/w300-h400/IMG_6836.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February - sign of broad beans (and weeds)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The broad beans sown in December and early January also seemed to be doing well</span><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmMo4n3eoNcxtowipUSjhMRDmYAUnVWlHt1AVSEC4z8azGVoye_OCfSo9_PclvTcH1o3n2yM7UB_dbOn9TDaWo_IGvKg3ch3AAKrcFxaKxaFks1q1XvyPuRF6V0Iy7MGX1mtAvFwEgkPrM5xxRwGrpqw1ApecyeTJVODzItOm-kxUFARLHtG4ZAxEb-2F/s4032/IMG_6838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLmMo4n3eoNcxtowipUSjhMRDmYAUnVWlHt1AVSEC4z8azGVoye_OCfSo9_PclvTcH1o3n2yM7UB_dbOn9TDaWo_IGvKg3ch3AAKrcFxaKxaFks1q1XvyPuRF6V0Iy7MGX1mtAvFwEgkPrM5xxRwGrpqw1ApecyeTJVODzItOm-kxUFARLHtG4ZAxEb-2F/w400-h300/IMG_6838.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February - December and January sown broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I top-dressed all the broad beans with a sprinkling of coffee grounds mixed with crushed egg shells which, hopefully, will act as slug deterrent as well as supplying nutrients to the soil.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With Sylvi's help I had removed the grass from what will be this year's potato patch.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is the area where the squashes and courgettes had been growing last year and which had benefitted from a layer of cardboard covered with compost and manure early in 2023, so no "digging" was needed. The clumps of grass were not couch grass and could be easily pulled out with light forking so there was minimal disturbance to the soil. In the next few weeks, before planting the potatoes, I will spread the contents of our compost bins which are in a pile on the edge of the bed.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByycsPWMXagwj71GQwxUad2AjBXpY-4i4cdUkTLJrXv91x8wvlXVCSt_B-33O-TZAUZJWPUxaZyz9-bxLry0fCMOvY1RZkU3VJK0HK0zHfKsLnkciVWAHpQ49yOc95QomhhSYW60bvaln9ITucXmfTXFnOqkIQiRadIttLX0v1LKNE7Hw2bA-0DGNof7S/s4032/IMG_6839.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByycsPWMXagwj71GQwxUad2AjBXpY-4i4cdUkTLJrXv91x8wvlXVCSt_B-33O-TZAUZJWPUxaZyz9-bxLry0fCMOvY1RZkU3VJK0HK0zHfKsLnkciVWAHpQ49yOc95QomhhSYW60bvaln9ITucXmfTXFnOqkIQiRadIttLX0v1LKNE7Hw2bA-0DGNof7S/w400-h300/IMG_6839.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February - The 2024 potato patch and compost pile</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The nearby raised bed, where spinach had been growing last year, also had clumps of grass that need to be removed. The grass was easy but there had also been an invasion of raspberries which needed to be dug out. There is also a threat of invasion of couch grass from the raspberry bed which will need to be tackled by digging up and replanting the raspberries whilst they are still dormant.<br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7q5O1MN4mZh6y5Ngk0-tl94wD_iWaNwwY1hH5KWgiRX440RBxjRMKjhXPRCf9W7WQ-4yc15G6ovHscGPsIWQZKwRTuJUC45gLzHz-3GUDb1teEKnIaQxoiAzIoWmLxOO0orj6ie5IPI2D-IPpbLOikd1aJw2_lueIT4Y8EqILo_hwIWNqBUKxkWPvqfS/s4032/IMG_6840.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7q5O1MN4mZh6y5Ngk0-tl94wD_iWaNwwY1hH5KWgiRX440RBxjRMKjhXPRCf9W7WQ-4yc15G6ovHscGPsIWQZKwRTuJUC45gLzHz-3GUDb1teEKnIaQxoiAzIoWmLxOO0orj6ie5IPI2D-IPpbLOikd1aJw2_lueIT4Y8EqILo_hwIWNqBUKxkWPvqfS/w300-h400/IMG_6840.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February -A raised bed in need of weeding</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>3 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Saturday was another dry cloudy day with a high temperature of 10C so a good opportunity to continue the weeding and the tidying up and, with the help of Luke and our little chainsaw, removal of the lower branches from the apple tree, some of which were touching the ground as a result of being heavily ladened with fruit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">All the hard work was beginning to seem worthwhile as we were able to begin harvesting our early purple sprouting broccoli. I had removed the central head from one advanced plant about a week ago to encourage the growth of side shoots and that had paid off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KXMH2CLvxf8ldYZmQUCAQJaKFnPiRYuH9kFUYfxdTe9KLXV3HVJk30K_aig4I7GWqSZfAUoYQZSbFR0LFzgT3psEqiDU98z-xO0wf1glBMAeYA5gijSQLdxn5q2TXcvRnS5jTdSKP1-liZMsbkrbiX99_CzJFT8E7i4xCqXxyrDFll29NQMUP9cZg5qu/s4032/IMG_6845.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5KXMH2CLvxf8ldYZmQUCAQJaKFnPiRYuH9kFUYfxdTe9KLXV3HVJk30K_aig4I7GWqSZfAUoYQZSbFR0LFzgT3psEqiDU98z-xO0wf1glBMAeYA5gijSQLdxn5q2TXcvRnS5jTdSKP1-liZMsbkrbiX99_CzJFT8E7i4xCqXxyrDFll29NQMUP9cZg5qu/w300-h400/IMG_6845.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 February - purple sprouting broccoli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">So I removed the head from a second plant, hoping for fresh shoots next week.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrRFksLjlfe95-rMHwcqr5yBf0CaONHMUmwXcU0FwFFPbFkn3fugZDdInG7EgH3nqOKNCcLdNG21nshp0A3MQKP82NjD3aJHVbVIiDPSweq4uztZV-tLgYKkcKp2loNprKQlu_KQK-ISpYOjYU6F-jSVXZv-YuxgqSyd8IR2b0wsrzqaeoS1V5gDapsfp/s4032/IMG_6846.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrRFksLjlfe95-rMHwcqr5yBf0CaONHMUmwXcU0FwFFPbFkn3fugZDdInG7EgH3nqOKNCcLdNG21nshp0A3MQKP82NjD3aJHVbVIiDPSweq4uztZV-tLgYKkcKp2loNprKQlu_KQK-ISpYOjYU6F-jSVXZv-YuxgqSyd8IR2b0wsrzqaeoS1V5gDapsfp/w300-h400/IMG_6846.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 February - purple sprouting broccoli<br />central flower head for removal<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFNhWqAMhH46xBzEpbYQ4ZZdeXCgQvNobboXUlZxIIzWqJVG8tz49vDij5ODfpFjiUD0PCxSCCMzsQKw7fyBXt4q-y-nbe5pbvxRhAbWDjWchb-YUEg8xK3YU3B2-MB3UJP7L74CWg3JKUm_7ZkPRYMTr8J2e3_wiNBQA_DVqrLt_huKQYFI3hzzXLdSp/s4032/IMG_6850.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibFNhWqAMhH46xBzEpbYQ4ZZdeXCgQvNobboXUlZxIIzWqJVG8tz49vDij5ODfpFjiUD0PCxSCCMzsQKw7fyBXt4q-y-nbe5pbvxRhAbWDjWchb-YUEg8xK3YU3B2-MB3UJP7L74CWg3JKUm_7ZkPRYMTr8J2e3_wiNBQA_DVqrLt_huKQYFI3hzzXLdSp/w300-h400/IMG_6850.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 February - Harvested broccoli<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We also harvested the first of our forced rhubarb.</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu87kShBRKxTD-IhkUpD6IS4kje0SpwAItqzJA1x4mGhK2lRNOOMnhyphenhyphenc3844QeSyd4mdN0wbuhTfzvFZ-Ip7ccub1-asU90tSloKvssG7tRejy2iSPvp6zLSgFKq3vtZ0-4o9yaKyNykwq04ywEKChkkuRN5L9LBtY-kjlsOYryMYIhHnzyRZxCLJIwoi0/s3802/IMG_6848.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3802" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu87kShBRKxTD-IhkUpD6IS4kje0SpwAItqzJA1x4mGhK2lRNOOMnhyphenhyphenc3844QeSyd4mdN0wbuhTfzvFZ-Ip7ccub1-asU90tSloKvssG7tRejy2iSPvp6zLSgFKq3vtZ0-4o9yaKyNykwq04ywEKChkkuRN5L9LBtY-kjlsOYryMYIhHnzyRZxCLJIwoi0/w319-h400/IMG_6848.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 February - Rhubarb</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Today was Brighton's <i><a href="https://seedysunday.org/">Seedy Sunday</a>, </i>the UK's largest and longest running seed swap. Not only was there an abundance of seeds on offer but a whole load of interesting stalls connected to horticulture, bio-diversity, wildlife etc. Sylvi and I were volunteering on the Weald Allotment stall where our allotment shop was selling seed potatoes and we did a roaring trade.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz3xKnzY86PeVVA5XhyVyO9ilkIAiW37OLkdJhmSxsT-SCC4OB0dK_YVnQV8N7SiB9X1KvzAvUQk6UgF8AX9cxk0LlUKKjPSRYGzppYT3CmTukpIumdagRviQufjo1YJhgGtTDA4EB2Uw-M71iYxBF9ePwtQzGe8WkG2ieBzxYQfj4RExe30E6gtuL7OI/s2048/95997d65-e4a7-4463-8c1b-e8e4599e0cb0%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikz3xKnzY86PeVVA5XhyVyO9ilkIAiW37OLkdJhmSxsT-SCC4OB0dK_YVnQV8N7SiB9X1KvzAvUQk6UgF8AX9cxk0LlUKKjPSRYGzppYT3CmTukpIumdagRviQufjo1YJhgGtTDA4EB2Uw-M71iYxBF9ePwtQzGe8WkG2ieBzxYQfj4RExe30E6gtuL7OI/w300-h400/95997d65-e4a7-4463-8c1b-e8e4599e0cb0%20(1).JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 February - Seedy Sunday</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>6 - 9 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There was heavy rain all day on Tuesday 6th February but I ventured out in the evening for a meeting of the Allotment Association Committee. it was a miserable, wet and wild night and the heavy rain continued for the next few days.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>10 - 11 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">There were brief dry periods between the showers on Saturday but my dranddaughter, Tilly, was visiting for the weekend so no work was done on the plot. That was a missed opportunity as Sunday was a clear day and would have been a good one for gardening.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>12 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fortunately the dry spell continued and Monday was a clear bright sunny day. Sylvi continued to trim the pruned appple branches - we will compost the little twiggy bits or add to the footpath mulch, and the branches will go to the shredder.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I planted out some <i>Stuttgart </i> abd <i>Rumba </i> onion sets and sowed a double row of <i>Kelvedon Wonder </i>peas and covered them all with fleece.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVC2IEv-t_ULqCzmkOXZQZfBRQycjhDGZCnKy6plKT_4Ng03OjIQGf1RBfY5JOy_h9ykjmKxXfl4X5olzjHb7l3hXuaAESLm1ojK6Wjfjsb07gBAeEnLaplPQ_nBkt7B-gFBOwTRC0HKQOKEEYCzClVb_ljcieQsJmUM70vgLNAeeXQsBYy3QRUAZHfKj/s3027/IMG_6917.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3027" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVC2IEv-t_ULqCzmkOXZQZfBRQycjhDGZCnKy6plKT_4Ng03OjIQGf1RBfY5JOy_h9ykjmKxXfl4X5olzjHb7l3hXuaAESLm1ojK6Wjfjsb07gBAeEnLaplPQ_nBkt7B-gFBOwTRC0HKQOKEEYCzClVb_ljcieQsJmUM70vgLNAeeXQsBYy3QRUAZHfKj/w400-h400/IMG_6917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 February - newly planted onions protected with fleece</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I'm glad we took advantage of the sunny Monday as the next two days were again very wet with contuinuous drizzle and heavy mist.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thursday saw another change in the weather with unusually high temperatures. Around this time of year we would expect it to be no higher than 10C but in some parts of the country it reached 16C and in Hove was 14C in the afternoon.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I planted some red onion sets, <i>Red Baron </i> and <i>Kramer </i> as well as a few <i>Menhir </i>and <i>Biztro </i> shallots.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6iP85hZmUnQOMKUdXFnnxAzoM5-EzZm2zLgNna1gBS-4LwQchPEjz1X9NBm1Pgp2YYfZRxuDSf9MEfXF0rHQB058S_VqGiq4zVPBIZ0Xz6WopH1JuWb7EO3C5Uie09v-6mKapErWdSx9A3RzfOt49Y6zvgmqik3V4XQrJ3n4vOOSuMm7XcFrq5wbX73H/s3109/IMG_6921.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3109" data-original-width="2484" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq6iP85hZmUnQOMKUdXFnnxAzoM5-EzZm2zLgNna1gBS-4LwQchPEjz1X9NBm1Pgp2YYfZRxuDSf9MEfXF0rHQB058S_VqGiq4zVPBIZ0Xz6WopH1JuWb7EO3C5Uie09v-6mKapErWdSx9A3RzfOt49Y6zvgmqik3V4XQrJ3n4vOOSuMm7XcFrq5wbX73H/w320-h400/IMG_6921.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15 February - red onion sets planted</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>17 - 18 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was another wet but warm weekend! I did venture to the allotment on Sunday but only to visit the shop to get some seed compost and vermiculite to prepare for seed sowing at home. I did manage to do a write-up for the <a href="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/"><b>Weald Allotment blog</b></a> on seed sowing and the use of vermiculite and perlite.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="has-large-font-size" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: var(--global--font-size-lg); line-height: var(--global--line-height-heading); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Seed Sowing – Perlite or Vermiculite?</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">The Weald Shop has supplies of both</span></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-2465" data-attachment-id="2465" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"1.8","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 11","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1708255513","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.25","iso":"125","shutter_speed":"0.012820512820513","title":"","orientation":"1","latitude":"50.839827777778","longitude":"-0.18446944444444"}" data-image-title="img_6939-1" data-large-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=750" data-medium-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=225" data-orig-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg" data-orig-size="3024,4032" data-permalink="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/news/img_6939-1/" height="1024" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=768" srcset="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=768 768w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=1536 1536w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=113 113w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6939-1.jpg?w=225 225w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="768" /></figure><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">Now that we have begun the seed sowing season it’s time to think about sowing mediums. It is important to remember that germinating seeds and seedlings need air around the roots as well as moisture.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">One way of improving composts for sowing seeds or planting seedlings is the addition of perlite or vermiculite, both of which are inorganic compounds but both are natural materials and generally accepted for organic gardening. </p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">What’s the difference?</span></p><p class="has-large-font-size" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: var(--global--font-size-lg); line-height: var(--global--line-height-heading); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Perlite</em></span></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-2467" data-attachment-id="2467" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="img_6959" data-large-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=750" data-medium-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=225" data-orig-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp" data-orig-size="1140,1520" data-permalink="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/news/img_6959/" height="1024" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" src="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=768" srcset="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=768 768w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=113 113w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp?w=225 225w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6959.webp 1140w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="768" /></figure><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">Perlite is a product formed from rapidly cooling magma (volcanic glass). It is light, bright white and is hard and porous. It is made by heating magma until it pops like popcorn. Perlite allows water and air to penetrate but does not retain water.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">Perlite is used as a soil additive to improve aeration and drainage. If you see white particles within bought compost or potted plants it is possibly perlite (although it might be Styrofoam – extruded polystyrene foam, which most gardeners would not recommend).</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">Perlite can be very useful in improving aeration, drainage, and compaction in soils. It is a particularly good additive for growing Cacti, non-cacti succulents, and epiphytes which prefer a drier growing medium. It is also a good additive for rooting cuttings from plants and is pH neutral</p><p class="has-large-font-size" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: var(--global--font-size-lg); line-height: var(--global--line-height-heading); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Vermiculite</em></span></p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-2468" data-attachment-id="2468" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="img_6961-1" data-large-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg?w=500" data-medium-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg?w=300" data-orig-file="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg" data-orig-size="500,300" data-permalink="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/news/img_6961-1/" height="300" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" src="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg?w=500" srcset="https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg 500w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg?w=150 150w, https://wealdallotmentgardenershome.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/img_6961-1.jpg?w=300 300w" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: bottom;" width="500" /></figure><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">Vermiculite is a mineral (magnesium-aluminium-iron silicate) that is mined in several countries including the United States, Russia, China, South Africa, and Brazil. Vermiculite is heated to expand its particles and can absorb up to 3 to 4 times its volume in water. Vermiculite also attracts and holds nutrients such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium (essential nutrients which are then slowly released to plant roots). Vermiculite is usually brownish to silver grey in colour and very lightweight.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">It can be used as an additive to soilless growing mediums for its water retention and nutrient attraction properties. It is also pH neutral</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">It can be applied as a thin layer on top of seed starting mixes to retain moisture and prevent crusting of the top layer of soil, or mixed with compost/soil before sowing/planting. It may not be suitable for some house-plants as it retains moisture which could result in root rot if over-watered. Vermiculite can also useful in storing bulbs/root vegetables etc. If a layer is placed around bulbs when storing it can absorb moisture and prevent mildew.</p><p class="has-large-font-size" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: var(--global--font-size-lg); line-height: var(--global--line-height-heading); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Vermiculite vs Perlite</em></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">As a general rule of thumb – use <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">perlite </span>when you want better drainage and aeration and <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">vermiculite </span>when you want more moisture retention – and of course you can use a mixture of the two.</p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Footnote: </span>Both products are natural minerals and non-renewable and therefore not sustainable products but it is estimated that less than 1% of natural resources have been mined. Mining/extraction/refining will inevitable mean use of energy/fossil fuels and transportation and for this reason some gardeners may look to other products/methods.</p><p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fe12a95b86f2265297f8eb2620ed557e" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: var(--global--color-black); font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">If it’s any reassurance to organic/sustainable gardeners, both products are used by Charles Dowding which you can check out at <a href="https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-underline-offset: 3px;">https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings</a></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">There is also a useful guide on Gardeners’ World at <a href="https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; cursor: pointer; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-underline-offset: 3px;">https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/kp-lessons/how-to-propagate-strong-seedlings</a></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; max-width: var(--global--spacing-measure);">Posted by John Austin – 22 February 2024</em></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: #d1e4dd; box-sizing: inherit; color: #28303d; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: var(--wp--typography--line-height,var(--global--line-height-body)); margin-bottom: var(--global--spacing-vertical); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: var(--global--spacing-vertical); max-width: var(--responsive--aligndefault-width); overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;"></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>19-24 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Monday 19 was a very miserable day - full of <i>Mizzle, </i>a combonation of mist and fine drizzzle. For the rest of the week there was more heavy rain. I thought things had changed on Friday as it was bright and</span><span> sunny early in the morning but that didn't last and there was more heavy rain in the afternoon.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>25 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sunday was the Brighton Half Marathon and usually we go to cheer the runners on at the bottom of our road but as it had stopped raining I thought I ought to visit the plot. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I lifted the few remaining leeks and thankfully they were pest and disease free.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOLs0wn8hU8sKZCaJ-Odz8mRlqy-oXwzvcBHgsQ3uoZzkZVJ9CDhl6cuH9tI7NhR0iwgdJMMxDdayzJkrS17yM-1sVe_qaFyghfYo7FEJURWuk7Naq79v7A6D4RaXAfXLZJy0G-Gm-q27ha3sm9bP1bv0-HD2FaZCfL2hGp4wWpWH0KgLUQ1fPnvTE7MW/s4032/IMG_6973%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOLs0wn8hU8sKZCaJ-Odz8mRlqy-oXwzvcBHgsQ3uoZzkZVJ9CDhl6cuH9tI7NhR0iwgdJMMxDdayzJkrS17yM-1sVe_qaFyghfYo7FEJURWuk7Naq79v7A6D4RaXAfXLZJy0G-Gm-q27ha3sm9bP1bv0-HD2FaZCfL2hGp4wWpWH0KgLUQ1fPnvTE7MW/w300-h400/IMG_6973%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - leeks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9Ez5b4tKGFR9frXJ-P6jSnNMPTDnhw6nG1gs3S42xLztge34C_y96gsR1gY_adGfxrvo3q7RjShZHiOpGg1lTBQ1Frpq01h_z671Wr5qOwO2NN9j5r39mIQYVU1ZMMID3qfu8t0iFU1haEz_OaI_6oMkv98gTrw-cAQPRqdB5oX2rPvqm8B6-8ya1NOV/s4032/IMG_6975%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe9Ez5b4tKGFR9frXJ-P6jSnNMPTDnhw6nG1gs3S42xLztge34C_y96gsR1gY_adGfxrvo3q7RjShZHiOpGg1lTBQ1Frpq01h_z671Wr5qOwO2NN9j5r39mIQYVU1ZMMID3qfu8t0iFU1haEz_OaI_6oMkv98gTrw-cAQPRqdB5oX2rPvqm8B6-8ya1NOV/w300-h400/IMG_6975%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - Leek</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There was also a plentiful supply of perpetual spinach which had over-wintered well.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj64-KWCevYK-Kggqlyah5NCfCgrOJHrv_CWIvHAPM3U73UZ4WFHyOVHJtI9h12FKUcx6HQfu4AdQL8ThURmVPMm1MIo8Xi1VidFHcdxhyRuwJeVlca8DMOR8hYrMKv3ziK-3XcJvpJL4VZhm0zhHdhFrs6lOAp6j5RKQWHWnSH4ixL-djF4mAPNuTZxGP/s4032/IMG_6976.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj64-KWCevYK-Kggqlyah5NCfCgrOJHrv_CWIvHAPM3U73UZ4WFHyOVHJtI9h12FKUcx6HQfu4AdQL8ThURmVPMm1MIo8Xi1VidFHcdxhyRuwJeVlca8DMOR8hYrMKv3ziK-3XcJvpJL4VZhm0zhHdhFrs6lOAp6j5RKQWHWnSH4ixL-djF4mAPNuTZxGP/w300-h400/IMG_6976.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - PerpetualSpinach</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The pond was loking healthy, but no sign of any frog, toad or newt spawn 😞</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIejk4R9ung5gamNL9kM5M3vUFfbSrll8SE085Wp8zIRJauievPOFccAn9bo6FVbEjp82P5CRS174XlRZvlGoGRHQjDc7XokWERSAU2j381R1dWGymjU3OwUKYZLYnyA39yyPAqE3aXjRKjFoSTPbetukIkqalcX4U6ybfgZEkaNgfdxckG1EINWXO2wj/s4032/IMG_6977.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfIejk4R9ung5gamNL9kM5M3vUFfbSrll8SE085Wp8zIRJauievPOFccAn9bo6FVbEjp82P5CRS174XlRZvlGoGRHQjDc7XokWERSAU2j381R1dWGymjU3OwUKYZLYnyA39yyPAqE3aXjRKjFoSTPbetukIkqalcX4U6ybfgZEkaNgfdxckG1EINWXO2wj/s320/IMG_6977.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - The Pond</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I managed to harvest some more broccoli to go with the leeks for dinner.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-uP-fB39aOrXTbcTwRE6z9UVUGe3zTHVNGK98owNM361ts8_dz7ApFXYveQdS1CJqndAsmWdjnT4Yt4g6mauH1mwYZXLQjCvHMvmyTRvwt0eaXq-J4gUODlGY62tGgAlgQk5s0kqTNixjvrenO31mpr9n4iaZG-H4x47_gn8HAu5T7aUmIoIumtUsvGs/s4032/IMG_6980.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA-uP-fB39aOrXTbcTwRE6z9UVUGe3zTHVNGK98owNM361ts8_dz7ApFXYveQdS1CJqndAsmWdjnT4Yt4g6mauH1mwYZXLQjCvHMvmyTRvwt0eaXq-J4gUODlGY62tGgAlgQk5s0kqTNixjvrenO31mpr9n4iaZG-H4x47_gn8HAu5T7aUmIoIumtUsvGs/w300-h400/IMG_6980.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - broccoli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoz50ljKulunyyzLt5ruiau5weBMdQWtccAsOxIu8Hm0MnJMQLWiP6c8_KT19IMYUXwyvPqi9dZPaMkDIDLak4qCStEHPLBgxWqY6yOGYDuIJ75WMsBK0M8I5NZLKH47W4mTyQm43eQtRGaK_IhaxIYfIVCyyy4Vg3DZEkW1PCfwB_-Ic1oDceTrIbWlr/s3814/IMG_6983.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3814" data-original-width="2685" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoz50ljKulunyyzLt5ruiau5weBMdQWtccAsOxIu8Hm0MnJMQLWiP6c8_KT19IMYUXwyvPqi9dZPaMkDIDLak4qCStEHPLBgxWqY6yOGYDuIJ75WMsBK0M8I5NZLKH47W4mTyQm43eQtRGaK_IhaxIYfIVCyyy4Vg3DZEkW1PCfwB_-Ic1oDceTrIbWlr/w281-h400/IMG_6983.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - Leeks</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>26-28 February</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I was up in London for various events on the Monday and Tuesday and on Wednesday at the josptal to see the hand-therapist following my recent operation.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">But February wasn't over as it's a Leap Year!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>29 February</b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The extra day this month was little different from earlier ones - wet, wet, wet!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12BWGZu8k1YkKhn3ZX_x5yI6qJxYP9rtTFPIMkatIc5WqSx2kA5WzRELEd4IRemKdLlNSu876Jh3Otdo612JlAlP0tiN52fERKqYuXobfzq3ew3nYHBL8ZvubX_wnNzobKEU25JkcSClEEV0tX0J9Vuhpk6pGW5eJ4dXCdOVwln_FvF1x5lkMSjTMOnJD/s4032/IMG_7012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi12BWGZu8k1YkKhn3ZX_x5yI6qJxYP9rtTFPIMkatIc5WqSx2kA5WzRELEd4IRemKdLlNSu876Jh3Otdo612JlAlP0tiN52fERKqYuXobfzq3ew3nYHBL8ZvubX_wnNzobKEU25JkcSClEEV0tX0J9Vuhpk6pGW5eJ4dXCdOVwln_FvF1x5lkMSjTMOnJD/w300-h400/IMG_7012.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 February - Path to the plot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Should I consider growing rice?</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl1OBkVs4PmtYhIV7QpZBl8EXws-ClXCg2Kr1etPgyc1PEFZFSismOKlEX3E_qxTE-TFzYMk4PrrBJ9J1hJZOAdnpEmduHkLSrIx_10MjT20ZvQCrH1pumlN3mwII2wnK-4I9l3_-lIRu1hWZ_rKFNIoNAVJfEFuiHKFUlgvuUwRM1-x_FBbtxoxJvSM_/s731/IMG_7013.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="505" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQl1OBkVs4PmtYhIV7QpZBl8EXws-ClXCg2Kr1etPgyc1PEFZFSismOKlEX3E_qxTE-TFzYMk4PrrBJ9J1hJZOAdnpEmduHkLSrIx_10MjT20ZvQCrH1pumlN3mwII2wnK-4I9l3_-lIRu1hWZ_rKFNIoNAVJfEFuiHKFUlgvuUwRM1-x_FBbtxoxJvSM_/w442-h640/IMG_7013.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 February - waterlogged approach</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Far too wet to do anything on the plot do we indulged ourselves and went to the cinema. Hoping for a few dry days in March - please!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, February 2024</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-69659886251585117562024-02-05T08:24:00.000-08:002024-02-05T08:24:31.211-08:00Life on The Weald -January 2024<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - January 2024</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and at Home and in the kitchen </span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I no longer need a sling but with my right hand in plaster there will be limited opportunities to do much on the plot in January!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGEB2QcspGD717RtAITafjiY68EHQb1yAwbQzA0iL_nMskmf_4CXJ6StTzr036EnVrZdxK1GmF4LkTU4AAgzKym-y39ZQIuU0ADqNEF3CJAXsmTg02FN4fLPCmAdgugxHzYEFi_IxhPiws-wlA9lLhKRR8UAlasHHrHzLZK4RJ664tIAJoa05eoL6MyO7/s3088/IMG_6708.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGEB2QcspGD717RtAITafjiY68EHQb1yAwbQzA0iL_nMskmf_4CXJ6StTzr036EnVrZdxK1GmF4LkTU4AAgzKym-y39ZQIuU0ADqNEF3CJAXsmTg02FN4fLPCmAdgugxHzYEFi_IxhPiws-wlA9lLhKRR8UAlasHHrHzLZK4RJ664tIAJoa05eoL6MyO7/w300-h400/IMG_6708.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 - 2 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The year started with more heavy rain and the arrival of <i>Storm Henk. </i>My son, Damien, and daughter-in-law, Sharon were down from London but it was too wet and windy to venture down to the beach, as we usually do, to see in the New Year, so we celebrated at home.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> did manage a brief visit to the plot on </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">2nd January to lift some Jerusalem Artichokes and pick some Kalettes for them to take home. It was very, very wet underfoot and the rain was to continue for a few days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>7 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We didn't visit again until Sunday 7 January. At last it was dry and sunny, but as there was a </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">very cold wind we didn't stay too long.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin85pcjrUuLxdeQOqg8TSsy3tGCbSGWFiGrVgvnMilUUJL9Qik0M7Wc7rchh5IomUAgkSMZ4u6mHaxv2C7T5MPo4DcrfafUzDva_umH-ctn74ruuo5bMSNGxktAjKbQGCBmo0JRMWo2u9uH9-N9Vzcch96OYw5RT2MCRvJHFVOQeiJqSLmDJQVwHGzyStq/s4032/IMG_6719.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin85pcjrUuLxdeQOqg8TSsy3tGCbSGWFiGrVgvnMilUUJL9Qik0M7Wc7rchh5IomUAgkSMZ4u6mHaxv2C7T5MPo4DcrfafUzDva_umH-ctn74ruuo5bMSNGxktAjKbQGCBmo0JRMWo2u9uH9-N9Vzcch96OYw5RT2MCRvJHFVOQeiJqSLmDJQVwHGzyStq/w300-h400/IMG_6719.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - Plot 247b looking north<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOYe1c_qI-WwIRI6mHR8WX8-5NmAhkujms8g3Q96JAOUaDWrh4wUZbU7LcFhXDc72daN_JLFymhA0GrFn-ZP-Badb2MhI3m-JAb3vRxu5ZJIEfj-r5q9bkxKKKZI4eiYK23mxWAFAtd14qrIzF92dD1Ki2-QJqYq4Bj6gDFkKWm1FNV15xdQ7Fcl6uGWr/s4032/IMG_6718.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheOYe1c_qI-WwIRI6mHR8WX8-5NmAhkujms8g3Q96JAOUaDWrh4wUZbU7LcFhXDc72daN_JLFymhA0GrFn-ZP-Badb2MhI3m-JAb3vRxu5ZJIEfj-r5q9bkxKKKZI4eiYK23mxWAFAtd14qrIzF92dD1Ki2-QJqYq4Bj6gDFkKWm1FNV15xdQ7Fcl6uGWr/w300-h400/IMG_6718.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - from the plot looking east<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGPwBKAnJ9fjEKWqofxtvAVLv0G1OREXvAg2VVcliNldHiDGDLlH7TFhCvRBRqi-x4arRuEcv52aLij3_kaUHBdVAx9LQjAcPw9m3ZSRQJhERrJhX1fsFEHWGoQFCdJavNA3NMisQIBXOgUop3U7g-LyCOEXPu8PWf9WBde5wcaJc4cxOV_ROlURUH8F8/s4032/IMG_6717.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidGPwBKAnJ9fjEKWqofxtvAVLv0G1OREXvAg2VVcliNldHiDGDLlH7TFhCvRBRqi-x4arRuEcv52aLij3_kaUHBdVAx9LQjAcPw9m3ZSRQJhERrJhX1fsFEHWGoQFCdJavNA3NMisQIBXOgUop3U7g-LyCOEXPu8PWf9WBde5wcaJc4cxOV_ROlURUH8F8/w300-h400/IMG_6717.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - from the plot looking west<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sylvi fed her worms as we had rather a lot of kitchen scraps and I picked a good supply of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Cavolo Nero. </i><span style="font-family: arial;">We also removed the fleece from the broad beans that had been sown in 1 December. and were just coming through.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRBqW05YRROPG1Lr8GvTj4lb7r3iaLlt4uFXk7p798dIJ2SYSBLdKVJB4YJpKbgiN08AlFac4a8zKI0Yyxjd9C4VSbfBdG1zae0HdTCF5cWqI_MhQb9If3hvVOM9qJHecm-Fo98mpnaU8CIVqTRnApbGoB2C9g3yqflaUlakouStrYtArnE-RN7dqURzW/s4032/IMG_6714.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRBqW05YRROPG1Lr8GvTj4lb7r3iaLlt4uFXk7p798dIJ2SYSBLdKVJB4YJpKbgiN08AlFac4a8zKI0Yyxjd9C4VSbfBdG1zae0HdTCF5cWqI_MhQb9If3hvVOM9qJHecm-Fo98mpnaU8CIVqTRnApbGoB2C9g3yqflaUlakouStrYtArnE-RN7dqURzW/w300-h400/IMG_6714.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - Broad beans sown 1 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So far, the November sown broad beans seemed to have survived the storms....</span><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5D4oEtGjyuWOYjoJ-nYIAEgSdxB1yOpTxzu0LmLFDc72QZ6C4h4PVu-xAX3LyKqiWfP0pY53JGIA_srtOA9b_IrH7Dn3VmsN2QlV7xnBWVAjrfmTJgJvKY4b-6t8eS75BXaenWLSmoaHNZS46vwAOzDNVIi_V7zAj0mttsJgYjzEH6fcaygoPlse7VgQn/s4032/IMG_6715.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5D4oEtGjyuWOYjoJ-nYIAEgSdxB1yOpTxzu0LmLFDc72QZ6C4h4PVu-xAX3LyKqiWfP0pY53JGIA_srtOA9b_IrH7Dn3VmsN2QlV7xnBWVAjrfmTJgJvKY4b-6t8eS75BXaenWLSmoaHNZS46vwAOzDNVIi_V7zAj0mttsJgYjzEH6fcaygoPlse7VgQn/w300-h400/IMG_6715.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - November sown broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">...and the garlic was doing well too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB15DH5fmX2QIvd2-RTHJZQJL1hnPNcOrD3KZJ1tliv3HrqaeTfU_EZXt7EGjULCy-m0ssMJEqM5H10AMxfpsQLurZbrv5aWDiWNqtkgMlzw2Pk2VZ1Srr9K2k-2iRlpFuGeNMq5_LjLf5lCTfC5kSDVh4qR5BhThK9ApJLy0iesqfqjJGcLkYq3-kfyq/s4032/IMG_6716.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB15DH5fmX2QIvd2-RTHJZQJL1hnPNcOrD3KZJ1tliv3HrqaeTfU_EZXt7EGjULCy-m0ssMJEqM5H10AMxfpsQLurZbrv5aWDiWNqtkgMlzw2Pk2VZ1Srr9K2k-2iRlpFuGeNMq5_LjLf5lCTfC5kSDVh4qR5BhThK9ApJLy0iesqfqjJGcLkYq3-kfyq/w300-h400/IMG_6716.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of the purple sprouting broccoli has produced its first floret, the rest look a few weeks behind.</span></div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL8cjVgxm9bEZ4DibkxKi5D4IRiXWnMklGBEaEqTxPIz0xc1xtcQyVUCcp6iokkS7TsQvUHB68A7FwDITtNftHYba9Yl69oQBrake-d9mpY1wYctW-Pm-Ab1dzT9djXrSmdCbum9g7MCnzbqXfK4URHgHKELLrZS-AKRv05STTlbKG3cgsl14zTzZasuR/s2558/IMG_6720.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2527" data-original-width="2558" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyL8cjVgxm9bEZ4DibkxKi5D4IRiXWnMklGBEaEqTxPIz0xc1xtcQyVUCcp6iokkS7TsQvUHB68A7FwDITtNftHYba9Yl69oQBrake-d9mpY1wYctW-Pm-Ab1dzT9djXrSmdCbum9g7MCnzbqXfK4URHgHKELLrZS-AKRv05STTlbKG3cgsl14zTzZasuR/w400-h395/IMG_6720.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">7 January - purple sprouting broccoli</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The leeks looked healthy enough but sadly, when we lifted some it became obvious that they had been infected with alium leaf miner and had split below the surface.</span><br /><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hxfMWr-KMJjI8rTPLab92OHwMLQnK2tsMeLgAtTh1nUQ_9R7ODAahfrVywhRTZ9TfjVW-CfC24WVJiEuRrxfTuZsPB8RifXJWV71UpkA2py9nN3U3v22FglpozQsMftrrlsuqVbUJFFmMlKcIK5JgRYNa6-mmspFuZ7YUKb-8SrG8p2JcpFsOl8doRIr/s3131/IMG_6722.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3131" data-original-width="1718" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hxfMWr-KMJjI8rTPLab92OHwMLQnK2tsMeLgAtTh1nUQ_9R7ODAahfrVywhRTZ9TfjVW-CfC24WVJiEuRrxfTuZsPB8RifXJWV71UpkA2py9nN3U3v22FglpozQsMftrrlsuqVbUJFFmMlKcIK5JgRYNa6-mmspFuZ7YUKb-8SrG8p2JcpFsOl8doRIr/w220-h400/IMG_6722.jpg" width="220" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - victim of leaf miner</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We lifted a few more Jerusalem artichokes - all things in moderation - for dinner that night. They were delicious but I have written before about the down-side of <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3766818355047577898/4218595640006674002"><i>Jerusalem artichokes and their effect on digestion</i></a></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdko4XFVUrgNCOJWMqG7qHvlNqX1yL4VDyFyQ5FXzn1GGy_NoxQtODg3xFzVo7zRXDGv2ovmVK0BNhRBiQh0WRCr4klJfy9QX814sc-HmMbOZmkqeBPTAqTCB1S31DcXDHgWfSNxa12IkzQ1mUb_vIb7HawEkQE8xhJsBZYhzd8hqLtHk_MNWvPiS2WwD3/s3499/IMG_6723.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3499" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdko4XFVUrgNCOJWMqG7qHvlNqX1yL4VDyFyQ5FXzn1GGy_NoxQtODg3xFzVo7zRXDGv2ovmVK0BNhRBiQh0WRCr4klJfy9QX814sc-HmMbOZmkqeBPTAqTCB1S31DcXDHgWfSNxa12IkzQ1mUb_vIb7HawEkQE8xhJsBZYhzd8hqLtHk_MNWvPiS2WwD3/w346-h400/IMG_6723.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 January - Jerusalem artichokes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>8 January</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The clear weather was not to last, however, and we had more rain and heavy sleet showers - not a day for venturing out! Fortunately the south-east did not suffer the havy snowfall and floods that were being experienced in other parts of the country.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoArY6a0ZHlpdqKdZQPsJLzhGEFnmpD8GXSfrHn69JflCoics7llFvGnEdjxQuBZvpeDl6Sd3mf5YQXn9OlT59pVzMuP1IobVHFtHnvOevlHIOBv3rbMDm16F1wzQgFSrhgG0sAwnl0YUiZJtk2rMeHU1P-pkvGNBbZUrOL9mUeNwbfmRLw7swRXo53by/s4032/IMG_6728.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtoArY6a0ZHlpdqKdZQPsJLzhGEFnmpD8GXSfrHn69JflCoics7llFvGnEdjxQuBZvpeDl6Sd3mf5YQXn9OlT59pVzMuP1IobVHFtHnvOevlHIOBv3rbMDm16F1wzQgFSrhgG0sAwnl0YUiZJtk2rMeHU1P-pkvGNBbZUrOL9mUeNwbfmRLw7swRXo53by/w300-h400/IMG_6728.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 January - heavy sleet on loft windows</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>11-12 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thursday 11 January was another bright sunny day but very cold with overnight temperatures down to -4C. But according to the weather forecasters we can look forward to milder weather and hopefully next month the ground will have dried out a little. On Friday the seed potatoes arrived in the allotment shop and hopefully the onion sets will follow soon. </span></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81veWXMtZ5e5M7ccVJYsmMnyx15jiEflFBHw1GBQdoBmR5Utxd_xYAzMdteeN5k0aZF_7xjNhpjkIsNExAVdO7wW483_EjoWgzW7fy7gtRKayRvmdnHNxORf7d32QqhY4-ZhMnNebNfrqJNHB8PxjVLWrwUbw7_A18b4_K0hhYKbtU6q5CCbgbXMY2ios/s2048/ad32c389-248d-4beb-afee-8f1d888d613c.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81veWXMtZ5e5M7ccVJYsmMnyx15jiEflFBHw1GBQdoBmR5Utxd_xYAzMdteeN5k0aZF_7xjNhpjkIsNExAVdO7wW483_EjoWgzW7fy7gtRKayRvmdnHNxORf7d32QqhY4-ZhMnNebNfrqJNHB8PxjVLWrwUbw7_A18b4_K0hhYKbtU6q5CCbgbXMY2ios/w300-h400/ad32c389-248d-4beb-afee-8f1d888d613c.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12 January - arival of potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">14 January</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At last a bright, dry Sunday and I had a chance to inspect the rhubarb which I had covered with inverted recycling boxes to force it.<br /></span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8H2_6zjjqYu9N2HAOVzm8yFfKe9GqHj3Ml8UGeUsRy97pdjxN1OOsIH0dn3ZDhIsp_4lu6uaDUX8CG3BLFUDVijK6LjRJb_mFzKuEBxrUaXLcSzlenYxpoz9nCHvQkAz_LtX0huj1M_w5dr0tZcS5TsvWma3FOnhlkHWk3p6YxR4Hw4_r9ZVAgsql_IU/s4032/IMG_6749.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8H2_6zjjqYu9N2HAOVzm8yFfKe9GqHj3Ml8UGeUsRy97pdjxN1OOsIH0dn3ZDhIsp_4lu6uaDUX8CG3BLFUDVijK6LjRJb_mFzKuEBxrUaXLcSzlenYxpoz9nCHvQkAz_LtX0huj1M_w5dr0tZcS5TsvWma3FOnhlkHWk3p6YxR4Hw4_r9ZVAgsql_IU/s320/IMG_6749.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">14 January - forcing the rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I lifted the covers and was pleased to see some progress. Hopefully some will be ready for picking later in the month. I crossed my fingers and replaced the boxes.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaVQGeB9g1bhYHFbfuBfzI8ASsJMThB3Xqqtjdp5LbL99MHGJ6-IxA3YHuvNPQ4-HLR6_y2RUOgGvh1t0dbjPpkY7XfkgamnmML15nsdyMoOzSzp2glrlxm-RErBkmYw-y7idGd6HpucN4PXzb37EtqUk2e-WH4Lu__I5ObwvFTonBq3lc11lknGI-Trb/s3024/IMG_6750.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="3024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaVQGeB9g1bhYHFbfuBfzI8ASsJMThB3Xqqtjdp5LbL99MHGJ6-IxA3YHuvNPQ4-HLR6_y2RUOgGvh1t0dbjPpkY7XfkgamnmML15nsdyMoOzSzp2glrlxm-RErBkmYw-y7idGd6HpucN4PXzb37EtqUk2e-WH4Lu__I5ObwvFTonBq3lc11lknGI-Trb/s320/IMG_6750.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">14 January - rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIon6l93-J6Sn4K9fhAf3NIl8bDsJtht3UvzC69pRASir6PA29rmNicN_kOUf2NP2sMcl_6VUt1-YlWVtH-DPkGQqiynLA3GP792yrIwAGNXdeAJYWhZTW-SwWvbn-m10TNvvrJzWutZnpj3THfDjGYWXhLqwTUGW1w39DLnA_s5DMp0vDzoJ-_9BQ-dBb/s2969/IMG_6755.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2969" data-original-width="2709" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIon6l93-J6Sn4K9fhAf3NIl8bDsJtht3UvzC69pRASir6PA29rmNicN_kOUf2NP2sMcl_6VUt1-YlWVtH-DPkGQqiynLA3GP792yrIwAGNXdeAJYWhZTW-SwWvbn-m10TNvvrJzWutZnpj3THfDjGYWXhLqwTUGW1w39DLnA_s5DMp0vDzoJ-_9BQ-dBb/s320/IMG_6755.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">14 January - rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We picked some Cavolo nero and our first purple sprouting broccoli as well as a few rather small purple brussels sprouts. I visited the allotment shop and bought some <i>First early Red Duke of York </i>potatoes and some <i>Second early Charlotte. </i>It's a little early to start chitting so I will keep them in a cold dark room for a while.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was no problem finding a cold room for the potatoes as we don't have the heating on in the upper bedrooms! On Monday 15 January the outside temperature</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">was zero at 7am and dropped an hour later to -1C, reaching a maximum of 3C in the afternoon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>21 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At last the onion sets and shallots had arrived at the shop.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdySsxm0ePopSngdN24q_jlODlD5SoqluzXzkAIyCoTx4XvVa87VKvhlmjE7-B6MvKrtMaJpqFuCRJm0FfazYjhlluJzJHCA9xWrcyG3UoDKuwaaJQ8xh9yUuGlJLvgy_akSayCAaWcUzUngmT3oUpDmFtaUL84OvgfcfYf1O8yrb4ixyvuzxs26V9bjkZ/s1290/IMG_6792%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1290" data-original-width="993" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdySsxm0ePopSngdN24q_jlODlD5SoqluzXzkAIyCoTx4XvVa87VKvhlmjE7-B6MvKrtMaJpqFuCRJm0FfazYjhlluJzJHCA9xWrcyG3UoDKuwaaJQ8xh9yUuGlJLvgy_akSayCAaWcUzUngmT3oUpDmFtaUL84OvgfcfYf1O8yrb4ixyvuzxs26V9bjkZ/w308-h400/IMG_6792%20(1).jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 January - Onions and shallots had arrived</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdDOzot32GL0Zc5oXZyC7_XvJWfy5eEL8RbT0DlUpbntBVV2Lv2QXyExFz20q4mT1DTagpkIeBUPAGpKJjVgvCQb7gbMSeUk-k6hW-dnVk1HoCMqu-9sj5dvfbTdZFgQhZIC0TLB5pEzhUOTpjeZjzm9wiszRQgqCHI60SA5AFMzkTCSEHvdlNR0-4mqB/s3422/IMG_6793%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3422" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdDOzot32GL0Zc5oXZyC7_XvJWfy5eEL8RbT0DlUpbntBVV2Lv2QXyExFz20q4mT1DTagpkIeBUPAGpKJjVgvCQb7gbMSeUk-k6hW-dnVk1HoCMqu-9sj5dvfbTdZFgQhZIC0TLB5pEzhUOTpjeZjzm9wiszRQgqCHI60SA5AFMzkTCSEHvdlNR0-4mqB/w354-h400/IMG_6793%20(1).jpg" width="354" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 January - The Weald Shop - ready for Spring</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was relatively mild and we managed to do abit of general tidying up. We emptied the contents of the compost tumbler which had not yet fully composted, as it contained a lot of fibrous material from the squash vines, but we decided to pile it on the open ground where we will be planting out in the spring and let nature take its course.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">24 January</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We spent some time digging out couch grass and bind weed from the area where the potatoes will grow. This was the area where the squashes had grown lasy year and where we had laid a layer of cardboard covered with compost and manure 15 months ago. The soil was very friable and had drained well and it was relatively easy to pull out tufts of grass and weeds that had seeded and grown there. We did need to do a bit of more physical digging however towards the boundary path where couch grass and bindweed had spread. It might be necessary to dig out some of the fruit bushes, where bindweed and couch grass had invaded and replant them as the roots had become entagled.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In December I had emptied one of the compost bins in a pile near this year's brassica patch and we were able to spread this with a rake.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxfV7yT8SarL_kBBnzv_lBvjVUTm5nSDzPYZ743LfHv913XJlr7FCU-57VuPcFll9TWF0XjR3w3GjyLvfWbJZVjJG47wPYrArNFcblOvEGU4EwKIKbgPxp4ABCXMtHJM3ima5yqzqg1y2zZTMb9NhHY00wbWpcjGCnKST9jSv4ZDoGtd890K6EjxT4pml/s4032/IMG_6804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDxfV7yT8SarL_kBBnzv_lBvjVUTm5nSDzPYZ743LfHv913XJlr7FCU-57VuPcFll9TWF0XjR3w3GjyLvfWbJZVjJG47wPYrArNFcblOvEGU4EwKIKbgPxp4ABCXMtHJM3ima5yqzqg1y2zZTMb9NhHY00wbWpcjGCnKST9jSv4ZDoGtd890K6EjxT4pml/w480-h640/IMG_6804.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">24 January - preparing a brassica bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBEtyEarEwBZBJeTQQF1ftFRXjJmDeogsCdtjUPbD9xEsaasYmwrMm1KrjatjFEpQu_IQelMCAZ8wAoSiHrvjNeBR4OnAgMIA0xjsaxBfy7DyHpUoJBr3b5_VHKglPFOp85erujl11lvuWVvjZMu_MOCuPOybKuQQNqBYnuoEFpJIfSfCoCJcLrxluaFE/s4032/IMG_6803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBEtyEarEwBZBJeTQQF1ftFRXjJmDeogsCdtjUPbD9xEsaasYmwrMm1KrjatjFEpQu_IQelMCAZ8wAoSiHrvjNeBR4OnAgMIA0xjsaxBfy7DyHpUoJBr3b5_VHKglPFOp85erujl11lvuWVvjZMu_MOCuPOybKuQQNqBYnuoEFpJIfSfCoCJcLrxluaFE/w480-h640/IMG_6803.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">24 January - pile of partially rotted compost from the tumbler</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>26 January - 28 January</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Friday morning was sunny with a temperature of 9C and no wind, rising to 13C in the afternoon - a perfect day for being on the allotment - but we were away for the weekend in Sheffield. Sylvi's family are all Wednesday supporters and had tickets for the FA Cup match at Hillsborough that evening, so I joined them, and Sylvi's son, Luke had a ticket for the Brighton & Hove Albion FA Cup match against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday. It was a good excuse to spend a weekend "up-north" and visit family there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc8bxosAVtNHxpZSRUsvNOoMs0rDbAAP211TsoojC1BZI6j__KIzIOr5Og6q3XMW6achSbswyuzkBxbH60e3HiNXEqiw5gTBuH_qnKGsim_8_dzQXrdxqDU4sjrBeOcrX1MJ1r-fEkGxUQp3YZZIWBzhrvTJr6rMMsa_oHCCmQpyhJHqWQN0cbNFu10CK/s1507/E2E22859-DD10-487F-842F-F6BAA93EA886.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1507" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNc8bxosAVtNHxpZSRUsvNOoMs0rDbAAP211TsoojC1BZI6j__KIzIOr5Og6q3XMW6achSbswyuzkBxbH60e3HiNXEqiw5gTBuH_qnKGsim_8_dzQXrdxqDU4sjrBeOcrX1MJ1r-fEkGxUQp3YZZIWBzhrvTJr6rMMsa_oHCCmQpyhJHqWQN0cbNFu10CK/w383-h400/E2E22859-DD10-487F-842F-F6BAA93EA886.JPG" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Family Friday night at Hillsborough</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Given the weather of the past few weeks we thought we might encounter floods or snow, but not only was it unseasonably warm when we left Hove on Friday morning but the weekend in Sheffield was positively spring like on Saturday and we had to shed several layers. Some areas in the north and Scotland recorded record high temperatures for January!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">January has been a month of contrasts and extremes as temperature and rainfall have seen large fluctuations with mild wet weather interrupted by cold dry spells and significant floods and snow in some parts of the country. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have had 3 significant storms on top of each other during the month causing major disruptions, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67870028"><i>Henk</i></a>, <i><a href="https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/storm-isha-rail-road-and-energy-networks-across-the-uk-hit-by-wild-night-22-01-2024/">Isha</a> </i></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">and </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/23/storm-jocelyn-weather-warnings-rail-services-disrupted">Jocelyn</a></i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Surprisingly, however, the average mean temperature and rainfall for the UK as a whole have been near average for the time of year. After a very wet December the break from the rainy autumn and winter was welcome as the wet conditions have hindered preparations for spring. Generally gardeners favour a cold, but not bitter January. Too warm a January encourages early growth of seedlings, and premature flowering of fruit trees and bushes, which renders both vulnerable to frost damage. We are hoping for a dry, bright, albeit chilly February and more settled conditions.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, January 2024</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-12346258649527285472024-01-12T06:23:00.000-08:002024-01-12T06:23:48.993-08:00Life on The Weald - December 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <span style="color: red;">Life on The Weald - December 2023</span></span></h1><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was a very cold start to December with the first really heavy frost. Nevertheless I went to the plot to sow some more broad beans, where the red cabbages had been growing, and then covered the area with fleece. With freezing fingers I decided not to stay too long.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaw3oOVCmFL913XNs8K3yS9E5Rf-ReWXx6nyzuvReADnNId4yXhCbpgdDob5dFLLLtvxATzyRaZBXaSHaR3oVORl0vCyMchGhqyD3r1lBHu7GTdx0gPYIdqw-1UwI42BzMOHgIQqY2ew1bDFpbFifgvyUFkOJtUjgpkYUFjiaMTgehmraFJK34UtU7bSl/s4032/IMG_6540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaw3oOVCmFL913XNs8K3yS9E5Rf-ReWXx6nyzuvReADnNId4yXhCbpgdDob5dFLLLtvxATzyRaZBXaSHaR3oVORl0vCyMchGhqyD3r1lBHu7GTdx0gPYIdqw-1UwI42BzMOHgIQqY2ew1bDFpbFifgvyUFkOJtUjgpkYUFjiaMTgehmraFJK34UtU7bSl/w300-h400/IMG_6540.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 December - a new row of broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>2 December</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the cold weather continued, I decided to stay at home and spend some time in the kitchen. I removed the seeds from the bulbous end of one of our <i>butternut squashes </i>and stuffed and roasted it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"> <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjF4uOV-fHIP2gKWwaWJblj-F39iZq9SntkUgrQJWyejkQJqbNL7odBeeykD6kWly_AlO9eUrxPdPZ6kOlDjdjrHIpj_TgbRX0YP3gFQaopfhowWLTWYbg189vyr8ANLvD3ZMi_jBe03EpNXREFw10lr5Q94nkc9HhNNjYzlQEb5ZeOErf7NkaaZ4M10xR/s3178/IMG_6542.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3178" data-original-width="2806" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjF4uOV-fHIP2gKWwaWJblj-F39iZq9SntkUgrQJWyejkQJqbNL7odBeeykD6kWly_AlO9eUrxPdPZ6kOlDjdjrHIpj_TgbRX0YP3gFQaopfhowWLTWYbg189vyr8ANLvD3ZMi_jBe03EpNXREFw10lr5Q94nkc9HhNNjYzlQEb5ZeOErf7NkaaZ4M10xR/w354-h400/IMG_6542.jpg" width="354" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 December - <i> butternut squash</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva8vmsO31xkivSyE4IDXoNc9df1oQEP1ReRfsAWtzgZtNmdIOQqF_CgmavzmBPdqF-WJWY87ogLDzdQDMKtpXSu2SXjoiAASKAjy5OEixI9bMp-NTiDl1Z8bMLsDCQmoJuvR7V9JW76zIz3AW5giD-S7o4gBIvStu9tzrH4XhQgBQiUXU454nhe_tgILE/s4032/IMG_6543.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva8vmsO31xkivSyE4IDXoNc9df1oQEP1ReRfsAWtzgZtNmdIOQqF_CgmavzmBPdqF-WJWY87ogLDzdQDMKtpXSu2SXjoiAASKAjy5OEixI9bMp-NTiDl1Z8bMLsDCQmoJuvR7V9JW76zIz3AW5giD-S7o4gBIvStu9tzrH4XhQgBQiUXU454nhe_tgILE/w300-h400/IMG_6543.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 December - roast, stuffed squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">6</span> <span style="font-size: medium;">December</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The cold spell continued and I had to scrape the ice from the car windscreen and despite the cold visited the plot. The temperature rose to 3C</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQfesjEoioueBjWzy4VZSmsbDZdDlpqHQbKkKRAAkTzPcqmXVU4OVf-7uJi510B98Vyo1-ktSw4iaKovsn3ADx34uZoJaUzookAWiRL5YQCUIAlLSPOkBlfhZNtnRgvvamdmDuW7PzZH4UW31UnXpQuaIZi6045OI_u2EaxkC1E9xGtbpyry8Wbc3p0Z8/s4032/IMG_6560.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQfesjEoioueBjWzy4VZSmsbDZdDlpqHQbKkKRAAkTzPcqmXVU4OVf-7uJi510B98Vyo1-ktSw4iaKovsn3ADx34uZoJaUzookAWiRL5YQCUIAlLSPOkBlfhZNtnRgvvamdmDuW7PzZH4UW31UnXpQuaIZi6045OI_u2EaxkC1E9xGtbpyry8Wbc3p0Z8/w300-h400/IMG_6560.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 December - a frosty morning</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I removed the fleece from the garlic which now appeared to be firmly rooted. The fleece was more to protect the cloves from being pulled up by birds rather than to protect them from the cold. Garlic does well if it has two months at 0-10C.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLFcgYf4QAmtFtxFUKkphtMvce6SHsrRIyOX8MpT9oiEEQrgG7ZuPdVGhfXVutXB-2Gwg9IM0o-yfL_KIeTwP4QGUJtpUQKhTDI2HUOxpsq0X3CA0SgKHhUty-w7fi7pgzX5xjqDn3Cnw-f6wqg9Z93c6ZqgwNV0nuRNI5HI6Oix5GSAYiHZ8QCr9-wdP/s4032/IMG_6561.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLFcgYf4QAmtFtxFUKkphtMvce6SHsrRIyOX8MpT9oiEEQrgG7ZuPdVGhfXVutXB-2Gwg9IM0o-yfL_KIeTwP4QGUJtpUQKhTDI2HUOxpsq0X3CA0SgKHhUty-w7fi7pgzX5xjqDn3Cnw-f6wqg9Z93c6ZqgwNV0nuRNI5HI6Oix5GSAYiHZ8QCr9-wdP/w300-h400/IMG_6561.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 December - garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z1T_SF27S5Yv-aLkUt-piGiKZNg0g-Rt36L_cCw2xDoVbDKKaEYFvVfu_qkvhKgrbCf_E3YGSlznQh3xuSQu-A4PC_kezTk4MlvDGkVap41DZy_Okfwwa9pwRFkBJZNaX8JCooL_nPdLsZ70IIqTjicQgl_Ctq5HvlVPtSHzXmorZef7BXaLPOJPsVIT/s2381/IMG_6563%20-%20Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="2381" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3z1T_SF27S5Yv-aLkUt-piGiKZNg0g-Rt36L_cCw2xDoVbDKKaEYFvVfu_qkvhKgrbCf_E3YGSlznQh3xuSQu-A4PC_kezTk4MlvDGkVap41DZy_Okfwwa9pwRFkBJZNaX8JCooL_nPdLsZ70IIqTjicQgl_Ctq5HvlVPtSHzXmorZef7BXaLPOJPsVIT/w400-h225/IMG_6563%20-%20Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 December - garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I found some netting to put loosely over the broccoli that was outside the netted cage. The ground was quite hard on the surface but with all the rain we had recently was soft underneath so I thought digging out some couch grass and bindweed might keep me warm. This is the area where either the potatoes or brassicas will go next year.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkW1AjlR-uETItxNpNiCjvZoPubCa-1MK8L2ZnQ5R4emjIgunKxazDnRmnavjURUB5M8MDrGll_esIpolUU-cmJbUvQxml4itOUmjvtnv79NcAjzB_j_TKbJMKiglV-9lNa4uNYF95FZHi9HRYaFMJUbHQR8vZ0YvXSibYc8Q62EvvTjLXCzvMVus2Xpl/s4032/IMG_6564.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkW1AjlR-uETItxNpNiCjvZoPubCa-1MK8L2ZnQ5R4emjIgunKxazDnRmnavjURUB5M8MDrGll_esIpolUU-cmJbUvQxml4itOUmjvtnv79NcAjzB_j_TKbJMKiglV-9lNa4uNYF95FZHi9HRYaFMJUbHQR8vZ0YvXSibYc8Q62EvvTjLXCzvMVus2Xpl/w300-h400/IMG_6564.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 December - couch grass removed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back a</span><span style="font-family: arial;">t home, it was clear that Christmas was on its way as the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Schlumbergera</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> (Christmas flowering cactus) was in bloom.</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-yQEVIsNykijIx6JlbiJoSPkMdLSI0no5fIIxlo0P7WA8NiruVdQ5E6dYTgnBV2STuPNRlyqjD7qYmw5bQek-kuixP43jlI0yWb-OXAMAG-yxeugC3O3xqJiR2q7lyCDV8SM3JaIbcwZ1LFULjBF-HnPNSDVXWVxmsCnKeMC4859rWWR59Qnibs9BDIB/s1243/IMG_6565.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1153" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-yQEVIsNykijIx6JlbiJoSPkMdLSI0no5fIIxlo0P7WA8NiruVdQ5E6dYTgnBV2STuPNRlyqjD7qYmw5bQek-kuixP43jlI0yWb-OXAMAG-yxeugC3O3xqJiR2q7lyCDV8SM3JaIbcwZ1LFULjBF-HnPNSDVXWVxmsCnKeMC4859rWWR59Qnibs9BDIB/w371-h400/IMG_6565.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"> </i><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">6 December - </span><i style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Schlumbergera</i><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That evening there was heavy rain and several flood warnings.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>7-14 December </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The rain and stormy weather continued as Storm <i>Erin </i>arrived, followed by Storm <i>Fergus </i> and there was heavy flooding in the Midlands, the North and Scotland. We escaped the worst but it was miserable weather and not conducive to gardening.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">15 December</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a break in the rain so i paid a visit to a very wet and waterlogged plot. I had collected a lot of cardboard and laid this where the brassicas will go and covered it with the contetnts of two compost bins. The compost was not fully rotted but I am relying on the worms and fungus to do the rest. i did then cover the area with tarpaulin as more rain was threatened and I didn't want it to get too sodden.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also managed to pick a lot of perpetual spinach for a warming <i>sag aloo </i>(spinach and potato curry) over the weekend</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>27 December</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On my last visit of the year, I noticed that the rhubarb was beginning to show through, so it might be time to force it by covering with an old recycling container.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd3rQgT9F5fHEP_pVVXDEoFhUqukcnKrWwMlzhPhXwxrBSfLtGSYyPmizhNfA7y0H6kgCFcADdMlPB7Umo1PqVTGqlk6hwtSJ69kGe3YemQe9yJlNHdsrhXHIqfhE6IQEfnaPir6G_7VKDeP7_JDyi_m_H_OLkeRgi448Uz6T_7yy_C9TorJeb30rFqdX/s2700/IMG_6654.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="2025" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd3rQgT9F5fHEP_pVVXDEoFhUqukcnKrWwMlzhPhXwxrBSfLtGSYyPmizhNfA7y0H6kgCFcADdMlPB7Umo1PqVTGqlk6hwtSJ69kGe3YemQe9yJlNHdsrhXHIqfhE6IQEfnaPir6G_7VKDeP7_JDyi_m_H_OLkeRgi448Uz6T_7yy_C9TorJeb30rFqdX/w300-h400/IMG_6654.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>29 December</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After many months of delays and cancelled appointments, I eventually had surgery on my right hand to correct <i>Dupuytren's contracture - </i>(a thickening of tissues in the palm of the hand causing one or more fingers to curl towards the palm, restricting certain functions). Whilst am pleased to have had the operation at last it might curtail my allotment activity for weeks and possibly months.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pjYuVqm9NBFt0dxOwFajwtEetloDEbJoh4Rxqtw4gSKxs5B_QOc2HaQPrQkRXXBtWOlfYKnA5UgygwC2uEFiXJ2ykAqUrdQ_XBfQ6i7IOGd5-q79TaQxPw_sq-H56idrOf6vrjQBm65LwryL3GY3SKmExRPYBhCBqLwZrJkXbBRoxM5XbgFSCVZ71cmR/s4032/IMG_6661.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pjYuVqm9NBFt0dxOwFajwtEetloDEbJoh4Rxqtw4gSKxs5B_QOc2HaQPrQkRXXBtWOlfYKnA5UgygwC2uEFiXJ2ykAqUrdQ_XBfQ6i7IOGd5-q79TaQxPw_sq-H56idrOf6vrjQBm65LwryL3GY3SKmExRPYBhCBqLwZrJkXbBRoxM5XbgFSCVZ71cmR/w300-h400/IMG_6661.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">29 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The sling comes off in a few days, but it will be a week or so before the dressing and plaster come off and the stitches removed but I will have very limited use for about a month and it will be longer before I can drive or do strenuous physical activity - but hopefully back to full activity for the spring.</span></div><div><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">John Austin</span></i></h2></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Hove, December 2023</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-34519755630008772662024-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:002024-01-05T08:47:23.059-08:00Life on The Weald - November 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">Life on The Weald - November 2023</span></span></h1><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>- and distractions</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">November started with a rainy morning and a maximum temperature of 14C with the wind getting up in the afternoon and after <i>Storm Agnes</i> and <i>Babet, </i>in previous months, we were advised that <span style="background-color: white; color: #1f1f1f; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;"><i>Ciarán </i></span>was due to strike that evening.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2 November</b> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The wind was very strong in the night and a lot of the beach ended up on the promenade</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The strong winds persisted although there was little damage from </span><i style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: arial; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;">Ciarán </i><span style="color: #1f1f1f; font-family: arial; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;">in the south east compared to the rest of the country.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMudPVw3v9VUKKA8DCJyQnAdN5oBtV2LR-Wl7LnniFUbhOOdyDAYnkk56VPDoex6439WkNtuH0z9bt9qjXoxXHqzAMXbveDdr5oO58Fwvxn-055HQi8AydJ-lQBIh-xsxgNge8_xNcR1crEhnfeaiCAUEGhr1oMCpcFX551mMcXRPfM327HU5EYcTp5jO5/s2769/IMG_6319.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2769" data-original-width="2077" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMudPVw3v9VUKKA8DCJyQnAdN5oBtV2LR-Wl7LnniFUbhOOdyDAYnkk56VPDoex6439WkNtuH0z9bt9qjXoxXHqzAMXbveDdr5oO58Fwvxn-055HQi8AydJ-lQBIh-xsxgNge8_xNcR1crEhnfeaiCAUEGhr1oMCpcFX551mMcXRPfM327HU5EYcTp5jO5/w480-h640/IMG_6319.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 November - Hove beach</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>5 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The damage on the allotment was minimal. Most of the covering on our derelict greenhouse had been blown away and the panels for our replacement shed had blown over but everything else was intact.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO_O9_j-Ep_w3zj7wYoAjrXmybcXosYav2Tb4YpzHtQJTXTQQ4Y8ksGIzuso45tOLeptUSn_T8IZV_AF2BvofOy17i9Bp7k4lQpBCyFX9wTz61_f2vEsmG1Nyh7CQ8t-DxF-ZAefm0sJTc4yAy7tJwCog7cJf7qU0VMjJn5171hyphenhyphenh_bQSApNkrSi8Cz-b/s4032/IMG_6325.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPO_O9_j-Ep_w3zj7wYoAjrXmybcXosYav2Tb4YpzHtQJTXTQQ4Y8ksGIzuso45tOLeptUSn_T8IZV_AF2BvofOy17i9Bp7k4lQpBCyFX9wTz61_f2vEsmG1Nyh7CQ8t-DxF-ZAefm0sJTc4yAy7tJwCog7cJf7qU0VMjJn5171hyphenhyphenh_bQSApNkrSi8Cz-b/w300-h400/IMG_6325.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 November - greenhouse</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENHWUu63RTepCqwjhEK1ufOi9htv9REbDk2-rvRLBFgEE5GQbhXAi8rNrHwYWVfkw8YJV3QFZs08qHM72BBYOy2FGrDZF7rdSIQxvktWx0PkecwWqbidqD44UQ_Xcg1BhVd-0vogsctqO0h1UEmjrJkKZ6YKMmGhnOhxlUgNrnCvNNUw3SJ4ToA9W5Yn/s4032/IMG_6326.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENHWUu63RTepCqwjhEK1ufOi9htv9REbDk2-rvRLBFgEE5GQbhXAi8rNrHwYWVfkw8YJV3QFZs08qHM72BBYOy2FGrDZF7rdSIQxvktWx0PkecwWqbidqD44UQ_Xcg1BhVd-0vogsctqO0h1UEmjrJkKZ6YKMmGhnOhxlUgNrnCvNNUw3SJ4ToA9W5Yn/w300-h400/IMG_6326.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 November - the shed</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We found a good home for the Halloween pumpkins - the compost tumbler. They look happy there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpYuWOTk4UcZvTFjUyPrKfo5Z-688GpjkRMp6wThzbbTpDIubRXwDwJsyOttvtB9oSQzBwPRM18LSHDgvtXuTKL6XjNsufSq4ASEfmXYas8kSWW2nIX0vd0qZk9dflP-Kwq5eQsjnKE2ZN3TQ4LfJSM1ncn4dETi3i6CeyAq5a3KHBBua11mXuwjc3YJb/s3253/IMG_6331.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3253" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpYuWOTk4UcZvTFjUyPrKfo5Z-688GpjkRMp6wThzbbTpDIubRXwDwJsyOttvtB9oSQzBwPRM18LSHDgvtXuTKL6XjNsufSq4ASEfmXYas8kSWW2nIX0vd0qZk9dflP-Kwq5eQsjnKE2ZN3TQ4LfJSM1ncn4dETi3i6CeyAq5a3KHBBua11mXuwjc3YJb/w371-h400/IMG_6331.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 November - farewell Halloween</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After a stormy night, it was a bright clear day and I lifted some of the <i><a href="https://www.johnaust.in/2016/01/artichokes.html">Jerusalem artichokes</a></i></span><a href="https://www.johnaust.in/2016/01/artichokes.html"><br /></a><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQ0zH_k1xORdKdmZKZvTqpjyEEZwHluW1f8Z_sfWFcZr6g4OBHTz7qbKT-qisaVaojKqd9wmhFrJ1ndxImDFPhixeXH94A1Y_J5BujnVfdAvKxYiE1GxB6UJdI6qYtJINQ5jl6guTbG58NdTApK-utPy56aOGz7vTBVqjd6IImw88iCrqOcPfsitP5yIl/s4032/IMG_6333.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQ0zH_k1xORdKdmZKZvTqpjyEEZwHluW1f8Z_sfWFcZr6g4OBHTz7qbKT-qisaVaojKqd9wmhFrJ1ndxImDFPhixeXH94A1Y_J5BujnVfdAvKxYiE1GxB6UJdI6qYtJINQ5jl6guTbG58NdTApK-utPy56aOGz7vTBVqjd6IImw88iCrqOcPfsitP5yIl/w300-h400/IMG_6333.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 November - Artichokes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3ZxL2Ym9leEvg0wulIkPvZjYWJztfItpvU2wRVM9_lLj3CfwPLAV7qfVW4ctbXjMKmhG-1KrXuoHnLb2qWOog8-UCZMo3wBQfl3n8x2Kw5RRnrjDaV3XtRQXMVyMeqnjVgsSImvzu3Bv4pXO503UAOQ7sAKGKLC7FLVm9EZflc6Ab3ZhhHaj5B57GuNh/s4032/IMG_6338.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3ZxL2Ym9leEvg0wulIkPvZjYWJztfItpvU2wRVM9_lLj3CfwPLAV7qfVW4ctbXjMKmhG-1KrXuoHnLb2qWOog8-UCZMo3wBQfl3n8x2Kw5RRnrjDaV3XtRQXMVyMeqnjVgsSImvzu3Bv4pXO503UAOQ7sAKGKLC7FLVm9EZflc6Ab3ZhhHaj5B57GuNh/w300-h400/IMG_6338.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 November - Artichokes<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The broccoli was growing taller than the cage so i raised the netting to accommodate it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>6 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sylvia began to re-cover the greenhouse (which is just used as a storage area) and deal with invading brambles whilst I raised the netting over the kalettes which, like the broccoli, had outgrown the cage.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARK73fkyZHP_8VC_5axdXKeinuqfAosO03VfzYDKFts1AW40HBvy8wbOBEWmpeSJ0kS4RBsNTaFhVdeWq72uh7bAoILnseCH_66XaqeNZ02G7JBBTeT_cXymo5hWFTGZhleW7vfgiWgzkWUI817dM9Sj-ICTptXpEyPK96ghzcTRoE0CU_92sqinW9-4a/s4032/IMG_6343.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARK73fkyZHP_8VC_5axdXKeinuqfAosO03VfzYDKFts1AW40HBvy8wbOBEWmpeSJ0kS4RBsNTaFhVdeWq72uh7bAoILnseCH_66XaqeNZ02G7JBBTeT_cXymo5hWFTGZhleW7vfgiWgzkWUI817dM9Sj-ICTptXpEyPK96ghzcTRoE0CU_92sqinW9-4a/w300-h400/IMG_6343.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">raising the netting over the kalettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In raising the netting, I disturbed the whitefly which flew around in clouds. I decided to spray all the brassicas with an emulsion of natural oil and water with a little added soap.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had a plentiful supply of fresh farmyard manure that our grandson, Jerome, had delivered from our <a href="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/the-shop/"><b><i>allotment shop</i></b></a> and I spread some of this on the raised beds where the onions will go in the spring. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I am supposed to be shedding responsibilities in retirement but have recently taken on the role of communications officer on the Allotment Association Committee and am responsible for its <i><a href="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/"><b>website</b></a> </i>and social media. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fQo1TdOc46MLAx6GfjiG_I517UEFC4qabJi0JkMH4H06ncdPnT9XlRaBvN4lVS9w9rCPTji35Qs7BHCV6m2iH7m0uMC8UjFPoxkCC77ldAOur0-1rKN7V9bs0i1fllmimHeTCadT-1CoVEL8TqBNiR3uAc1IlCXvmecYG8KcpXs1J2ggSFioM1W5_Jsb/s4032/IMG_6345.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fQo1TdOc46MLAx6GfjiG_I517UEFC4qabJi0JkMH4H06ncdPnT9XlRaBvN4lVS9w9rCPTji35Qs7BHCV6m2iH7m0uMC8UjFPoxkCC77ldAOur0-1rKN7V9bs0i1fllmimHeTCadT-1CoVEL8TqBNiR3uAc1IlCXvmecYG8KcpXs1J2ggSFioM1W5_Jsb/w300-h400/IMG_6345.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">fresh manure</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiS9BMdw1pN-DYePiyxRVXalk336Jh6G2igFKAKcNduVQkc9QZb3JWkQLy3GJ-TprS_dl8N9G2FZNk9bKd4gMIBlJmmE9yBvz5TAvZyRa9Uyx58eBrRtWhzoBOFAfzKHbOKIi8pW6rpfla-A7RopImRuVpGclgHMPwdhvsgFRBcI6oTA0UyXKZ2PmZCe2/s4032/IMG_6346.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiS9BMdw1pN-DYePiyxRVXalk336Jh6G2igFKAKcNduVQkc9QZb3JWkQLy3GJ-TprS_dl8N9G2FZNk9bKd4gMIBlJmmE9yBvz5TAvZyRa9Uyx58eBrRtWhzoBOFAfzKHbOKIi8pW6rpfla-A7RopImRuVpGclgHMPwdhvsgFRBcI6oTA0UyXKZ2PmZCe2/w300-h400/IMG_6346.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the onion beds</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The newly sown broad beans were just beginning to germinate, so for a protection against slugs and snails I sprinkled a mixture of crushed eggshells and coffee grounds on the bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ7mQ8KZ1jiIrLbSFrFzgDZiZc2afGOlftXKpG2GUM5Wya71gmqwu7lnsTlK_cK9dX-YVH2_RlnIhsSOxte1mRLD5VmeZOjYJ6hRzN-WSzSd6rn4ijwTLw2sHbg5E5SlF2myY3rbzzYVMdop7cxR9WnFJwxdu6iNSDFhTiEWUuh-DSoAmyfIBFEvrZDKv/s4032/IMG_6342.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ7mQ8KZ1jiIrLbSFrFzgDZiZc2afGOlftXKpG2GUM5Wya71gmqwu7lnsTlK_cK9dX-YVH2_RlnIhsSOxte1mRLD5VmeZOjYJ6hRzN-WSzSd6rn4ijwTLw2sHbg5E5SlF2myY3rbzzYVMdop7cxR9WnFJwxdu6iNSDFhTiEWUuh-DSoAmyfIBFEvrZDKv/w300-h400/IMG_6342.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Broad beans beginning to sprout</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I then cleared another raised bed of weeds, by hand weeding, (no digging) and laid cardboard ready for a layer of manure.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>8 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home on a cold, dreary November day, I was wondering what to do with <i>tromboncinos</i>. We have tried them roasted, in risotto, in soups, with pasta - and then I remembered I had a recipe for a <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3766818355047577898/7556017399562794716" style="font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: underline;">Courgette Lemon Drizzle Cake</a> </b>so I decided to try it using <i>tromboncino </i>instead and I'm pleased to say it worked well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nEtqueQzgMG0hsfc53QNHgwvhn_u3UDykok3J9Aspgp6W3jKoDBhO9RZkoCIJlkj_CThSzX9-PJGMt-X0mmSJ_AjW_sCPqQHsVcl0lUpjYm2UCoumhSQCk8gRGPIYUqlYF1T_MKVMkRPlfp4F0m6K5kX-LI4uQ_vxsuG_I9CWSJI6i0HQfB-Fjczze0R/s2558/IMG_6363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2445" data-original-width="2558" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nEtqueQzgMG0hsfc53QNHgwvhn_u3UDykok3J9Aspgp6W3jKoDBhO9RZkoCIJlkj_CThSzX9-PJGMt-X0mmSJ_AjW_sCPqQHsVcl0lUpjYm2UCoumhSQCk8gRGPIYUqlYF1T_MKVMkRPlfp4F0m6K5kX-LI4uQ_vxsuG_I9CWSJI6i0HQfB-Fjczze0R/w400-h383/IMG_6363.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tromboncino Lemon Drizzle Cake<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>11 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jerome delivered another 3 barrow loads of manure, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Sylvi continued to tackle invading brambles and I dismantled the bean and cucumber </span><span style="font-family: arial;">frames.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjFk0Bfao2FPolnsncwUSYGqSjD9C3X1c5kKCAlu95Cmqf1RSTXoYgJy2UAQkm9IZdJS-XuL62lPsHoX6-83ptw7Kyj9fTI34HRk-OLxA9liVeKaDnOCvTU97-H83D_CRC4Gy1bQ7qBalNndarkqjD4m25pmW4_tLV4oGuPCA17pvuuEuC8xqlnJcKYJR/s4032/IMG_6394.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjFk0Bfao2FPolnsncwUSYGqSjD9C3X1c5kKCAlu95Cmqf1RSTXoYgJy2UAQkm9IZdJS-XuL62lPsHoX6-83ptw7Kyj9fTI34HRk-OLxA9liVeKaDnOCvTU97-H83D_CRC4Gy1bQ7qBalNndarkqjD4m25pmW4_tLV4oGuPCA17pvuuEuC8xqlnJcKYJR/w300-h400/IMG_6394.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">more manure</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p6isUtDLE6PrZXIwZsMe4L4kbm-ifM-qasoF4cpRcXwVAOmDgMtv2D7evZgxoBK28-ja9SWOOVgK0KCwmpRQIlUUcUDElLgUAQxhs00zBoYwi-seztCdC8ahp5OWI1hUdh8rtxdzf-Lr_7j-GPhOVkgxFOlEROLcY6xl8uuT71Zn7vs_mQdCWTeQIvk3/s4032/IMG_6376.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0p6isUtDLE6PrZXIwZsMe4L4kbm-ifM-qasoF4cpRcXwVAOmDgMtv2D7evZgxoBK28-ja9SWOOVgK0KCwmpRQIlUUcUDElLgUAQxhs00zBoYwi-seztCdC8ahp5OWI1hUdh8rtxdzf-Lr_7j-GPhOVkgxFOlEROLcY6xl8uuT71Zn7vs_mQdCWTeQIvk3/w300-h400/IMG_6376.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the old climbing bean frame</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">At home we decided to try one of the <i>Crown Prince </i>squashes</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2VSPqNmcyqo1A9fVlZmuiiIUXLDTL_ikChjd9MKxYowE9p6Q1ACV_LnhZLTFTYGlglmU8HcU-S6NHMvWi3Ts1RHe-9o-Ftic7gNdCMJvOsQ7XUgWh9G3dyz7Rl5OIWYaeeePOJDW0UFhVW2ndUU7W7N95urEfpxm7EVynq8-1WDsu4tsDutGpMwccxqI/s4032/IMG_6379.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2VSPqNmcyqo1A9fVlZmuiiIUXLDTL_ikChjd9MKxYowE9p6Q1ACV_LnhZLTFTYGlglmU8HcU-S6NHMvWi3Ts1RHe-9o-Ftic7gNdCMJvOsQ7XUgWh9G3dyz7Rl5OIWYaeeePOJDW0UFhVW2ndUU7W7N95urEfpxm7EVynq8-1WDsu4tsDutGpMwccxqI/w300-h400/IMG_6379.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Crown Prince </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The broad beans that we had sown in modules had sprouted and would soon be ready for plantiong out.<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD1NoJli84rq8ivlmc79Wp0KKDkDnUdhhI0jpe7OnT-w1dI4br9OWFRtRR0Qwu2jLuIyBo7RooS7fpin5pZxzl_TZ5w9NrjldlirH3yvLuH9fjyNzHJ_KM1ZWKeOJivEfU9ifEQMUH-ASauMXFNT6fIC1RYkCfWqeU2v5FaLjYwpYoLEAv-1Wl-z2K6h8/s4032/IMG_6381.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmD1NoJli84rq8ivlmc79Wp0KKDkDnUdhhI0jpe7OnT-w1dI4br9OWFRtRR0Qwu2jLuIyBo7RooS7fpin5pZxzl_TZ5w9NrjldlirH3yvLuH9fjyNzHJ_KM1ZWKeOJivEfU9ifEQMUH-ASauMXFNT6fIC1RYkCfWqeU2v5FaLjYwpYoLEAv-1Wl-z2K6h8/w300-h400/IMG_6381.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>12 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Taking advantage of the sunny weather I hand weeded another of the raised beds laid cardboard and covered with manure.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpL9GpSYVa7sxPfC5WZ0WeW1KV6tQlNuKkUxFhOdcy5hujgy641kgTjMnstP86qCHA-TdP1l5XWglkA49dbRdc7ndfOCiUfjGbDWq4rIv2DnXSjepdYLhnrfN2VgtCD4F5F8cXsyXFV51oovgleKY0NRFVzNS1swIrxRYTe-SfY_B7QcThnj4t0OBChz0b/s4032/IMG_6392.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpL9GpSYVa7sxPfC5WZ0WeW1KV6tQlNuKkUxFhOdcy5hujgy641kgTjMnstP86qCHA-TdP1l5XWglkA49dbRdc7ndfOCiUfjGbDWq4rIv2DnXSjepdYLhnrfN2VgtCD4F5F8cXsyXFV51oovgleKY0NRFVzNS1swIrxRYTe-SfY_B7QcThnj4t0OBChz0b/w300-h400/IMG_6392.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">hand weeded raised bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3RD9wgFlnC2QlcJByIuPDqySclvyUq4oMvhPzu0YL6EQuWxf8g-KGxhomiQtB9qy4ZpzgsD3n2kpYxjukCwLstqzEoiucgGrhsumtIm0KXXTbTnVE3EzP-n2aM0lhhv2roGKPhNscC6eN58v0ORnWuPAxWwtuBwS8XDuvpO7z2HOLV86rGCR9iZJLcO9/s4032/IMG_6393.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3RD9wgFlnC2QlcJByIuPDqySclvyUq4oMvhPzu0YL6EQuWxf8g-KGxhomiQtB9qy4ZpzgsD3n2kpYxjukCwLstqzEoiucgGrhsumtIm0KXXTbTnVE3EzP-n2aM0lhhv2roGKPhNscC6eN58v0ORnWuPAxWwtuBwS8XDuvpO7z2HOLV86rGCR9iZJLcO9/w300-h400/IMG_6393.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">raised bed with layer of cardboard and manure</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We harvested some red cabbage and beetroots...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPrhjINn1o8OVPk9LFtuEq5D7sRymKjT7-zJtDi4fw3W9KvGm2F186NTLMwU6JhfeJB5fRBumjyMo6S-nDx-anvAHMeq5QvIONL2lOFrDt27Cu5ZbhJqUsz5frPy3nCXNuIcF0jv2YGI7-OaZTtWGVoZ0WJ99HSuvWgzZ7n6yCWI-USzBhwGZ6RL_ORpC/s2740/IMG_6395.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2566" data-original-width="2740" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPrhjINn1o8OVPk9LFtuEq5D7sRymKjT7-zJtDi4fw3W9KvGm2F186NTLMwU6JhfeJB5fRBumjyMo6S-nDx-anvAHMeq5QvIONL2lOFrDt27Cu5ZbhJqUsz5frPy3nCXNuIcF0jv2YGI7-OaZTtWGVoZ0WJ99HSuvWgzZ7n6yCWI-USzBhwGZ6RL_ORpC/s320/IMG_6395.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">red cabbage and beetroots<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">..... and I picked the remaining tromboncinos.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteNlMKj7xb5irKBKPXyKG2neNY__NE_Fp9nGR_V4emdRDem2NCQB1KoEUpSx-61LysQxyu4Wt9Wy8PdPWWInRYih-8FKUsCfkioxidk1R5wVaOELqTTj1DHeWKjSQoz000KC3MRpxLLEYdhMvuy6UGA74rKW8eqq7z8eSNf32pgjYOVYU8cgqtHlxtlG2/s4032/IMG_6350.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteNlMKj7xb5irKBKPXyKG2neNY__NE_Fp9nGR_V4emdRDem2NCQB1KoEUpSx-61LysQxyu4Wt9Wy8PdPWWInRYih-8FKUsCfkioxidk1R5wVaOELqTTj1DHeWKjSQoz000KC3MRpxLLEYdhMvuy6UGA74rKW8eqq7z8eSNf32pgjYOVYU8cgqtHlxtlG2/w300-h400/IMG_6350.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My efforts to tame the tromboncino!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>13-18 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">13th and 14th were bright sunny days and ideal for gardening but unfortunately I was otherwise engaged! The following days were not so good but I was still busy with non-allotment issues and at the weekend my eldest grandson, Felix, and his partner came down for the weekend as Felix was running the Brighton 10k on the Sunday. It was a tough run with some rain and howling gale force winds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVOhT9XphD2x_hJURV0HKL9Eko5QwCTl6lypx5jcbxVSXD5vXuTGbpOgoDeVFHiS_nCe95-mDc5KowQONUNSAl-J1rxc8Jl1KMpORki4jxjKriLMLnxl22xDdKa7be1PiH82XGCdD2GkIHvGkVHad2jmfUL4OX5HMq0NjK3wPtcsq7JR0eVxYx_VpVxoY/s2329/IMG_6457.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2329" data-original-width="2066" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVOhT9XphD2x_hJURV0HKL9Eko5QwCTl6lypx5jcbxVSXD5vXuTGbpOgoDeVFHiS_nCe95-mDc5KowQONUNSAl-J1rxc8Jl1KMpORki4jxjKriLMLnxl22xDdKa7be1PiH82XGCdD2GkIHvGkVHad2jmfUL4OX5HMq0NjK3wPtcsq7JR0eVxYx_VpVxoY/w355-h400/IMG_6457.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Felix flying home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwk2zZVUp-CjlDGbXOS6OkUSePbug5Jx3OFfdZjERq6fD2PNH6G6qaIdvIPgja5IGkvLkKNEsCHo_YiEIhpV7F2TEXY1NQJAuvKckmfQ4DytyhUt049t_tmEJTGlnfdcTXK483nwJe7PHxW3oH31PR5Gf6ttYaNfRme1nxei4Jkqx5HLUSQIcYhSl67U3/s4032/IMG_6458.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwwk2zZVUp-CjlDGbXOS6OkUSePbug5Jx3OFfdZjERq6fD2PNH6G6qaIdvIPgja5IGkvLkKNEsCHo_YiEIhpV7F2TEXY1NQJAuvKckmfQ4DytyhUt049t_tmEJTGlnfdcTXK483nwJe7PHxW3oH31PR5Gf6ttYaNfRme1nxei4Jkqx5HLUSQIcYhSl67U3/w300-h400/IMG_6458.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A first 10k for Felix</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">24 - 25 November</b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It had previously escaped my notice, but one of the trailing </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Crown Prince </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> squashes had attached itself to a low branch on the apple tree and had climbed up about two metres! Now that the tree had lost its leaves, I discovered that the squash had fruited and there was a large one lodged in the branches!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkciFr-zVSKw61cFcoJHiTez5GVYdkufhiGBVV3z0r8nk03EeS9q4wFah0ti5N9SZd_6REw6gWZwDEDDhaOAySLig1Gek5lJr3bUvBe5n1QrqIK9J16tiyXIt1Gap9NCCn9PK9QE8d3bQv8LOnAZ-acYbsuU5A5jMlQdO_dT00Q7GaPylwR0Xe6tFVViL0/s4032/IMG_6480.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkciFr-zVSKw61cFcoJHiTez5GVYdkufhiGBVV3z0r8nk03EeS9q4wFah0ti5N9SZd_6REw6gWZwDEDDhaOAySLig1Gek5lJr3bUvBe5n1QrqIK9J16tiyXIt1Gap9NCCn9PK9QE8d3bQv8LOnAZ-acYbsuU5A5jMlQdO_dT00Q7GaPylwR0Xe6tFVViL0/w480-h640/IMG_6480.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Crown Prince </i> in the apple tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LhHC16SXr-QUmEyAiGyTqisCabdVfNRSG2hNdJl_vd9mjzG4zMrIGXA3FpplwuiA1_GvMf63QrNrrdRAqjs6_JQ4nkvtM4w-gycB6qE2iZZJ60dWvRWGk5pZKwa8SLQE30cY17vtu9mtWxWkAMxw7M2LrQI_KvGdtHHKY8JseM6So9bcQQ-Nv7lzl3ui/s4032/IMG_6481.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LhHC16SXr-QUmEyAiGyTqisCabdVfNRSG2hNdJl_vd9mjzG4zMrIGXA3FpplwuiA1_GvMf63QrNrrdRAqjs6_JQ4nkvtM4w-gycB6qE2iZZJ60dWvRWGk5pZKwa8SLQE30cY17vtu9mtWxWkAMxw7M2LrQI_KvGdtHHKY8JseM6So9bcQQ-Nv7lzl3ui/w480-h640/IMG_6481.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Crown Prince </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> in the apple tree<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With some difficulty I rescued the squash from apple tree...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXjIMDetpKTAGYy0ct2cjOoy4R2leSRITrsTkpyIsNI6RnGcgTDpwozVnRIM0CqZxPdsgqNzxi0nWfz7NSm3I_egxR3mlK72csD84ZEeyJyn9eJxjN84Wxrc_dIx5XCF1BVnfHm46m-P7gEtzv2gpV7lVgcMXGb_lnBykWJbNIetAzBhyphenhyphenPdNt8mo3UQk8/s2583/IMG_6482.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2073" data-original-width="2583" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXjIMDetpKTAGYy0ct2cjOoy4R2leSRITrsTkpyIsNI6RnGcgTDpwozVnRIM0CqZxPdsgqNzxi0nWfz7NSm3I_egxR3mlK72csD84ZEeyJyn9eJxjN84Wxrc_dIx5XCF1BVnfHm46m-P7gEtzv2gpV7lVgcMXGb_lnBykWJbNIetAzBhyphenhyphenPdNt8mo3UQk8/w400-h321/IMG_6482.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Squash safely landed!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">... and having got it home, it weighed in at a magnificent 4.5kg</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gr7SJetNpCK9hCLZ79Z0MqWf1omtMNJrh2DYGG9oRgmY5qcaTULNDuUgdVBSf-WoiCCoU0vJO_3tILHZCVMXCM3qu2dFjiq2jYy8Zf4_SjM36_jb5nJ6anbKFKVoojj1Of_I3mobEbTSaCUw6FngxczE09LC5aUAqWcuK3aqit0gIcQSVFxyoYjUAeEO/s4032/IMG_6494.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gr7SJetNpCK9hCLZ79Z0MqWf1omtMNJrh2DYGG9oRgmY5qcaTULNDuUgdVBSf-WoiCCoU0vJO_3tILHZCVMXCM3qu2dFjiq2jYy8Zf4_SjM36_jb5nJ6anbKFKVoojj1Of_I3mobEbTSaCUw6FngxczE09LC5aUAqWcuK3aqit0gIcQSVFxyoYjUAeEO/w300-h400/IMG_6494.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4.5kg Squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I sowed some more broad beans directly into a raised bed - you can never have too many and they freeze well. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">26 November</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I continued weeding around currant bushes and where the red cabbages had grown. I had intended to plant out the broad beans grown in pots at home but at midday the rain came down and I left the beans for another day. Heavy rain continued for the nexty couple of days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">29 November</b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At last there was a brtight clear sunny morning which enabled me to plant out the</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> pot-grown broad beans</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 November</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The last day of the month was also dry but the temperature dropped to zero overnight and by mid-morning it was only 3C in the morning and cloudy and I decided to stay at home in the warm!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, November 2023</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-42224450670159974272023-11-24T10:13:00.000-08:002023-11-24T10:13:35.399-08:00Life on The Weald - October 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald -</span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and other distractions - October 2023</span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRDg7Dg8OV_C_WtauGlFm7hv1uiAQ3tohbEa6dfY_e3YyBQG6fjgB0m_FizCytt877cxsu4_TzPuYTUhvx-1pPotUXKE_7n_0-zQ3PiUEHQ-4TLFHzyO-4P4AAtL7mIHhne1dd0i3MjykPA9-JZkC36jOsYqJ2NqhRh-gB-hsUNkmpO4lnfuyT4OQBSDL/s3230/IMG_5835.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3230" data-original-width="2920" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKRDg7Dg8OV_C_WtauGlFm7hv1uiAQ3tohbEa6dfY_e3YyBQG6fjgB0m_FizCytt877cxsu4_TzPuYTUhvx-1pPotUXKE_7n_0-zQ3PiUEHQ-4TLFHzyO-4P4AAtL7mIHhne1dd0i3MjykPA9-JZkC36jOsYqJ2NqhRh-gB-hsUNkmpO4lnfuyT4OQBSDL/w578-h640/IMG_5835.jpg" width="578" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 October - Cucumbers & beetroot<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 October</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The month began reasonably warm. On the first day of the month the temperature reached 19C, dropping to only 15C at night. We managed a good harvest of cucumbers and beetroot as well a a plentiful supply of <i>Cavolo Nero.</i></span></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5EvxC1owEdowbt9UeKiK_qE0qe7IrPrB72SlZami1gimHRkecqNh0_ZSfA0Gm-11R7ZtggdUjf8PlJ6GbzFkpxIRKAj3h6lKvkGc7dWFqsRbsjEkkVeLqbfROZ6Zehggqsz-BU1qLvRnPNuW42UMD_pQWpeZ51SOHRO6ZoZJADUJnZGvJ6FvEGoJlbnH/s2817/IMG_5838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2817" data-original-width="2710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5EvxC1owEdowbt9UeKiK_qE0qe7IrPrB72SlZami1gimHRkecqNh0_ZSfA0Gm-11R7ZtggdUjf8PlJ6GbzFkpxIRKAj3h6lKvkGc7dWFqsRbsjEkkVeLqbfROZ6Zehggqsz-BU1qLvRnPNuW42UMD_pQWpeZ51SOHRO6ZoZJADUJnZGvJ6FvEGoJlbnH/w385-h400/IMG_5838.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 October - Tuscan Kale (<i>Cavolo nero</i>)<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was limited time on the plot though - my grandson Felix was still with us but we also had a visit from my daughter, Zoë, and granddaughter, Kitty.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk_ooyTroeTnKLNUAHWCPiEZtGzN1YIHGwfxvb6R60DN10Lc_ssYPhx2g1UUiqueFrYwjHhFDn5faCcVpqvo5EoQBxxQBdBug_V5FS9cCyRmf00L5VuyXcDBYLBPYa3qVH9hlwORXUdM7lksWNgT-QoJkgOE84TNweEhRVZNovPmoPyCnLPYXFIklUIUl/s1200/d5d347b8-bba5-4097-968f-258c68596f8b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="1200" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk_ooyTroeTnKLNUAHWCPiEZtGzN1YIHGwfxvb6R60DN10Lc_ssYPhx2g1UUiqueFrYwjHhFDn5faCcVpqvo5EoQBxxQBdBug_V5FS9cCyRmf00L5VuyXcDBYLBPYa3qVH9hlwORXUdM7lksWNgT-QoJkgOE84TNweEhRVZNovPmoPyCnLPYXFIklUIUl/w400-h371/d5d347b8-bba5-4097-968f-258c68596f8b.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>1 October with Felix, </span>Zoë and Kitty</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2 October</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following day, I harvested one of the <i>Tromboncinos </i>but I'm afraid it broke as I picked it</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjNlj4xzIHhCbO1bIjTPZoT9qHFdw3YJ2k3ZRwQa_iNBzMrSDwrR5y1M2wrNhI4Rp9CBIryrk_GzZPSQ22Pfr8kXypYEU6f101ELjiOrIGXojplMJ3bgrjuKuI7SRYGOENeRz_QX63Q7ck5-VMnz_MHwXgDgBfoLf-bx_2my6RpQK77nHWATWIKSusGZr/s1024/9cf5b741-1de6-439c-bd59-a136b1af1bcb.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjNlj4xzIHhCbO1bIjTPZoT9qHFdw3YJ2k3ZRwQa_iNBzMrSDwrR5y1M2wrNhI4Rp9CBIryrk_GzZPSQ22Pfr8kXypYEU6f101ELjiOrIGXojplMJ3bgrjuKuI7SRYGOENeRz_QX63Q7ck5-VMnz_MHwXgDgBfoLf-bx_2my6RpQK77nHWATWIKSusGZr/w300-h400/9cf5b741-1de6-439c-bd59-a136b1af1bcb.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 October - <i>tromboncino<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZ_-MbzEURN9PHLxoBvHPVQ4UY5AvkaxHGQNNfOfU40MyO9rzZ6RNimgaw8IsgBsOSHjt0VbjqXfDyMrXX6fQwPwLNg-WysYT18QTkmLDlKEKYnPtKCzMkO7jLi1ffcUTE5zNxqh4YH3wQQ_JMg5I3kpL9tOUythbvUrOlaFFw9vUTzFXEFB9GUHtlvV/s4032/IMG_5847.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmZ_-MbzEURN9PHLxoBvHPVQ4UY5AvkaxHGQNNfOfU40MyO9rzZ6RNimgaw8IsgBsOSHjt0VbjqXfDyMrXX6fQwPwLNg-WysYT18QTkmLDlKEKYnPtKCzMkO7jLi1ffcUTE5zNxqh4YH3wQQ_JMg5I3kpL9tOUythbvUrOlaFFw9vUTzFXEFB9GUHtlvV/w300-h400/IMG_5847.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 October - "it came apart in my hands"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When I got it home, I tried a temporary reconstruction, just for the photograph! It was about 1 metre long (as the crow flies!) but would have been much longer if only it had grown straight. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And there are perhaps larger ones to come.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlnRD7_HeFKJ5vdSeerlFH2NXTnpL-LT80_aFzDJSvQdKBXwN0RVraj4qiZAm_D756-lvaxXV9HipxJCBkQZsvaO-K9Df_9UnFPyqd9LpoznJsT8gRFGhG8TdKSjKlT_iqrJQOKzjwS6IDF-Vn_qmgaaNcanKd216ZWMnakhK-zyLbfDsiWFpEiSlCvcA/s4032/IMG_5848.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlnRD7_HeFKJ5vdSeerlFH2NXTnpL-LT80_aFzDJSvQdKBXwN0RVraj4qiZAm_D756-lvaxXV9HipxJCBkQZsvaO-K9Df_9UnFPyqd9LpoznJsT8gRFGhG8TdKSjKlT_iqrJQOKzjwS6IDF-Vn_qmgaaNcanKd216ZWMnakhK-zyLbfDsiWFpEiSlCvcA/w400-h300/IMG_5848.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 October</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We made a start on it; we roasted slices with peppers, tomatoes and herbs and a hint of paprika.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8fPzqAHVbYSK5NYNJ37EWmPyTcPxEr2vv1nfaoOS8bH9QUejdjHwJy2RjJqQ0NP-hLPQq3DTfTVNlMF3S8Os4nckw25Pf74P5X_aG50IUUsiSR2uK5i7mV69-lDNfRPl_CEOS5xp4Z6U1V8b5p-WhcpyZCMOTsoYVMubPm82OZGDVfBOOH2Oo3j-NztB/s4032/IMG_5853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF8fPzqAHVbYSK5NYNJ37EWmPyTcPxEr2vv1nfaoOS8bH9QUejdjHwJy2RjJqQ0NP-hLPQq3DTfTVNlMF3S8Os4nckw25Pf74P5X_aG50IUUsiSR2uK5i7mV69-lDNfRPl_CEOS5xp4Z6U1V8b5p-WhcpyZCMOTsoYVMubPm82OZGDVfBOOH2Oo3j-NztB/w300-h400/IMG_5853.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 October - tromboncino bake</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">3 October</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the wormery, the worms were doing their job and producing lots of compost and nitrogen-rich liquid fertiliser. For years, I have been calling this liquid "<i>worm tea</i>" but am now told that is wrong. Apparently <i>worm tea </i> is made by infusing worm casts - ie the digested material produced by worms and then filtering off the liquid. What drains from a wormery is "<i>leachate</i>", the liquid run-off from the decomposing vegetable matter that has not been digested by the worms. Some commentators suggest that use of leachate is not safe as it may contain pathogens and <i>phytotoxic </i> substances i.e. substances that are harmful to the growth of plants. We only put vegetable matter in our wormery (and occasional fish bones), never meat/animal products so the risk of pathogens is very low (and human pathogens such as <i>E.coli </i>or <i>Salmonella </i>are not harmful to plants and are present in the soil and on our hands anyway. We also dilute our <i>leachate </i>with water<i> </i>(around 1-10 ratio) and apply it to the soil, not the foliage, and only use it for well established plants. We also add it to compost bins/heaps as a nitrogen rich compost accelerator. In addition to nitrogen it is a good source of carbon, potassium and phosphorus. Having read numerous articles we do not think it is harmful if used in the way that we do and will continue to use it as a liquid fertiliser, believing that it contributes to healthy and vigorous growth, especially on our brassicas. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If I saw any evidence of harm, such as <i>chlorosis </i>(yellowing of the leaves) that would be a signal to stop using it.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN35mHqsuoZfABVmRNT35PVHGVFV2P1fxajO9B8KpDn3FZuEa2QxmtjmxS0vFyAQeawpMMJegszrmGb5M5c-_s8KC50Z3YIgqqgowU3k_qXRLy2bZmts1KcknHOwMsuzmhSPrd_YbLu-D5x3tBwAvPQ6nvQzBtN8Q_yeWvOgpkP6yu3M8lGc8ktrtP3ip/s2751/IMG_5846.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2751" data-original-width="2198" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN35mHqsuoZfABVmRNT35PVHGVFV2P1fxajO9B8KpDn3FZuEa2QxmtjmxS0vFyAQeawpMMJegszrmGb5M5c-_s8KC50Z3YIgqqgowU3k_qXRLy2bZmts1KcknHOwMsuzmhSPrd_YbLu-D5x3tBwAvPQ6nvQzBtN8Q_yeWvOgpkP6yu3M8lGc8ktrtP3ip/w512-h640/IMG_5846.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 October - a semi-composted tray</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L_RccR37zjnA-9UtplN6M93j5PAxrtJA3BISqddIPEF-aD3r-9cQ6Pz8y1yZivEFyU8fm71R6m_3HNrI0jDtspPzfbzGK_YP2LpXVSwNSmTTov55buCoOITWOnMPLSBjMtqA0W7rhcgEUxJLaCCHuII8_PmfaLxygugJ-jNF-zHop8nU0iIuAU_VHpVr/s4032/IMG_5854.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7L_RccR37zjnA-9UtplN6M93j5PAxrtJA3BISqddIPEF-aD3r-9cQ6Pz8y1yZivEFyU8fm71R6m_3HNrI0jDtspPzfbzGK_YP2LpXVSwNSmTTov55buCoOITWOnMPLSBjMtqA0W7rhcgEUxJLaCCHuII8_PmfaLxygugJ-jNF-zHop8nU0iIuAU_VHpVr/w300-h400/IMG_5854.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 October - a fully composted tray</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We began to spread some of the worm compost on the area where the potatoes had grown and where we had put down a layer of cardboard.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Y7eLEzZNiPmqLngIvXlfeqb9bUFd8zMTsFO23hlzuzkduoDYREOQi4Ujb2sllZWE7u6MVjvwvPwTqOoxIpqyinznm4mR-lY88eYRr1psNtYj4vOAAWPRO_YEePkNM8LCf1Rbe4R26iH_i2v-PfpizkmuZqakRpSG5n-zZVgjkJt1GHrCiE_sI4DFMgPA/s2858/IMG_5855.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2858" data-original-width="2713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Y7eLEzZNiPmqLngIvXlfeqb9bUFd8zMTsFO23hlzuzkduoDYREOQi4Ujb2sllZWE7u6MVjvwvPwTqOoxIpqyinznm4mR-lY88eYRr1psNtYj4vOAAWPRO_YEePkNM8LCf1Rbe4R26iH_i2v-PfpizkmuZqakRpSG5n-zZVgjkJt1GHrCiE_sI4DFMgPA/w380-h400/IMG_5855.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 October - muck spreading </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">5 October</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We had planned a few days away, firstly to visit Sylvi's nephew, Ross, in North Wales for his 40th birthday. and then a bit of site-seeing. As the remaining <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes had just begun to ripen, I thought I would pick them and bring them indoors to finish ripening and avoid the risk of the snails/slugs getting them whilst we were away.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVlQIb1zBCvJ5O3nHmWTmv2oP2cjlOB6oRpCvYYI_Ez2fSjOTccdL_JG4VDCyXxJRcZ_CK0iNPsX2JkyINaDA79-wIC9pm_Ia8vExRLjjlF55HEKXbbF683sVYNwPCF76WMe92nAxKI5rEHW0EMRy3i3z6btbI_emjQlJwF8m-zpWNamgQAAAJRaLrRbk/s2368/IMG_5869.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2368" data-original-width="2233" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVlQIb1zBCvJ5O3nHmWTmv2oP2cjlOB6oRpCvYYI_Ez2fSjOTccdL_JG4VDCyXxJRcZ_CK0iNPsX2JkyINaDA79-wIC9pm_Ia8vExRLjjlF55HEKXbbF683sVYNwPCF76WMe92nAxKI5rEHW0EMRy3i3z6btbI_emjQlJwF8m-zpWNamgQAAAJRaLrRbk/w378-h400/IMG_5869.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 October - <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We had hired a campervan for our journey, which proved to be eventful - although not in a good way! We collected the van from Horsham but soon after leaving the M25 as we were heading up the M40, approaching Beaconsfield, the clutch pedal jammed. We managed to get off the motorway on to the slip road and phoned for assistance to the hire company.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Highways Agency arrived soon after but advised that we could not sit in the vehicle but had to move away as far as possible on the grassy bank.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WjtJHwLAnCeYahOP2lwTIiPffoLckLS5mvUs2C2B35MNvi3q3XtKnp3nMG1AOc2Tt5hrW39GzRbiWctfCVCHFje4o0MRb1ItW_RzQRnhNSpkqNt-_izvzVST4xJcD6bTaUTuMwArdbyauBHC1DO20n64xzVAMmpJEZpOALvTLijpkQlrW4JTo4QlUsxv/s4032/IMG_5870.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WjtJHwLAnCeYahOP2lwTIiPffoLckLS5mvUs2C2B35MNvi3q3XtKnp3nMG1AOc2Tt5hrW39GzRbiWctfCVCHFje4o0MRb1ItW_RzQRnhNSpkqNt-_izvzVST4xJcD6bTaUTuMwArdbyauBHC1DO20n64xzVAMmpJEZpOALvTLijpkQlrW4JTo4QlUsxv/w300-h400/IMG_5870.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">arrival of the highway patrol</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Initially, the weather was fine but soon clouded over and the temperature dropped. Fortunately the Highways Agency had given us some foil blankets.</span></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2oDphM5zX_s8LCoS_lLSWVIEgSt72qlc_RJXr404PKGPVvzrIRkqfU5mYZVOwcvyk5uwrLRMW1OkVhpcfWPuxQyLSp4MlX36voxgucFm4sGH02_4C9jwoE2gWreZyTOXnCMOHhKEhpxlC0qgheh9vvlnbV2htOZQMIeiBcvm9vhTJQOjnH01vziMubRu/s3840/47E932A1-4B68-4E86-A305-B1E3DC4E3E1B.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2oDphM5zX_s8LCoS_lLSWVIEgSt72qlc_RJXr404PKGPVvzrIRkqfU5mYZVOwcvyk5uwrLRMW1OkVhpcfWPuxQyLSp4MlX36voxgucFm4sGH02_4C9jwoE2gWreZyTOXnCMOHhKEhpxlC0qgheh9vvlnbV2htOZQMIeiBcvm9vhTJQOjnH01vziMubRu/w225-h400/47E932A1-4B68-4E86-A305-B1E3DC4E3E1B.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a change in the weather</span></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was just as well that we had the blankets because it was 6 hours before the recovery vehicle came to pick us up and take us back to the depot in Horsham.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciIRf9T4lVsBmWqkDqZjN_WTxNMjb3fXk51oKxQ-pzHSY6HlMxXDX9428o2-R7m60ael64ah02a4-1rP6KKEAH0sO3DqDhDDdgROgOWem_I-qmKSGOUMVw-PfAGo7caQ4yPFCvg6O2nFOmrr8v2fiNKkM579UIoXZ_OazClx1sFEbQo78ojmU4TOJccrv/s4032/IMG_5874.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciIRf9T4lVsBmWqkDqZjN_WTxNMjb3fXk51oKxQ-pzHSY6HlMxXDX9428o2-R7m60ael64ah02a4-1rP6KKEAH0sO3DqDhDDdgROgOWem_I-qmKSGOUMVw-PfAGo7caQ4yPFCvg6O2nFOmrr8v2fiNKkM579UIoXZ_OazClx1sFEbQo78ojmU4TOJccrv/w400-h300/IMG_5874.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 hours sitting by the roadside<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was not until 9pm - nine hours after we had first set off - that we resumed our journey, this time in our own car!</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">6 October</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We stopped overnight north of Oxford, continuing our journey in the morning arriving in Denbigh around lunchtime. We took Ross for a stroll on the empty beach at Prestatyn. It was a bit breezy but sunny with clear blue skies.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi238UOxRgCjePs9dThTG4jyGbJgQyI4Q3DkvBoYtjWFL3YsBA0wB3kZ4WjMS0HF0Dt8FKCnbJkvLSzdLDXYhhuvUzr7795QosZ0A_vc8OvhYTCSP6JDnOzEW40spn8slywwF1eRYnsHnmRUAw2Ob9htKzSstx94L-fo0ODcK8SouSZuztHmIsHX2ScKuhx/s3403/IMG_5879.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2629" data-original-width="3403" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi238UOxRgCjePs9dThTG4jyGbJgQyI4Q3DkvBoYtjWFL3YsBA0wB3kZ4WjMS0HF0Dt8FKCnbJkvLSzdLDXYhhuvUzr7795QosZ0A_vc8OvhYTCSP6JDnOzEW40spn8slywwF1eRYnsHnmRUAw2Ob9htKzSstx94L-fo0ODcK8SouSZuztHmIsHX2ScKuhx/w400-h309/IMG_5879.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">6 October - Barkby beach - Prestatyn</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We could have been in Hove looking out to the Rampion wind farm but this was the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hoyle_Offshore_Wind_Farm"><b><i>North Hoyle Windfarm</i></b></a> in Liverpool Bay, 7.5 km (4.7 miles) from the shore and unlike Hove, the beach had sand.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OU6qRmwpIltqw52n45CPE0cTkswB1V5CQrKKhVrI_q9c7DT5njIZlSwqtFo0A6ZGxcpWi0gzGqf877CFaQ2duOUHJOtXg9K28eAUDn00AmVI8nkrq8_hyphenhyphenpXt3BT5U67FqIis07dDGCp1NKjYPZKLSHC_FIz1ZoHgJO8cyZuHqnireOG7LWxTz20qn0Rf/s367/IMG_5878.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="367" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OU6qRmwpIltqw52n45CPE0cTkswB1V5CQrKKhVrI_q9c7DT5njIZlSwqtFo0A6ZGxcpWi0gzGqf877CFaQ2duOUHJOtXg9K28eAUDn00AmVI8nkrq8_hyphenhyphenpXt3BT5U67FqIis07dDGCp1NKjYPZKLSHC_FIz1ZoHgJO8cyZuHqnireOG7LWxTz20qn0Rf/w400-h300/IMG_5878.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 October - North Hoyle Windfarm</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WjmoxAZgWjyDf_A1s7nr4A2HEsZEdWSHCkVphqG7iqfm8Wl0D3ojgLucibHL8xXXLdG7qeFdBd-ZJ_7pAKArWVad1OTRpzpfWs-4eo44UlnwL317q8gDm211WvEqrtXBa96bzK_qIZvCfc0FkDZDju5ESYV1_iqGpwOZ93g4z42IVepPJ-jYQCeJ-5ws/s3088/IMG_5881.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WjmoxAZgWjyDf_A1s7nr4A2HEsZEdWSHCkVphqG7iqfm8Wl0D3ojgLucibHL8xXXLdG7qeFdBd-ZJ_7pAKArWVad1OTRpzpfWs-4eo44UlnwL317q8gDm211WvEqrtXBa96bzK_qIZvCfc0FkDZDju5ESYV1_iqGpwOZ93g4z42IVepPJ-jYQCeJ-5ws/w300-h400/IMG_5881.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 October - sunny but bracing</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After a visit to Rhyll and a wander round Denbigh - and no campervan - we found a delightful pub to stay, the <a href="https://thehawkandbuckle.co.uk/"><b><i>Hawk and Buckle Inn</i></b></a>. A good selection of real ale and craft beers; good pub grub, friendly staff and clientele and a good night's sleep in a comfortable room with a great view.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTngN1WFJGsnEV0Nyrao1nDLTVPcZ386mJxAam1sNQExk4IuPB19uxze5at0T_gt7b8vd-gc7-pGOE7_NcKPmYBnRnFfZZ-ALFAkBZl4hqp-ntN2U2j0L7tKI1CSmrSyIjE6ksqnIKJbXw3JBfWx1_NkXTDt-vZGEComOV0YPcSJ65U0hUJU6trOsx8q3X/s4032/IMG_5902.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTngN1WFJGsnEV0Nyrao1nDLTVPcZ386mJxAam1sNQExk4IuPB19uxze5at0T_gt7b8vd-gc7-pGOE7_NcKPmYBnRnFfZZ-ALFAkBZl4hqp-ntN2U2j0L7tKI1CSmrSyIjE6ksqnIKJbXw3JBfWx1_NkXTDt-vZGEComOV0YPcSJ65U0hUJU6trOsx8q3X/w400-h300/IMG_5902.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hawk & Buckle, </i>Llannefydd</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;">7 October</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following day we spent wandering around the county town of Mold and then on to Chester for lunch and a bit of site-seeing.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGEQw_8QAsT0X2oX2hbbcuLszLf6EYmEG3rplomNtjmET5Ayws3O_L0LKOmOC9wJHLK5Y_3ZIYU_XkRBGA_gRf2jmGybek9GLFpnbsxetw-nT-t5TVmVFTeyl-2gZsdW_4RH5euVbFrFMpYuMiw233lHEK0hzSbe9T0HQ6OTbKp0AkJZbTsTs-Y38wane/s3257/IMG_5910.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3257" data-original-width="3013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGEQw_8QAsT0X2oX2hbbcuLszLf6EYmEG3rplomNtjmET5Ayws3O_L0LKOmOC9wJHLK5Y_3ZIYU_XkRBGA_gRf2jmGybek9GLFpnbsxetw-nT-t5TVmVFTeyl-2gZsdW_4RH5euVbFrFMpYuMiw233lHEK0hzSbe9T0HQ6OTbKp0AkJZbTsTs-Y38wane/w370-h400/IMG_5910.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 October - Chester</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowovFLfD1ms3htT032cO9E8o7EU64t9J9KxQbWkXJf0VUkHe4OdEzZWM2bg_iiFFfzSCLCmE8UdhK5awg80RYwHGloAMk2yEkl4PLN_SW1pkqxCVgdfjlUzbSaarnft8Zzi9TE3AOb8Fc1siEQ5wlXj5WItZI4nVXBq7S4e7-5hJW_f16Jz3MyMjtPkAp/s2594/IMG_5923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1977" data-original-width="2594" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowovFLfD1ms3htT032cO9E8o7EU64t9J9KxQbWkXJf0VUkHe4OdEzZWM2bg_iiFFfzSCLCmE8UdhK5awg80RYwHGloAMk2yEkl4PLN_SW1pkqxCVgdfjlUzbSaarnft8Zzi9TE3AOb8Fc1siEQ5wlXj5WItZI4nVXBq7S4e7-5hJW_f16Jz3MyMjtPkAp/w400-h305/IMG_5923.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 October - a sunny day by the River Dee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwcJSIlud-fTjkwHdceQ63Avn7gwiuGiBKdvbGMMsTHukrbWh7i4HvqzSSVTP4BBQ4EoS-vlyKBFHsY7zaSmO-sHWQNOv8kknvE3qBBSVdyGIZMhUba3Am0Fi8OKhSNLnXwksU0m_OXWEtE7QTCTtOFSDDxsvZcHZ1dXEb9RmmXhoelBvh0RxaXBae3ZH/s649/IMG_5924.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="649" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpwcJSIlud-fTjkwHdceQ63Avn7gwiuGiBKdvbGMMsTHukrbWh7i4HvqzSSVTP4BBQ4EoS-vlyKBFHsY7zaSmO-sHWQNOv8kknvE3qBBSVdyGIZMhUba3Am0Fi8OKhSNLnXwksU0m_OXWEtE7QTCTtOFSDDxsvZcHZ1dXEb9RmmXhoelBvh0RxaXBae3ZH/w400-h345/IMG_5924.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 October - Cormorants on the Dee</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwSQPEm8Q7-yAYVcE7wdpESU7XxiUvBeuvoWdTd0qH4lmc2_7u8y2CK8tux2zprcqEfGivhp_rzFrS9vWfZd2Z-U8fck3Fmy0kAQDjs1qgTH_lt3gm49uV6TeayfiGabgOWNigYOWXTjOzRtnNMV3S1EWDRSHHCepcae92ay_i5-2jnxA4PyM-82GJczG/s4032/IMG_5936.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwSQPEm8Q7-yAYVcE7wdpESU7XxiUvBeuvoWdTd0qH4lmc2_7u8y2CK8tux2zprcqEfGivhp_rzFrS9vWfZd2Z-U8fck3Fmy0kAQDjs1qgTH_lt3gm49uV6TeayfiGabgOWNigYOWXTjOzRtnNMV3S1EWDRSHHCepcae92ay_i5-2jnxA4PyM-82GJczG/w300-h400/IMG_5936.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 October - Chester Cathedral</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">8 October</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The following day we headed to Manchester for a stroll round </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Coronation Street!</i></span></div><div><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8drKM-66HHyOJs3dTKaC3Nnnwk4FD94mLxEIVWhwCV_6kR8gxAxid_AA-CQqXyIM7yuqhS1Su7MXLyHHpj5l-bedo_hSNtrjWP8aPeA1rHgvAns1zbs84kbStjob-sI1vai6Oszj2AkT-lciae_TIBEpwYHobUq_wV0aQpVOQc9vTKi7uA5yW1u669D1J/s4032/IMG_5986.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8drKM-66HHyOJs3dTKaC3Nnnwk4FD94mLxEIVWhwCV_6kR8gxAxid_AA-CQqXyIM7yuqhS1Su7MXLyHHpj5l-bedo_hSNtrjWP8aPeA1rHgvAns1zbs84kbStjob-sI1vai6Oszj2AkT-lciae_TIBEpwYHobUq_wV0aQpVOQc9vTKi7uA5yW1u669D1J/w400-h300/IMG_5986.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 October - a stop off at The Rovers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8X-6v-j05OHtfVpArZSPsBbe_q6ZzyKlESz_A1GSLhR7RVwy5Zin9B15NPCVc9Hsto2vuG0cXT2bVaF7ptJcmB7rHWDzOZkwbTsPzOa1H1jEe3Aef5Hiavwi6koiOrfaErPp-0V0a2H-Mh1rgS479gMt4L0wM7h5HDwDD3UB0FmuxTJo1qVfLGobhihSX/s4032/IMG_5996.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8X-6v-j05OHtfVpArZSPsBbe_q6ZzyKlESz_A1GSLhR7RVwy5Zin9B15NPCVc9Hsto2vuG0cXT2bVaF7ptJcmB7rHWDzOZkwbTsPzOa1H1jEe3Aef5Hiavwi6koiOrfaErPp-0V0a2H-Mh1rgS479gMt4L0wM7h5HDwDD3UB0FmuxTJo1qVfLGobhihSX/w400-h300/IMG_5996.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 October - popping in to <i>The Kabin</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif48Wm36XFA2fZCUcdw48s0KgOBjIE6c8cvU6XH39iislw3HJUb8MONIPwJiGxN6cWwx5RdK_cSsainLKFt-ZFjPMn8nUK6HlZtE-4qDU7gcNumbLp5OT75dzWxVvD2kUuisY3AKQzkggeyvo0oz5dKrJNsJMyjMetB7yJobfM4YgaFy-WbJHvhn_bKcck/s4032/IMG_6002.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif48Wm36XFA2fZCUcdw48s0KgOBjIE6c8cvU6XH39iislw3HJUb8MONIPwJiGxN6cWwx5RdK_cSsainLKFt-ZFjPMn8nUK6HlZtE-4qDU7gcNumbLp5OT75dzWxVvD2kUuisY3AKQzkggeyvo0oz5dKrJNsJMyjMetB7yJobfM4YgaFy-WbJHvhn_bKcck/w300-h400/IMG_6002.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A stroll down the ginnel</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0MfL-dbdckVeR2_4A0XJn5EMervgt1r7snCJlLVB7tCYCrFM02O8K5W9RvhXDaL-CY78oOSysFCn8J5naMFW3vEgWNSjVDvigrRdo9A1qqmd8mPuVqMo479AmaGU75eqk8kgC7QXuHca5Nmz5j9HmbX8zn8TyeKcLW0pS1ALlFCZ7zfl1oWxL2cm3jAV/s4032/IMG_6008.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0MfL-dbdckVeR2_4A0XJn5EMervgt1r7snCJlLVB7tCYCrFM02O8K5W9RvhXDaL-CY78oOSysFCn8J5naMFW3vEgWNSjVDvigrRdo9A1qqmd8mPuVqMo479AmaGU75eqk8kgC7QXuHca5Nmz5j9HmbX8zn8TyeKcLW0pS1ALlFCZ7zfl1oWxL2cm3jAV/w640-h480/IMG_6008.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Has The Rovers got a new landlady?</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JqfXhau8GyZ-ZwiuCCNW7cWtwTiQkJwIpwMkxnLVg8d_paWg6yRhJn0cyWqsftlfUbflr35wVx6JOHCp5bNXrem36H3fRsiwRyrim2XfJFx3diuENc_YsX-Yq7WOkxxNaJRzAtmXAcm96X7ND-d69_4Dk90EZ9pOGqZMiPDGD_Yl6mqYxBAR8s7CCxVi/s4032/IMG_6009.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9JqfXhau8GyZ-ZwiuCCNW7cWtwTiQkJwIpwMkxnLVg8d_paWg6yRhJn0cyWqsftlfUbflr35wVx6JOHCp5bNXrem36H3fRsiwRyrim2XfJFx3diuENc_YsX-Yq7WOkxxNaJRzAtmXAcm96X7ND-d69_4Dk90EZ9pOGqZMiPDGD_Yl6mqYxBAR8s7CCxVi/w400-h300/IMG_6009.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Couldn't resist a stop at <i>Roy's Rolls</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></div>9 October</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After the delights of Manchester we headed south, spending some time in Shakespeare's Stratford on our way home....</span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYVFxUusd28u5aUImEKOVPJhLz4MtcOnPuFvMA3ws-QbCDH-NoLncrStpPOSBTqiVnLiC-_gaYEx281UWWYUcv1ibFa2pr9EgMRazYz3n1GiRdVdZ7lfR3FT5V5WbX0U28p9ufENLNJWiRZGBvoS0xGbmmJBxscdgy8N8hn0wCf7RRTrnKfhc-jmlRpdm/s2982/IMG_6028.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2816" data-original-width="2982" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYVFxUusd28u5aUImEKOVPJhLz4MtcOnPuFvMA3ws-QbCDH-NoLncrStpPOSBTqiVnLiC-_gaYEx281UWWYUcv1ibFa2pr9EgMRazYz3n1GiRdVdZ7lfR3FT5V5WbX0U28p9ufENLNJWiRZGBvoS0xGbmmJBxscdgy8N8hn0wCf7RRTrnKfhc-jmlRpdm/w400-h378/IMG_6028.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">9 October - Stratford-upon-Avon </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;">....and a pleasant afternoon on the Avon</span></div><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7C-7wsd1NS1KQU2XUAgzxJhpM7HlwP5ucjJgEJqmWwUnh39jEcVKt0OfsubWzu6Lf7qKvXhc5qrQYJ2Bwq3GETrZk9V8y1dratZtMwszG2Zs9bCnkzXs33uSMrD-5sYQi9UAt-6WEqnJxaEEyUKppKvOKoFLhJbclUWxx6ktaisRPHEb-4239UKp__Ky/s3737/IMG_6051.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3737" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7C-7wsd1NS1KQU2XUAgzxJhpM7HlwP5ucjJgEJqmWwUnh39jEcVKt0OfsubWzu6Lf7qKvXhc5qrQYJ2Bwq3GETrZk9V8y1dratZtMwszG2Zs9bCnkzXs33uSMrD-5sYQi9UAt-6WEqnJxaEEyUKppKvOKoFLhJbclUWxx6ktaisRPHEb-4239UKp__Ky/w324-h400/IMG_6051.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Messing about on the river</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEica5lnqVpfEgAhuh1l7RfZeP22JgkTU7QBQbthCPgCTm8MHywt2s9qqT6mr-6pEUMFphmhSNVwrB1dMnATORDRhw988F2I-XSatv7KLZTFsmks7PZDrImW2iBTtIJ8Y8EwlSFOHuGc68kUctCJZFTcTVUP02IbN-F3CeUVGoYW5QEK-RV989uF9sL0KCJN/s783/IMG_6056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="751" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEica5lnqVpfEgAhuh1l7RfZeP22JgkTU7QBQbthCPgCTm8MHywt2s9qqT6mr-6pEUMFphmhSNVwrB1dMnATORDRhw988F2I-XSatv7KLZTFsmks7PZDrImW2iBTtIJ8Y8EwlSFOHuGc68kUctCJZFTcTVUP02IbN-F3CeUVGoYW5QEK-RV989uF9sL0KCJN/w384-h400/IMG_6056.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Disturbing the ducks</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTcdRAecEpsar5Ac-n2xwjScr91PcsSzOuDQtz6ZCZh-tlkv0krAJakom3DUhetpxciTWXwxQLWgHMI-vbThM209i9nqiUpzW2U99GVAPJmMCoEi2AwH6hBGfFLpsyP3AnJU4WegvzJ-Fbc_vTD22cE40KI8leFkGv4c2m6WuH9WCYKLaWNRoxeCoOUVp/s1510/IMG_6061.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1510" data-original-width="1360" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTcdRAecEpsar5Ac-n2xwjScr91PcsSzOuDQtz6ZCZh-tlkv0krAJakom3DUhetpxciTWXwxQLWgHMI-vbThM209i9nqiUpzW2U99GVAPJmMCoEi2AwH6hBGfFLpsyP3AnJU4WegvzJ-Fbc_vTD22cE40KI8leFkGv4c2m6WuH9WCYKLaWNRoxeCoOUVp/w360-h400/IMG_6061.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 October -The Toll House and Clopton Bridge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 October</span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Safely home after a few days away in a glorious Indian Summer; and in our absence, the tomatoes had ripened.</span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6_nH0MEB9aQ0PR8Nf3vC_L2r5sipSaadeB0JulOe8wQDszVMnOwE4pX9zSuAHCwMghbHbcxIfw9HBNzzxBI-e_louQVLHno5ZecwXMRCJO1vTwJt3UEKBZFGB3sqtk5rZvS9Ml3vb8iRGtx3NC7jBuDsc4gDurvfms7qBa6ctUVYmN2yy2rq3hXEcO2c/s2100/IMG_6066.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="2100" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6_nH0MEB9aQ0PR8Nf3vC_L2r5sipSaadeB0JulOe8wQDszVMnOwE4pX9zSuAHCwMghbHbcxIfw9HBNzzxBI-e_louQVLHno5ZecwXMRCJO1vTwJt3UEKBZFGB3sqtk5rZvS9Ml3vb8iRGtx3NC7jBuDsc4gDurvfms7qBa6ctUVYmN2yy2rq3hXEcO2c/s320/IMG_6066.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">They weighed in at a healthy 250g each</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Iy6Uv-qDM4j2ftxb0esNDLBHu3VDGZ9qReny9BXaw7n0NjCVT0MYmACQ5PfawUk5HIT_5ibqmB5bQtmc_gPKQ33dHq3vZeHzxnuNJJCrSuG1l8dsPIVK9-5jHHYDRB2_7DtUThEuY95ELpKaTRVvhedcgvNBJHaYEBmxbgfO_e0HZ4aPX1PwUsDAfVxg/s4032/IMG_6070.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Iy6Uv-qDM4j2ftxb0esNDLBHu3VDGZ9qReny9BXaw7n0NjCVT0MYmACQ5PfawUk5HIT_5ibqmB5bQtmc_gPKQ33dHq3vZeHzxnuNJJCrSuG1l8dsPIVK9-5jHHYDRB2_7DtUThEuY95ELpKaTRVvhedcgvNBJHaYEBmxbgfO_e0HZ4aPX1PwUsDAfVxg/s320/IMG_6070.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The allotment is getting a bit overgrown and the trees and shrubs need to be cut back if the haulageways are to be passable but we may have to wait some time as our council, like so many others, is strapped for cash and allotment maintenance does not appear to be a high priority. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8jLubnPEuXA890F1fj_XojRVC4ydYvIBvDgX975jhNmibUNvUOqVjH0MMTEs73qVPHPdDct5d4kDUyeosmiMGCPBugsJ9JvmFgeDfQRbYcnJUBf8-0w2MiRrXsepEwAh7EW5xxPnMM0Cu89NL3MOb36pC9NGmfbCpUCc3S_XvEhGHQBR5-VUSQmAHvdi/s1303/IMG_6073.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1303" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8jLubnPEuXA890F1fj_XojRVC4ydYvIBvDgX975jhNmibUNvUOqVjH0MMTEs73qVPHPdDct5d4kDUyeosmiMGCPBugsJ9JvmFgeDfQRbYcnJUBf8-0w2MiRrXsepEwAh7EW5xxPnMM0Cu89NL3MOb36pC9NGmfbCpUCc3S_XvEhGHQBR5-VUSQmAHvdi/w331-h400/IMG_6073.jpg" width="331" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 October - overgrown haulageway</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I took the opportunity to do a bit more muckspreading and build up another raised bed with a layer of cardboard covered with worm compost and soil, ready to plant some broad beans</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-aUYoiW_2Nf82xI906cfKJUe0HhvSX0KU2g-jWaNLf1asa5DUlj11ows3P17XCKEQqRWtzrNR4axqc6gvcmYRgJ7_be7ZisWz_iyULfJH-rqVQBgrFSgcW7C60JDQzZ6BxE5kex3D1k4ngYBw4TcY4d8TvJ1A0UVRHYMvmlZUT3l1toaPHIFl2xTl0u4/s4032/IMG_6071.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-aUYoiW_2Nf82xI906cfKJUe0HhvSX0KU2g-jWaNLf1asa5DUlj11ows3P17XCKEQqRWtzrNR4axqc6gvcmYRgJ7_be7ZisWz_iyULfJH-rqVQBgrFSgcW7C60JDQzZ6BxE5kex3D1k4ngYBw4TcY4d8TvJ1A0UVRHYMvmlZUT3l1toaPHIFl2xTl0u4/w300-h400/IMG_6071.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 October - preparing a bed for planting</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>11 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At home we harvested a lot of chillies from the plants we had brought indoors.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7EigAXSWadfRU4P9mtEZNxpFOYje4xHZMR0MAvnjfpoh60U7UVmaP8rG0j4VJk7Nl_ydH-F0JG7gmK6BSuCX7K33L6x2SSf_gSQftVaMEQDmguQCM6AaWuk7EmFfiQyFYKkBYlbTz06x3QLvhyphenhyphenDilKjNL1ZImGSAmmo0iWwkeudt1WbYIGxgO4szF_tR/s4032/IMG_6077.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7EigAXSWadfRU4P9mtEZNxpFOYje4xHZMR0MAvnjfpoh60U7UVmaP8rG0j4VJk7Nl_ydH-F0JG7gmK6BSuCX7K33L6x2SSf_gSQftVaMEQDmguQCM6AaWuk7EmFfiQyFYKkBYlbTz06x3QLvhyphenhyphenDilKjNL1ZImGSAmmo0iWwkeudt1WbYIGxgO4szF_tR/w480-h640/IMG_6077.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12 October Chillies - <i>Zimbabwe black</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>13 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Although I had partially cleared an area near the pond, it was still full of roots of bindweed and couch grass so I spent some time on hands and knees picking out the offending roots before replanting the gooseberry bush which had been engulfed by the weeds.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz3YjwERXmHkeCxexu7PbjoLb9czuUUb6mBDpNQG3Q6iI97D4upoaua5jMD2-BNAezpIeLbMKjGZOxdeG4yJ6omWe2GREpu3SeOWqlrBYa8E_4YvUlzDs73_QimBH2q1ClTm1KY2lXBQSTBvE-MOnxb4kq3q-eyLr0BSSey4gqfOFVYI93fg800ECV4fp/s4032/IMG_6089.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkz3YjwERXmHkeCxexu7PbjoLb9czuUUb6mBDpNQG3Q6iI97D4upoaua5jMD2-BNAezpIeLbMKjGZOxdeG4yJ6omWe2GREpu3SeOWqlrBYa8E_4YvUlzDs73_QimBH2q1ClTm1KY2lXBQSTBvE-MOnxb4kq3q-eyLr0BSSey4gqfOFVYI93fg800ECV4fp/w300-h400/IMG_6089.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 October - weed clearance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But whilst I was on my hands and knees and Sylvi was doing battle with the brambles our grandson, with a slight financial inducement, had agreed to collect farmyard manure from the shop yard for us - he managed 3 barrow loads in 6 half full deliveries and we piled this in a heap on the cardboard which we had laid with some worm compost on top where the 2023 potatoes had grown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>14 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I harvested the largest of the <i>Butternut Squash.....</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6-MbN4zraFInqi9n1yywlhAmkcI4AFPpXHu0V-TDthdhZQLesFVr9CqQ0nblgP5dbHNPg2dpUqNrVtC0PP9UHcE01QSGSro2XhTzw_Q3Dgyy_wGZnXu3I98z_EFGDIJ86i3eABiC9WXpD4vUFfmA5GObJLbyMYjlZh8-ZjxuwYqJYHovrjIJyEyJLr_-/s4032/IMG_6100.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6-MbN4zraFInqi9n1yywlhAmkcI4AFPpXHu0V-TDthdhZQLesFVr9CqQ0nblgP5dbHNPg2dpUqNrVtC0PP9UHcE01QSGSro2XhTzw_Q3Dgyy_wGZnXu3I98z_EFGDIJ86i3eABiC9WXpD4vUFfmA5GObJLbyMYjlZh8-ZjxuwYqJYHovrjIJyEyJLr_-/w300-h400/IMG_6100.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Butternut squash</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">...which weighed in at almost 4 kg</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi81fbQQ-y0kOqKqwhtrZDqfoPDux0ly5_Lr2c8A-3RCpVzsF_yEqnpmLXMCX5pxaXjDnihQ3m3EXkPOk5fFBJIKqB5oaPUC1489Ox6Ub2ASyK43uTb_gN4ylW6ecAC4z2wFQRFx6n35UGQM4Zsk-pdg2dcJWnfY3y7BX1_cLpfXtp9yN5j199j2bqrpa9/s4032/IMG_6097.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi81fbQQ-y0kOqKqwhtrZDqfoPDux0ly5_Lr2c8A-3RCpVzsF_yEqnpmLXMCX5pxaXjDnihQ3m3EXkPOk5fFBJIKqB5oaPUC1489Ox6Ub2ASyK43uTb_gN4ylW6ecAC4z2wFQRFx6n35UGQM4Zsk-pdg2dcJWnfY3y7BX1_cLpfXtp9yN5j199j2bqrpa9/s320/IMG_6097.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3.949 kg</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We also lifted the last of the <i>Charlotte </i>2nd early potatoes</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLZuGlbCj6zRZ9I-FIcJ_vpX2AQfaMchTs2cCB176FghobGQXntNxA5GzmRwz8vjtEYWNmO8BHlQF5IS0kFYRM-qEuKEB0Sf_tP6S4AF9zKivACRnHQ-xl0AWieF2TCvB1gda1NmQKFzH8xng1rb_EUEqhjbE99gK_cXuQ1fnV-ECZhSz09TenFLveaQl/s4032/IMG_6101.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbLZuGlbCj6zRZ9I-FIcJ_vpX2AQfaMchTs2cCB176FghobGQXntNxA5GzmRwz8vjtEYWNmO8BHlQF5IS0kFYRM-qEuKEB0Sf_tP6S4AF9zKivACRnHQ-xl0AWieF2TCvB1gda1NmQKFzH8xng1rb_EUEqhjbE99gK_cXuQ1fnV-ECZhSz09TenFLveaQl/w300-h400/IMG_6101.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Charlotte </i> potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>15 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It wasnt only the <i>Zimbabwe black </i> chillies that were thriving having been brought indoors - The <i>Cheyenne </i>and <i>Habaneros </i> were doing well too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdRoNkHXYTqqea0x0M14fmxVbJSBV1I6wUw3pf4fhOJCGJB_nHcc1FAO15ZKkIS8YkD1Lhn-6eCReeoWO__v7t74AVXCGUHouZY8dl3JvsMKots64CYq5ctFMPMwIO9eLxE5_jE_jvwV8fJoPZ0LijoEcFszoDzrB6gokR6R_Vq_JZCjPb2lvAhjaODqA/s4032/IMG_6106.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdRoNkHXYTqqea0x0M14fmxVbJSBV1I6wUw3pf4fhOJCGJB_nHcc1FAO15ZKkIS8YkD1Lhn-6eCReeoWO__v7t74AVXCGUHouZY8dl3JvsMKots64CYq5ctFMPMwIO9eLxE5_jE_jvwV8fJoPZ0LijoEcFszoDzrB6gokR6R_Vq_JZCjPb2lvAhjaODqA/w300-h400/IMG_6106.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Cheyenne </i> chillies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was also time to start eating some of the many squashes that we had picked. We made a start with the smallest of the <i>Crown Prince.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G-bQxUIaUMbvPGMNKZKI1W5wCCx8VfBd69iEwEX0fGS9EMkJl0fOG0B9DgrrTUQM-Lh7l9MyPSmt8YjF808DAcFVyPnh7GqteJAK7Z47SuinYV7SG9oKuRis2oLbIeNGH9d8hJ_6yUdKOHyIDd3sjzczRPBNsNiawRtdajyS_enjm7Z79Aas0CGzBEdj/s4032/IMG_6108.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5G-bQxUIaUMbvPGMNKZKI1W5wCCx8VfBd69iEwEX0fGS9EMkJl0fOG0B9DgrrTUQM-Lh7l9MyPSmt8YjF808DAcFVyPnh7GqteJAK7Z47SuinYV7SG9oKuRis2oLbIeNGH9d8hJ_6yUdKOHyIDd3sjzczRPBNsNiawRtdajyS_enjm7Z79Aas0CGzBEdj/w300-h400/IMG_6108.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Crown Prince</i></span><i> </i><span style="font-family: arial;">squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We had also picked oner of our <i>Drumhead </i>red cabbages. The slugs and snails had made a meal of the outer leaves but the inside was firm and clean.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5mFMGxhRemfdulyOMphzdw5jHfhuZVPv7YB4EM0HTcioLKKFGofRJB9GpsbvFOay_LdLCaSPmQ1MA_x5sCQBv4kgu4Fqs39SX-Fy-bQTno8Zmk1sPeh43EiYXL7SGvnaV4SQzEXpx46tEpftl1RDoQOf9k7dVzZYSxDIiHPhufF9sQFJ2-Ohp5w2h4-j/s3392/IMG_6107.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1959" data-original-width="3392" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5mFMGxhRemfdulyOMphzdw5jHfhuZVPv7YB4EM0HTcioLKKFGofRJB9GpsbvFOay_LdLCaSPmQ1MA_x5sCQBv4kgu4Fqs39SX-Fy-bQTno8Zmk1sPeh43EiYXL7SGvnaV4SQzEXpx46tEpftl1RDoQOf9k7dVzZYSxDIiHPhufF9sQFJ2-Ohp5w2h4-j/w400-h231/IMG_6107.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Drumhead </i>cabbage</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>16 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was very chilly in the morning and I sowed some <i>Aquadulce </i>broad beans in modules at home. These would serve as a back-up, a contingency reserve, in case any of the directly sown ones failed. I was waiting for a clear day to sow some directly on the allotment.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59Ls3L_0kcVtxl-KHNovTcLdgVITsl4UjjzJxtoXJ94xl0IJ17xTvu04TNH3y8rkXyoCAzQhEfk1ArJjAMcNjUxjdkn2ddjF2FYZNqp5MVg7gDp2tlr34HRJRNDP10JC3librzxOztcrRUNB-Lg97nsj2-7WxiUzTR1lR11NXHs0lkyb4ho6QZMeillkr/s4032/IMG_6110.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59Ls3L_0kcVtxl-KHNovTcLdgVITsl4UjjzJxtoXJ94xl0IJ17xTvu04TNH3y8rkXyoCAzQhEfk1ArJjAMcNjUxjdkn2ddjF2FYZNqp5MVg7gDp2tlr34HRJRNDP10JC3librzxOztcrRUNB-Lg97nsj2-7WxiUzTR1lR11NXHs0lkyb4ho6QZMeillkr/w300-h400/IMG_6110.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I shredded some of the red cabbage, sprinkled some sea salt over it, leaving it overnight ready to make some pickled red cabbage the following day.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgkReSUryc9I1hh9-kYMH0nn-sjGufSgj-3B1FeD_0P_rg6H_qrTTwyke5cvBZoW_Zs0oUSy80SWmqPkl5m_faRqLiKd6lj9rA5J8Bo1Iy-fEUAkVXBrU6tbZubANL5he4JDG4UXea8U2cRNxJO98Z4Tw2g6osW-bnk9UEbKEXdTz9ojk0-gWejM_edRe/s4032/IMG_6111.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGgkReSUryc9I1hh9-kYMH0nn-sjGufSgj-3B1FeD_0P_rg6H_qrTTwyke5cvBZoW_Zs0oUSy80SWmqPkl5m_faRqLiKd6lj9rA5J8Bo1Iy-fEUAkVXBrU6tbZubANL5he4JDG4UXea8U2cRNxJO98Z4Tw2g6osW-bnk9UEbKEXdTz9ojk0-gWejM_edRe/w300-h400/IMG_6111.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">shredded red cabbage</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>17 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was 12C in the morning but with a very fresh breeze which made it feel much cooler. Overnight<b>, </b>the red cabbage had changed colour with a more bluish appearance and a lot of purplish/blue water had drained off. It was now ready to be rinsed, drained and pickled, which was the task of the day indoors in the kitchen, rather than spending a cold day on the plot. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLZ60maj0AtNG1vP6ig3lunzlkasZynHMgtUd_kgEEmCpl-5A58Aq3-Z1h5hoMm9tKnvNW5Rx1IUdQnvYD9SnHn5ihP4YFPx5gbo1XFmvt9pcarIvsgd9KCaoVk4OvrDK6tnVuPwlybJEOYJazH9LQRtHe_1Agkz6zcbqfACqWFecmypE2Vbc-eMyl6h7/s4032/IMG_6120.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLZ60maj0AtNG1vP6ig3lunzlkasZynHMgtUd_kgEEmCpl-5A58Aq3-Z1h5hoMm9tKnvNW5Rx1IUdQnvYD9SnHn5ihP4YFPx5gbo1XFmvt9pcarIvsgd9KCaoVk4OvrDK6tnVuPwlybJEOYJazH9LQRtHe_1Agkz6zcbqfACqWFecmypE2Vbc-eMyl6h7/w300-h400/IMG_6120.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">brined red cabbage</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I had also brined some of our home grown shallots the night before and proceeded to make spicy pickled shallots.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>19 October</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Today was unexpectably warm in the morning and at 3pm in the sunshine it was a very warm 17C. The Jerusalem artichokes were in flower....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGaj9Rdcpk2tVM8uXD0WJ84oLwpBIFHXjWo4cWd1vDKPKH-krWLuYUpWyV9X0dLl42XW4GbfEDnAb3UAKin5NVh6mTzL-NtA1kqZwrO-Zr_mviuWWEqIU66GOrPahW9Hhx3bMSHd2z2IKH12i6xLGvlww0e2GeUynmDpCzLuvcklOe1_t_DuK96fvqCSr/s4032/IMG_6163.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMGaj9Rdcpk2tVM8uXD0WJ84oLwpBIFHXjWo4cWd1vDKPKH-krWLuYUpWyV9X0dLl42XW4GbfEDnAb3UAKin5NVh6mTzL-NtA1kqZwrO-Zr_mviuWWEqIU66GOrPahW9Hhx3bMSHd2z2IKH12i6xLGvlww0e2GeUynmDpCzLuvcklOe1_t_DuK96fvqCSr/w300-h400/IMG_6163.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jerusalem artichoke in flower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Some had grown to almost 3 metres in height!<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxXcnmd8JwZa7YEVQg-tqpXGOgiQcDxZJPz0H86DAHUJz5UTbQDnJli4hUpsEPjeijTIwWuyTdjuXQYPLs1EcQaUT0slDizFpcTJhXFaqe4y8ComQA4jz793DgL-u7f8DKZt9AaYQVX4mTkm1DoG2HYrRE9UlzGy9DOfEuMU4mHEdWtZlHAZewObRxp6t/s4032/IMG_6164.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxXcnmd8JwZa7YEVQg-tqpXGOgiQcDxZJPz0H86DAHUJz5UTbQDnJli4hUpsEPjeijTIwWuyTdjuXQYPLs1EcQaUT0slDizFpcTJhXFaqe4y8ComQA4jz793DgL-u7f8DKZt9AaYQVX4mTkm1DoG2HYrRE9UlzGy9DOfEuMU4mHEdWtZlHAZewObRxp6t/w300-h400/IMG_6164.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jerusalem artichokes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PLlhLUMpHef2T3eUllw6526sWt9Ga59BbRoHMfko0764U4I0bql3nsuOPEmGpKKSKTdDmi4IE8yGSeJkkoSU0YlHeDc_ZXill4-D_JXc74UsM5pzHRYmpP0xxZ08sxq9LfFjdadU95Zhyphenhyphen5ufwqKAmUl5IK70-o47GrIBPZC7k2WCHMrBWDN7AHQRW9mn/s2990/IMG_6165.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2990" data-original-width="2250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PLlhLUMpHef2T3eUllw6526sWt9Ga59BbRoHMfko0764U4I0bql3nsuOPEmGpKKSKTdDmi4IE8yGSeJkkoSU0YlHeDc_ZXill4-D_JXc74UsM5pzHRYmpP0xxZ08sxq9LfFjdadU95Zhyphenhyphen5ufwqKAmUl5IK70-o47GrIBPZC7k2WCHMrBWDN7AHQRW9mn/w301-h400/IMG_6165.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jerusalem artichoke</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the warm sunshine, I took the opportunity to sow a few broad beans and then covered the area with horticultural fleece. I had sown them in a bed where beet spinach was still growing and which would hopefully continue to produce during the winter.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbOxMsZbvMylJtkRUbCq8Wv3iTHQRBH6Fed9pJprbcHFHavquWhcJLxLIK7f-5BWAowaS8yxQon-2ic0wChFaMOlosMJxrtHScI2f7xFWipQSDh-b7pmqLHINoYDlNtH3QjceIyHZmmXLmNyp6txQbKqERIvxd4vrD8SUNSrB3rgcPNoHobBNdrJYPSiS/s4032/IMG_6162.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWbOxMsZbvMylJtkRUbCq8Wv3iTHQRBH6Fed9pJprbcHFHavquWhcJLxLIK7f-5BWAowaS8yxQon-2ic0wChFaMOlosMJxrtHScI2f7xFWipQSDh-b7pmqLHINoYDlNtH3QjceIyHZmmXLmNyp6txQbKqERIvxd4vrD8SUNSrB3rgcPNoHobBNdrJYPSiS/w300-h400/IMG_6162.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freshly sown broad beans covered with fleece</td></tr></tbody></table><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;">20-21 October</span></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The weather changed suddenly with really strong winds and heavy rain across the country, especially in Scotland and the north of England which experienced severe flooding. We had strong winds and heavy rain in East Sussex but escaped the worst, whereas just a few miles away in West Sussex my nephew was not so lucky as streets in Pagham were flooded.</span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig107yhbJ8hNyRxCPu7Gmsob4UVsm1FsVJEMtiO5MNDSYNSX8yP5sjYH_Mw1_64BeCODXsvbZQE_08iv7rZ08ipwD6QLy_eT9Hmg7EVCKGR0NmGOO7CM9vTtqGzHBIlwdV2FRc-smeQNr-DQ3D4aK69Civw_5zbyWyCywha1d7WUn-PVQSkiZvlnh5abWG/s960/IMG_6169.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="774" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig107yhbJ8hNyRxCPu7Gmsob4UVsm1FsVJEMtiO5MNDSYNSX8yP5sjYH_Mw1_64BeCODXsvbZQE_08iv7rZ08ipwD6QLy_eT9Hmg7EVCKGR0NmGOO7CM9vTtqGzHBIlwdV2FRc-smeQNr-DQ3D4aK69Civw_5zbyWyCywha1d7WUn-PVQSkiZvlnh5abWG/w323-h400/IMG_6169.JPG" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pagham - 20 October</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWOKsDwGFqouOt4CBdT5SZD8CZkMPiEORwbPnVB1vCHgA0PP7WCHAGQL9D261i88-uwNH-y8Kdv_dg_su1v6Lacfstx7MwcbECUIViCJDh-HtcOm6pbjEuc1ecYI5LuBM6caY_F-KQHGYT79JRFcufOZLJCm-d-3bWs4LrJcC00eBa07tB51gYCJSDstv/s1201/IMG_6170.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="777" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVWOKsDwGFqouOt4CBdT5SZD8CZkMPiEORwbPnVB1vCHgA0PP7WCHAGQL9D261i88-uwNH-y8Kdv_dg_su1v6Lacfstx7MwcbECUIViCJDh-HtcOm6pbjEuc1ecYI5LuBM6caY_F-KQHGYT79JRFcufOZLJCm-d-3bWs4LrJcC00eBa07tB51gYCJSDstv/w259-h400/IMG_6170.JPG" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My nephew's street, Pagham - 20 October<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>22 October</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I paid a visit to one of the community plots for their open day and enlisted the services of Viv, my neighbour, who runs the Organic Gardening group in transporting some plants back to our respective plots including <i>ginger rosemary </i>and <i>jostaberry </i>plants. The jostaberry is a cross bewteen a blackcurrant and a gooseberry and thornless.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE-ovQgJzyRlu0ehcIu0p2K2dJWuvLs9YMziq2QUsgOR-Xw8f2Pgbg8yKhHplIjvHA84jMIabWKML-gqB-Fr_G4p7Z0T_F4MVGxmgnZddZgozet6YXPptF3OgnLSqPx_iYxDpS7vSy9eFSq8sE4ffnPwtgaxo2pHBULjoOo5BthXdeC-uuQgrCFn_xpow/s2000/IMG_1435.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE-ovQgJzyRlu0ehcIu0p2K2dJWuvLs9YMziq2QUsgOR-Xw8f2Pgbg8yKhHplIjvHA84jMIabWKML-gqB-Fr_G4p7Z0T_F4MVGxmgnZddZgozet6YXPptF3OgnLSqPx_iYxDpS7vSy9eFSq8sE4ffnPwtgaxo2pHBULjoOo5BthXdeC-uuQgrCFn_xpow/w288-h640/IMG_1435.JPG" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 October - with Viv and wheelbarrow</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst Sylvi repaired the damage to the old greenhouse and continued the fight against brambles, I sowed some more broad beans and then covered them with fleece. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>24 October</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With a few more days of sunshine, I continued to remove couch grass and bindweed from around the gooseberries.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpfNs1EadCl8Tdn6S4OSkc6kcU3ajkTzt-OpzkHYkTylzOK8_xnRA-Kqz4e-susvQtguMkiWe40GTFYHOhoBhc4UC1lFuPfCqZFu3gfMaj1kX6HKP_oq_ZPmpZtPfWalbhYBBAc5rhZ35zuqoEaJhbpPKYGDj9atI3MEJ9pyS-nXaBRQuNODVuBmMpxNi/s2322/IMG_6194.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2322" data-original-width="2264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpfNs1EadCl8Tdn6S4OSkc6kcU3ajkTzt-OpzkHYkTylzOK8_xnRA-Kqz4e-susvQtguMkiWe40GTFYHOhoBhc4UC1lFuPfCqZFu3gfMaj1kX6HKP_oq_ZPmpZtPfWalbhYBBAc5rhZ35zuqoEaJhbpPKYGDj9atI3MEJ9pyS-nXaBRQuNODVuBmMpxNi/w390-h400/IMG_6194.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">24 October - clearing bindweed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The old shed was falling down and the replacement shed which we had acquired was lying on the ground in pieces. It will be a long time (if ever) before we get to replace the shed so I just moved all the panels of the replacement shed and leaned them against the old one - creating a shed within a shed! I realise that this will be only a temporary solution.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtriAmXprMyYTw-j4wgNth6MClnqLRWCuprI1syWepXG8pDRf3zqUgBG32gRr3c_3tK_hLeezB3TsR_DCCb6cnZ6iWvJYW-aBe6Aq4q8Cflu-XIuS2tW9_s6S9Aqmu5Bh1VftI4U1xrCnyBIWetR-4KjyRYFh7I9FvcQw86v3SgaEix1RdmmoMmcogRyWe/s3280/IMG_6193.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtriAmXprMyYTw-j4wgNth6MClnqLRWCuprI1syWepXG8pDRf3zqUgBG32gRr3c_3tK_hLeezB3TsR_DCCb6cnZ6iWvJYW-aBe6Aq4q8Cflu-XIuS2tW9_s6S9Aqmu5Bh1VftI4U1xrCnyBIWetR-4KjyRYFh7I9FvcQw86v3SgaEix1RdmmoMmcogRyWe/w369-h400/IMG_6193.jpg" width="369" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Two sheds into one</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I laid cardboard on some more of the raised beds and began to cover the cardboard with manure that Jerome had transported for us. I also added some compost from the wormeries. These will be our onion beds in the spring.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rVS-DZ5g_LAy-cCWiEXOY6RCZ5ntYtTNWP4afJQs8suoovN97F9702l-79e077qzN89MoIA46lv2a1tEG8Qpd2C4CVFvAe7fIMTzlYxspLI5sawrJXQsGtohqDgQVnJ5ntDTdZqxJVMLfpHVczRvwS9jPles8_q1wNiNO5QWYb6ll2JYamH-vIKEZhW3/s4032/IMG_6195.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rVS-DZ5g_LAy-cCWiEXOY6RCZ5ntYtTNWP4afJQs8suoovN97F9702l-79e077qzN89MoIA46lv2a1tEG8Qpd2C4CVFvAe7fIMTzlYxspLI5sawrJXQsGtohqDgQVnJ5ntDTdZqxJVMLfpHVczRvwS9jPles8_q1wNiNO5QWYb6ll2JYamH-vIKEZhW3/w300-h400/IMG_6195.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Muck spreading</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst most of the <i>Crown Prince </i>squash looked OK and ready for picking we discovered that one had been attacked by fungus or pests. We decided to pick it, hoping that the flesh would be OK, but keep an eye on it in storage.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU94RgaYunwr48Qu13XHn1pt6XJTUKHnYXATJHzX3rLc1H38NEdEhYzfhw7KdOQgPfm3rQ5AmGbBqP65IHtpNTkx9CD113n2w3zDePEYIj9Hhmw_m-oIkODqKs5EgXo1M_d4AlCkp296Xq4i8wSY5dXCAFG4iPh3lKibiDRYOLk9ZK_2T1SREoXR2ew_t/s2171/IMG_6198.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2171" data-original-width="1842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU94RgaYunwr48Qu13XHn1pt6XJTUKHnYXATJHzX3rLc1H38NEdEhYzfhw7KdOQgPfm3rQ5AmGbBqP65IHtpNTkx9CD113n2w3zDePEYIj9Hhmw_m-oIkODqKs5EgXo1M_d4AlCkp296Xq4i8wSY5dXCAFG4iPh3lKibiDRYOLk9ZK_2T1SREoXR2ew_t/w340-h400/IMG_6198.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A <i>Crown Prince </i>squash looking healthy</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaP2NGfDQE0hO6H5dpPUfPAmDDfEaRlkqVsmxte5hLmTi8LbI6D2mNloiuM5pq32cgItrA6_QArlQgtUVDE-d9KSM8LVElYbvl6R4YZ9dQjK-yR_iC3fxcPlhrQCanw2Hi2O3KXy4UKydL1kGr8_awVT1vpi3hnv9TPPnp4mP9lha0cUnB6kW8e7JaKuJ/s2621/IMG_6199.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2460" data-original-width="2621" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaP2NGfDQE0hO6H5dpPUfPAmDDfEaRlkqVsmxte5hLmTi8LbI6D2mNloiuM5pq32cgItrA6_QArlQgtUVDE-d9KSM8LVElYbvl6R4YZ9dQjK-yR_iC3fxcPlhrQCanw2Hi2O3KXy4UKydL1kGr8_awVT1vpi3hnv9TPPnp4mP9lha0cUnB6kW8e7JaKuJ/w400-h375/IMG_6199.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A <i>Crown Prince </i>showing signs of disease</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">25 October</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Some of the <i>tromboncinos </i> were still green whilst others had ripened.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbzn3-vZCTd6UMMzLWi0hkLpCCZcDk4b5R68YYH8UqtJsVdHsnrthU7_UvTqyKQDM-sACCbqejpwIrYHdvn_0wJx-ma1PnchpaHxZ_E1UEdJ6ASi1issyzHu7SnxfculcO6WyWzvPtzdyw7PrusrpSm2-F8Xxf-Tm__3x0ABMUP3fDjKBTBAqy0NRoKzA/s4032/IMG_6201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbzn3-vZCTd6UMMzLWi0hkLpCCZcDk4b5R68YYH8UqtJsVdHsnrthU7_UvTqyKQDM-sACCbqejpwIrYHdvn_0wJx-ma1PnchpaHxZ_E1UEdJ6ASi1issyzHu7SnxfculcO6WyWzvPtzdyw7PrusrpSm2-F8Xxf-Tm__3x0ABMUP3fDjKBTBAqy0NRoKzA/w300-h400/IMG_6201.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A green summer tromboncino</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWOeLkZq5RfO-8Jlz3dtiSDj1lrZ2PVQO8Ap6smRSgBEF7rDUJyft35CYlNLkMVjvF0yyS5aj5_1xjy-jF2SRwfWb7vzxm6Eer8HABYvfyc42CDYZ1ULBthFxi97mmpzDJbMcVDP313vAen7iqICf4Ez9xUmVcQNROLN3PZJYMFbqU9QHoH7a4arizfmW/s4032/IMG_6202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWOeLkZq5RfO-8Jlz3dtiSDj1lrZ2PVQO8Ap6smRSgBEF7rDUJyft35CYlNLkMVjvF0yyS5aj5_1xjy-jF2SRwfWb7vzxm6Eer8HABYvfyc42CDYZ1ULBthFxi97mmpzDJbMcVDP313vAen7iqICf4Ez9xUmVcQNROLN3PZJYMFbqU9QHoH7a4arizfmW/w300-h400/IMG_6202.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A ripe, hard winter tromboncino</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also harvested some <i>butternut </i>squashes and the remaining <i>Crown Prince.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgEp0bqshzux1GQrLMe7S5OKWZTU9VI6fkbR6lX_dPgN_7O6GDTE4FHIVDJM_e2v-rxfoi31ZbgbG-Nd_1AcBbs-pNzkomrMsTvglFBsDYZNYViaAFjmCw0kM1_NLsCglLj5DgT3fBvJcu6jVNCTRSmFH5fekKI_N9iU_nw5FgEwMMfYHyAWTpGNamGKD/s4032/IMG_6216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgEp0bqshzux1GQrLMe7S5OKWZTU9VI6fkbR6lX_dPgN_7O6GDTE4FHIVDJM_e2v-rxfoi31ZbgbG-Nd_1AcBbs-pNzkomrMsTvglFBsDYZNYViaAFjmCw0kM1_NLsCglLj5DgT3fBvJcu6jVNCTRSmFH5fekKI_N9iU_nw5FgEwMMfYHyAWTpGNamGKD/w300-h400/IMG_6216.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A collection of our squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have a lot of Sage growing so decided to make a <i>butternut </i>Squash and sage risotto.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTBmB8tKgNvdy_2mKkkc3Hg6W4vmC8LAyMqx3m8O5SjFFYAkaHhmwodB1817y7dF3QqghrMenI7AUv17Cr-8YapvCsj3Kaligm4LtYcLZgj9CMzNL-8WjnMM6qdWu4e_dlmi_-MOhVwZ8uAj3ep-yj0oK5rVFXyHLnYBfZDhr_jGOMTsPHetWDbUK1S4c/s3197/IMG_6209.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3197" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQTBmB8tKgNvdy_2mKkkc3Hg6W4vmC8LAyMqx3m8O5SjFFYAkaHhmwodB1817y7dF3QqghrMenI7AUv17Cr-8YapvCsj3Kaligm4LtYcLZgj9CMzNL-8WjnMM6qdWu4e_dlmi_-MOhVwZ8uAj3ep-yj0oK5rVFXyHLnYBfZDhr_jGOMTsPHetWDbUK1S4c/w379-h400/IMG_6209.jpg" width="379" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Butternut </i>risotto with Sage</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Although I was very pleased with my squash harvest, I couldn't compete with my son, Toby, who had even greater success in Northumberland.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQvjNMoRwjpCRhe8V4UfpwVM2d9m7qTQHevr_7hrTXAuV-wVDtO9Xy7_KspnzXhwgC7ZptReHm2bJC2QFuSqbzWXdADcTaOLHlxs8kG0W878ZN3wYp3YblTdur-TaRaJWM5zvk6bJo7FLYDj2COsNFz4g0EdjuixnD9QMr7uutbVlSWjGDGKGR6RGdHfI/s2456/IMG_6223.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="2456" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQvjNMoRwjpCRhe8V4UfpwVM2d9m7qTQHevr_7hrTXAuV-wVDtO9Xy7_KspnzXhwgC7ZptReHm2bJC2QFuSqbzWXdADcTaOLHlxs8kG0W878ZN3wYp3YblTdur-TaRaJWM5zvk6bJo7FLYDj2COsNFz4g0EdjuixnD9QMr7uutbVlSWjGDGKGR6RGdHfI/w400-h217/IMG_6223.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Toby's 2022 squash harvest, Rothbury</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>27 October</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home we had a good harvest of chillies from the plants we had brought indoors, including <i>Cheyenne, Zimbabwe black, Scotch bonnet </i>and <i>Habanero. </i>And the plants are flowering again!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq5SSFQghpH4ifjZY5VwXN8zhWoB4d9p1Jz6puAM8qII6u4dumsTrjA8GNZ-qXQCEZmzo8R2qby_XeagEC_ZV42hTegNckE1hNzQb3r0xyuDTu2KnbBZ-y3ldHPmLkNxxdhVCItEvHoeCWiXMTx_V7Q65vP-qO-Q53xAA7sLF5hyphenhyphenvBwcNlMxwEY_RdKEm/s3076/IMG_6230.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3076" data-original-width="2582" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIq5SSFQghpH4ifjZY5VwXN8zhWoB4d9p1Jz6puAM8qII6u4dumsTrjA8GNZ-qXQCEZmzo8R2qby_XeagEC_ZV42hTegNckE1hNzQb3r0xyuDTu2KnbBZ-y3ldHPmLkNxxdhVCItEvHoeCWiXMTx_V7Q65vP-qO-Q53xAA7sLF5hyphenhyphenvBwcNlMxwEY_RdKEm/s320/IMG_6230.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Indoor Chillies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>28 October</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I went to the allotment to buy some garlic and some more broad beans but as soon as I parked, the rain came down and I sat in the car for about 15 minutes until a lull and made a quick dash to the shop. Today was definitely a day to stay indoors - and there was more heavy rain, rain, rain...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SPuxgFfG2_0" width="320" youtube-src-id="SPuxgFfG2_0"></iframe></div><span style="font-family: arial;">sheltering in the car park<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 October</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a break from the rain on 30th with some periods of sunshine which allowed for a bit of tidying up.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT5vRy1ExcuGXh_VXDDylPbS0RCeYVazj7uOaVTb5B9yVCJ7Qc3vXBCSU8sKNlnnGIVKXl-X36AWhuUUi_q28UKkuLT5OmUwoVbeNVocSzB65KtX9u-C3j7Ig4MmknLiscct-cfroKkVn73z4rD2_wC6NzNUpwgn1FglYm8ooV46vN8jRnuuy6r9fDjSx/s4032/IMG_6276.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAT5vRy1ExcuGXh_VXDDylPbS0RCeYVazj7uOaVTb5B9yVCJ7Qc3vXBCSU8sKNlnnGIVKXl-X36AWhuUUi_q28UKkuLT5OmUwoVbeNVocSzB65KtX9u-C3j7Ig4MmknLiscct-cfroKkVn73z4rD2_wC6NzNUpwgn1FglYm8ooV46vN8jRnuuy6r9fDjSx/w300-h400/IMG_6276.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 October looking north</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIgZnfQQe8cQ_i46J_L4cnpr_yIaLZHk2ePfTnAYxpfiWInXQ2e43dy49G5DiewbcPg9j8pVCcHBk1xik7O4YfeNVDjF61yX8nb9KaU_jO7xpubBckJB0zBIqYbfHOrpIhz8oN_D4MDv6EoBlK6cO63yMIdilryeDYf7VvD103tXblPBDrIB3n6v4MJjS/s4032/IMG_6277.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIgZnfQQe8cQ_i46J_L4cnpr_yIaLZHk2ePfTnAYxpfiWInXQ2e43dy49G5DiewbcPg9j8pVCcHBk1xik7O4YfeNVDjF61yX8nb9KaU_jO7xpubBckJB0zBIqYbfHOrpIhz8oN_D4MDv6EoBlK6cO63yMIdilryeDYf7VvD103tXblPBDrIB3n6v4MJjS/w300-h400/IMG_6277.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 October ripening <i>tromboncinos</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_0gmpm3nijxW-3yfNeFnW_p4vO1KZzhU4tCZLB31At7sQ1ztzBixiMhxURQVmrYL2YnXCuyQkjnPxKuLhhgKas-Hyq8Yo88sUj4rceHwX87rJFizJHig8_yTjb5QbWTOlyiPQf_lVXjdqJnlSIQz__Ilsqux3Xb-5QiSr0pSJ77g1DmK6yahHvi7IWtI/s4032/IMG_6279.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_0gmpm3nijxW-3yfNeFnW_p4vO1KZzhU4tCZLB31At7sQ1ztzBixiMhxURQVmrYL2YnXCuyQkjnPxKuLhhgKas-Hyq8Yo88sUj4rceHwX87rJFizJHig8_yTjb5QbWTOlyiPQf_lVXjdqJnlSIQz__Ilsqux3Xb-5QiSr0pSJ77g1DmK6yahHvi7IWtI/w300-h400/IMG_6279.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 October looking west</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_n9BAf61wd7o_I9ApBlmYat1QoOlAhzm-7YNCQG95ghubE1jzVGvaQRFogKddODWa4SI_CBNM6JiJlL5pgWgv-PHKCh9sJh2pi-7aVXcfKQST_0_HDIlkT8pL9MrfzFZfho1CJZnVm7UGknaBM07PE9tQqLSdFKaKSkFW1XOzIOzrB_ODiPAGOMqqKQE/s4032/IMG_6280.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_n9BAf61wd7o_I9ApBlmYat1QoOlAhzm-7YNCQG95ghubE1jzVGvaQRFogKddODWa4SI_CBNM6JiJlL5pgWgv-PHKCh9sJh2pi-7aVXcfKQST_0_HDIlkT8pL9MrfzFZfho1CJZnVm7UGknaBM07PE9tQqLSdFKaKSkFW1XOzIOzrB_ODiPAGOMqqKQE/w300-h400/IMG_6280.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 October looking east</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But the break in the weather was shortlived; there was more heavy rain that evening and a warning that <i>Storm </i><span style="background-color: white; text-wrap: nowrap;"><i>Ciarán </i>was on its way.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; text-wrap: nowrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>31 October</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the heavy overnight rain, Tuesday was a bright sunny morning and a warm 15C. The ground was very wet but I decided to plant the garlic. I planted it a little deeper than usual so that the tips were only just level with the ground. If you leave the tips showing and don't cover it, the birds take delight in pulling up the cloves that have been planted. To be doubly sure, however, I covered the planted area with fleece,</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also managed to pick a healthy crop of <i>Cavolo nero </i> before the sky clouded over and rain looked imminent. We have been picking <i>Cavolo nero </i>regularly throughout the month.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8i0hUb6R24zydXLrOOBhDe6MvrBoanlgQAqCG4Hequh1V7-8YPZtyznbpRSitlVrDFQimPOyggGONnUn8W30eG4-nuUazN4W49n5F2W08i-nHdD54RaWrN_iWperipYrZL1GRKk9K6Z-5V7sDbezl0-_2FdMZTUjfQgDICUm_mLxwiu4FDM2m5NuhSe6/s3134/IMG_6286.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3134" data-original-width="2721" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8i0hUb6R24zydXLrOOBhDe6MvrBoanlgQAqCG4Hequh1V7-8YPZtyznbpRSitlVrDFQimPOyggGONnUn8W30eG4-nuUazN4W49n5F2W08i-nHdD54RaWrN_iWperipYrZL1GRKk9K6Z-5V7sDbezl0-_2FdMZTUjfQgDICUm_mLxwiu4FDM2m5NuhSe6/w348-h400/IMG_6286.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Cavolo nero<br /><br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As usual, our near neighbours, 5 doors up, had gone to town with the Halloween decorations</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj972w85tlEPB7gkX7Ji8lPTwX0XX0qoifs0hOi0mS4FLN7OnZvlfvU_cQjMFiHnGSS4NXgl949n4LM2hBo0QmojRAuiMcZDVK1TzrPQTZ5itsLblrX9YHCPKbINuSA8OcJB73X570oVEaInMecII-vQaN9QxQcwRdTrCVvosfCWov1PUD75pHowVYSUwzK/s2578/IMG_6284.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2578" data-original-width="2433" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj972w85tlEPB7gkX7Ji8lPTwX0XX0qoifs0hOi0mS4FLN7OnZvlfvU_cQjMFiHnGSS4NXgl949n4LM2hBo0QmojRAuiMcZDVK1TzrPQTZ5itsLblrX9YHCPKbINuSA8OcJB73X570oVEaInMecII-vQaN9QxQcwRdTrCVvosfCWov1PUD75pHowVYSUwzK/w378-h400/IMG_6284.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ready for Halloween at No.60</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">They looked even more impressive after sunset</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3jpMLYaMfcQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="3jpMLYaMfcQ"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But then, the heavens opened and torrential rain kept the trick or treaters indoors that night. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i style="color: red;">John Austin </i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #800180;">Hove, October 2023</span></span></h2><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><h2><br /></h2><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-75560173995627947162023-11-22T02:47:00.000-08:002023-11-22T02:47:54.142-08:00RECIPES Courgette Lemon Drizzle Cake (using Tromboncino)<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">Courgette Lemon Drizzle Cake</span> <span style="color: red;">-</span></span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">using Tromboncino</span></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nEtqueQzgMG0hsfc53QNHgwvhn_u3UDykok3J9Aspgp6W3jKoDBhO9RZkoCIJlkj_CThSzX9-PJGMt-X0mmSJ_AjW_sCPqQHsVcl0lUpjYm2UCoumhSQCk8gRGPIYUqlYF1T_MKVMkRPlfp4F0m6K5kX-LI4uQ_vxsuG_I9CWSJI6i0HQfB-Fjczze0R/s2558/IMG_6363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2445" data-original-width="2558" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nEtqueQzgMG0hsfc53QNHgwvhn_u3UDykok3J9Aspgp6W3jKoDBhO9RZkoCIJlkj_CThSzX9-PJGMt-X0mmSJ_AjW_sCPqQHsVcl0lUpjYm2UCoumhSQCk8gRGPIYUqlYF1T_MKVMkRPlfp4F0m6K5kX-LI4uQ_vxsuG_I9CWSJI6i0HQfB-Fjczze0R/w640-h612/IMG_6363.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tromboncino Lemon Drizzle Cake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Usually we have a glut of courgettes in the late summer with some growing into marrows so we have become quite skillful in adapting recipes to make full use of them - and one of our favourites is incorporating them in Lemon Drizzle Cake.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This autumn we had a glut of <i>Tromboncinos, </i>also known in Italian as <i>zucchetta.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCigCBJzxwTGgxSYaYllzP-zs5PFTOvhAnyxRWImr2EQO7i0mWZG_TTxXqFLLe4lecDVgFp8th4yyn_VlqT44HQxP8gmGjqqLJBgZx1Yh91YMeV9cW-uJ2g6jaavhi56UcEFt5kfVQMgiFa2_UL3i9lCH17HlKSAqsqwzxLfe3CkrnpbRf9uICVL81T6S/s4032/IMG_5546.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhCigCBJzxwTGgxSYaYllzP-zs5PFTOvhAnyxRWImr2EQO7i0mWZG_TTxXqFLLe4lecDVgFp8th4yyn_VlqT44HQxP8gmGjqqLJBgZx1Yh91YMeV9cW-uJ2g6jaavhi56UcEFt5kfVQMgiFa2_UL3i9lCH17HlKSAqsqwzxLfe3CkrnpbRf9uICVL81T6S/w300-h400/IMG_5546.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 August 2023<br />Tromboncinos growing on our allotment</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The tromboncino is an adaptable squash that can either be used as a summer squash, like a courgette (<i>zucchini</i>), when green and picked when it is 1-2 feet long or left to ripen when it may grow more than a metre in length. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a7_cYBrznLtlz1cl-G4TAV9_nOXumLYkmJgV3wQ_kvZd9AI49cTuhan5QEcgJD6uIjie7cu9IpuZAj8sI9ctgynLTnxzKB44reWRJHJ8552ZJA3BCWpyEDHnsivtX9BxcN2gfh5sZ7x9OBnMCeTTKmil-tUwHengH9a55YG8bWUWHgfMiVs3svTJWDBa/s1024/9cf5b741-1de6-439c-bd59-a136b1af1bcb%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a7_cYBrznLtlz1cl-G4TAV9_nOXumLYkmJgV3wQ_kvZd9AI49cTuhan5QEcgJD6uIjie7cu9IpuZAj8sI9ctgynLTnxzKB44reWRJHJ8552ZJA3BCWpyEDHnsivtX9BxcN2gfh5sZ7x9OBnMCeTTKmil-tUwHengH9a55YG8bWUWHgfMiVs3svTJWDBa/w300-h400/9cf5b741-1de6-439c-bd59-a136b1af1bcb%20(1).JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 October<br />Tromboncino picked as a summer squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The plant has a vining habit and we grow ours up an improvised trellis otherwise they trail on the ground and are likely to be damaged by pests. When mature the colour fades to beige rather like a <i>butternut squash </i>and it can then be used roasted or in soups or stews or any <i>butternut squash </i>recipe - we find it rather good in a Thai style curry with coconut milk or in a risotto with sage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFnCYjEHr17og3MivcwGJlCDXbhkRpt141eoC28LRydUsHeakmB9NVIHeW6H7KFM9zwlhN1nHEmXvRs-5VeAQf8iiF45_1SqkuePWBY6_HYqtihGxTZiqpPlsC67LO8DxoxM_rWROQ8uW1QXJzRpxmjQG6iINRmVXM3rUPqp9GS_G4wrOJQkycSf6c-wb/s4032/IMG_6202%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHFnCYjEHr17og3MivcwGJlCDXbhkRpt141eoC28LRydUsHeakmB9NVIHeW6H7KFM9zwlhN1nHEmXvRs-5VeAQf8iiF45_1SqkuePWBY6_HYqtihGxTZiqpPlsC67LO8DxoxM_rWROQ8uW1QXJzRpxmjQG6iINRmVXM3rUPqp9GS_G4wrOJQkycSf6c-wb/w300-h400/IMG_6202%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 October<br />Tromboncino picked as a winter squash<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of the advantages over courgettes is that they have no seeds in the long stem, all the seeds being concentrated in the bulbous end which we often hollow out and roast, stuffed with a meat or vegetable stuffing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38KuhdYLCog6tTfOpRV4Hs13-mM62OY7sgw7kTJ-ymB68HpQi33oNP3YSXuDinvq0RWP0GVBpWucZ5rV0puR_ixqkf0qXA6KrIliDouYcNh-JGpm5Ryq8oYJPFISQx9AyDBzl04JT6jvAQzGBJjRSWs-KSLseYQDDEe-kBnLSFEFZr9-2UxIGiVnRn38b/s4032/IMG_6361.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2896" data-original-width="4032" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38KuhdYLCog6tTfOpRV4Hs13-mM62OY7sgw7kTJ-ymB68HpQi33oNP3YSXuDinvq0RWP0GVBpWucZ5rV0puR_ixqkf0qXA6KrIliDouYcNh-JGpm5Ryq8oYJPFISQx9AyDBzl04JT6jvAQzGBJjRSWs-KSLseYQDDEe-kBnLSFEFZr9-2UxIGiVnRn38b/w400-h288/IMG_6361.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Roast tromboncino stuffed with spicy minced meat</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For the "courgette" cake we use the seedless stem from the young green vegetable, including the skin. Most courgette cake recipes suggest grating the flesh. We used a spiraliser which produces long spaghetti-like strands which we then roughly chop with a pair of scissors. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNXw_duWTmunNN8XMwRrjjA2qcrv7_XSCvReJ_5kUXEA_RnmhXWENfWVBAXl6092cUgzNIEImvXQnsN9dF8-hjkxkFJt0xV9Kf4ruQt9a8eadtP1HiwAqeItDsE4SbJwRstggvlVak08ssi3sUZd7a1-iaNKwH0sk9RmP3qbSh7ZbS-RfOKEwSy1wjUW7/s3060/IMG_6357.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3060" data-original-width="2562" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNXw_duWTmunNN8XMwRrjjA2qcrv7_XSCvReJ_5kUXEA_RnmhXWENfWVBAXl6092cUgzNIEImvXQnsN9dF8-hjkxkFJt0xV9Kf4ruQt9a8eadtP1HiwAqeItDsE4SbJwRstggvlVak08ssi3sUZd7a1-iaNKwH0sk9RmP3qbSh7ZbS-RfOKEwSy1wjUW7/w335-h400/IMG_6357.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The spiraliser</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY50UcgpVS9sUgZDwoDAAjed9oa_Tga5EgYsxg3cy65oJJm3XJrhKcYwjEXMG-cNlGx459Gd4BhtzVHD0aFQ2-Wuc2XKIGISNBYC_7aB-ykh7TrQzPodaAUvomyQGMOcWFwgUnnlGcRn1lEXb-0yUmOPFVWCXucGp_gTjyZ1iAJFyYIgOtVhCKZZOThH5a/s4032/IMG_6358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY50UcgpVS9sUgZDwoDAAjed9oa_Tga5EgYsxg3cy65oJJm3XJrhKcYwjEXMG-cNlGx459Gd4BhtzVHD0aFQ2-Wuc2XKIGISNBYC_7aB-ykh7TrQzPodaAUvomyQGMOcWFwgUnnlGcRn1lEXb-0yUmOPFVWCXucGp_gTjyZ1iAJFyYIgOtVhCKZZOThH5a/w300-h400/IMG_6358.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Spiralised tromboncino</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can buy spiralised courgette in supermarkets, sold as "courgetti spaghetti" and it can be used in may dishes, usually lightly steamed as a vegetable or as a pasta substitute.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When making a cake, if you are using courgettes, it is advisable to put the flesh in muslin or a clean tea towel and squeeze out some of the moisture - otherwise you will get a very sloppy cake. We find that less necessary with tromboncinos as the flesh is usually much drier and firmer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The recipe which we used is as follows:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ingredients for the Cake<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">150 mls vegetable oil<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">200g caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 large or 3 medium eggs<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grated or finely pared zest of 2
lemons<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Juice of 1 lemon<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">200g Courgette spiralised and chopped
or grated<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">250g Self Raising Flour<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ingredients for the drizzle<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grated or finely pared zest and Juice of 1 lemon<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">75 g Caster sugar<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Method<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Pre-heat oven to 160C Fan. (If using a conventional oven you may need a temperature of 180C - but we haven't tried that).<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mix together vegetable oil, caster
sugar, eggs, lemon zest and juice and beat until smooth. We use a food mixer for this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stir in grated courgette.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Add bicarbonate of soda to the flour
and then gently fold into the cake mixture until there are no lumps and all the
flour is absorbed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Grease and or line with baking paper a
1lb loaf tin or cake tin. Pour in the
cake mixture and level off. We sometimes worry at this stage if the cake mixture is quite runny - but the result has always been good. Place in the
pre-heated oven and cook for 55minutes – 1 hour. It may be advisable to cover the cake with
buttered paper or baking paper for the first 30 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After cooking test the cake with a
metal skewer (it should come out clean with no cake mixture adhering). If it is
not cooked through, put back in oven for a further 5/10 minutes but cover again
so that the top does not burn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whilst the cake is cooking, mix together the drizzle ingredients –
sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leave the cake to cool in the tin,
but whilst still hot pierce the cake all over with a skewer then pour the
drizzle evenly over the top and leave it to soak in. Do not remove the cake from the tin until it
is cool.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddy7hMmVljyi6kNvnksC2NP5rNFL2qx3csR7ePk0ijN6yU8gMfrJ8kNaj8FgBy9sR5yqI19UPyX733l4OHw3pxMOpj1JLgKsqrkU9TbnORO4VmXSmujODSLetqNnXrjm41dTf5EMJdbzdGlNcNduJoCL2mFknwvFfX91rcXJ_dY5sqk-5iCJ9t4jg6wtI/s4032/IMG_6359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2390" data-original-width="4032" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddy7hMmVljyi6kNvnksC2NP5rNFL2qx3csR7ePk0ijN6yU8gMfrJ8kNaj8FgBy9sR5yqI19UPyX733l4OHw3pxMOpj1JLgKsqrkU9TbnORO4VmXSmujODSLetqNnXrjm41dTf5EMJdbzdGlNcNduJoCL2mFknwvFfX91rcXJ_dY5sqk-5iCJ9t4jg6wtI/w400-h238/IMG_6359.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hot from the oven and drizzled with the lemon</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdZYSSIR0D73JNgYLrCJ2L3coG7Bn4fh7Clw1WauouOF6mAMo9kI6_wQng9EU6eeyB3Mmvd7iLLa5Knfy-plRAUVvvIMkzrDBG8f67j-FZxYEg8ypcJR2_CX5kvnbBENOKK9ndNm4rYGr8bCSpbE8EyQgYphVoLa5QgdY_BOpn7IVoQs8itvxD1JXo6sa/s2558/IMG_6363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2445" data-original-width="2558" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdZYSSIR0D73JNgYLrCJ2L3coG7Bn4fh7Clw1WauouOF6mAMo9kI6_wQng9EU6eeyB3Mmvd7iLLa5Knfy-plRAUVvvIMkzrDBG8f67j-FZxYEg8ypcJR2_CX5kvnbBENOKK9ndNm4rYGr8bCSpbE8EyQgYphVoLa5QgdY_BOpn7IVoQs8itvxD1JXo6sa/w400-h383/IMG_6363.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tromboncino lemon drizzle cake ready for the table</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Hove, November 2023</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><i></i></b></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-12799244331185797922023-11-03T05:16:00.000-07:002023-11-03T05:16:44.944-07:00Life on The Weald - September 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald</span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and other distractions - September 2023</span></h3><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Y3gNMrgBGThi2TalEfAgsDRqGFgxfVbxdxC0-HZziEk64nnYcRDXO3K3NU2OytjWZa34RsWYjHFb25VM4tzsgZcLttlxWHni0jRCV41OkPdhNjRTgn9I5Y5P_z443QogAr7n5beSa4kf0Bh9uCUB6xGXpwWSrdwsRljKx2pyvqbqm4BD4_x595b6-dT/s2076/IMG_5621.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2076" data-original-width="1557" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1Y3gNMrgBGThi2TalEfAgsDRqGFgxfVbxdxC0-HZziEk64nnYcRDXO3K3NU2OytjWZa34RsWYjHFb25VM4tzsgZcLttlxWHni0jRCV41OkPdhNjRTgn9I5Y5P_z443QogAr7n5beSa4kf0Bh9uCUB6xGXpwWSrdwsRljKx2pyvqbqm4BD4_x595b6-dT/w480-h640/IMG_5621.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">September - a proliferation of plums</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">September marks the beginning of the meteorological autumn. The 2023-24 storms season also started officially on 1 September which means there is a new set of names agreed in collaboration with the UK Met Office, Ireland's Met Eireann and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Together they issued a warning of the coming of </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Storm Agnes. </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> Although <i>Agnes </i>is not </span><span style="font-family: arial;">expected until the end of the month, September began with a stormy Friday with strong winds and very heavy rainfall.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">3 September</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The heavy rain had all gone by Sunday and, apart from a misty morning, it was a glorious sunny day, but not one that I would be spending at the allotment as I was off to London for the <i>Big Half. </i>It was like a pleasant summer's day for me but I fear a little too hot for comfort for the runners in the Half Marathon starting at Tower Bridge and finishing at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Not only did I get to see the race but took the opportunity to meet up with my granddaughter, Tilly, who had a friend running that day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xbtoDLWG0lBZ82jsj4X6zijcxBZjQ1d2fuyV-3aYZ2NixavQRIB8fBCdLo-1C5coI0JFfVKpBK23g2BnH_MYXM-hMmXhZ1sLWl9B-bof5jEOMNpd40RxM-xtaM59oozrhCZlwf6uPvA61poGd9hSgpcXR86LxEh6niDuiLl1bymwIjkS8XlbwchRhNYg/s3088/IMG_5598.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xbtoDLWG0lBZ82jsj4X6zijcxBZjQ1d2fuyV-3aYZ2NixavQRIB8fBCdLo-1C5coI0JFfVKpBK23g2BnH_MYXM-hMmXhZ1sLWl9B-bof5jEOMNpd40RxM-xtaM59oozrhCZlwf6uPvA61poGd9hSgpcXR86LxEh6niDuiLl1bymwIjkS8XlbwchRhNYg/w300-h400/IMG_5598.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spending time with Tilly aboard the Cutty Sark<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a rather special occasion as this was the last time that Mo Farah would be running competitively in London (his last professional race would be a few weeks later in the <i>Great North Run). </i> It was, perhaps, a disappointing result for Mo, the defending champion, as he finished 4th, in 1 hour 2 minutes 43 seconds, 95 seconds behind the winner. It was, however, still a remarkable run as Mo was not well on the day and probably would not have run had it not been his last race. He had a great reception from the crowd for whom he has given so much entertainment, excitement and inspiration over the years.</div></span></div></blockquote><p> </p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j_qfn6W1IzTPIJQBSegBSmLHplk1dYUa2xFtAaIzl4hhJ5wljRrvJKWqcqc2SvNWEczXr6UF5fFY48UU5rDPRr-Z9mj8qX7rI0ZqB99cgvwE3kKqxG0FU4teyBtdrT1mGieadk-KOXJjv1PAba7qnIMwphwuVejG_J9HIt9nmmCBiQBU3W6Ewlz2QScd/s1942/IMG_5595.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1942" data-original-width="1456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0j_qfn6W1IzTPIJQBSegBSmLHplk1dYUa2xFtAaIzl4hhJ5wljRrvJKWqcqc2SvNWEczXr6UF5fFY48UU5rDPRr-Z9mj8qX7rI0ZqB99cgvwE3kKqxG0FU4teyBtdrT1mGieadk-KOXJjv1PAba7qnIMwphwuVejG_J9HIt9nmmCBiQBU3W6Ewlz2QScd/w480-h640/IMG_5595.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mo comes home fourth!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And in typical Mo fashion, he was soon back on the course, saluting later finishers offering encouragement and a high-five.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tGr2IyR-zXVFVhoobZ14F0D8Y4CG0PmVhZhMsCumBUafuafStcdma2i04Pgwd4lTX6xBHlI_uuI1QU5TXkMXO_-BxtlcrhIMo22hKMBop0vf-HmhvBpfzRSKkIoFpezXpeZ5WN5Ap_ny0pnOYj4D015YwK58qkrk52r1_jUXgkPkKJbHnEPQOaLiExIh/s4032/IMG_5602.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tGr2IyR-zXVFVhoobZ14F0D8Y4CG0PmVhZhMsCumBUafuafStcdma2i04Pgwd4lTX6xBHlI_uuI1QU5TXkMXO_-BxtlcrhIMo22hKMBop0vf-HmhvBpfzRSKkIoFpezXpeZ5WN5Ap_ny0pnOYj4D015YwK58qkrk52r1_jUXgkPkKJbHnEPQOaLiExIh/w300-h400/IMG_5602.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mo cheers on later runners</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was a great day for the legendary David Weir who won the Men's Wheelchair in a a nail-biting finish in 47 minutes 26 seconds, just 1 second ahead of Danny Sidbury and 4 seconds ahead of John Boy Smith.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVe3Hv-XrI-WDl9L4Z7JY3xciX0LoF9cXdMYbGuG7SsAgzIxCvMxMLBxa1HvRuJqhmeVTPDQNezz3NtWz44RKBWPxhI88GKAp6hL67JOkpcKoqlKMpnSv6kslu3U9eRkFELn8LuvPVnwWhNyi8-eTpx6980JvBup7QMGRqozkYcNlJzdv5jCgE15_mjywx/s639/IMG_5591.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="633" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVe3Hv-XrI-WDl9L4Z7JY3xciX0LoF9cXdMYbGuG7SsAgzIxCvMxMLBxa1HvRuJqhmeVTPDQNezz3NtWz44RKBWPxhI88GKAp6hL67JOkpcKoqlKMpnSv6kslu3U9eRkFELn8LuvPVnwWhNyi8-eTpx6980JvBup7QMGRqozkYcNlJzdv5jCgE15_mjywx/w396-h400/IMG_5591.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Weir wins the Men's Wheelchair</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a great run for Calli Thackery who won the Elite Women's race in 1 hour 9 minutes and 15 seconds, 3 minutes ahead of Lily Partridge who came 5th. There was more excitement in the Women's Wheelchair event as Samantha Kinghorn and Eden Rainbow Cooper raced side by side to the finish line with Samantha winning but with the same time on the clock as Eden, 52 minutes 5 seconds!<br /><i><br /></i></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">4-10 September</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Following the weekend we had a continued period of very hot weather - on Thursday 7th, the UK record was broken for the number of consecutive days in September reaching 30C. The previous record was 3 days - in 1898, 1906, 1911 and 2016. 7 September was also the hottest day of the year! This was not to be expected in September.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And it didn't stop there! The 4 day record did not last long as there were 7 consecutive days up to 10 September where a temperature above 30C was recorded in the UK.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But before we start celebrating this glorious weather, it is undoubtedly human-induced climate change that causes heatwaves to be more frequent, more intense and last longer. This is NOT good news for the environment, our eco-systems or future generations.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It is a time of year, however, to relax a little and enjoy the fruits of our labour. We have an abundance of squashes and we enjoyed some <i>Patty pan </i>stuffed with ricotta and nuts, accompanied by our freshly lifted new potatoes and French beans,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywOEVwN93jpJ6IGRIb3ABQZ5Xkt9XeRZRaRlCIWMxj4tiNDz78u9j-OS-SgDFfyfYOGOeDKx1muXRV69TyztLldR1zdfKAwdHFWokp-IsvjIVRw7QoSPTBwJJaYBZclcj2LOl5sJkFI-kP5ScKfAUqkzks-I8nMtSvxiilnd-DYnnLtfzu91DPz0trkRx/s4032/IMG_5609.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywOEVwN93jpJ6IGRIb3ABQZ5Xkt9XeRZRaRlCIWMxj4tiNDz78u9j-OS-SgDFfyfYOGOeDKx1muXRV69TyztLldR1zdfKAwdHFWokp-IsvjIVRw7QoSPTBwJJaYBZclcj2LOl5sJkFI-kP5ScKfAUqkzks-I8nMtSvxiilnd-DYnnLtfzu91DPz0trkRx/w300-h400/IMG_5609.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Roast stuffed <i>Patty pan </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHKHHKrXj8bVpZPoq2RSTmSw8Nb2uXsFBxzoByEEII0H_SEYtka2TSduenv9jewbF4HpBGBjvyMlN6bBcyn4S1CUD8oCQSmVFacwrJuBb2qU7dQnypEkkFTTvvuVhuqB1qWwpggd4r_gECy7q71l5asLZFtHqBxEh0LKlRtmGlKAEZ26ZXN0pEhWItL9f/s2464/IMG_5610.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2044" data-original-width="2464" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHKHHKrXj8bVpZPoq2RSTmSw8Nb2uXsFBxzoByEEII0H_SEYtka2TSduenv9jewbF4HpBGBjvyMlN6bBcyn4S1CUD8oCQSmVFacwrJuBb2qU7dQnypEkkFTTvvuVhuqB1qWwpggd4r_gECy7q71l5asLZFtHqBxEh0LKlRtmGlKAEZ26ZXN0pEhWItL9f/w400-h331/IMG_5610.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Squash with potatoes and beans, all from the plot</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also have a proliferate supply of plums!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the garden at home we had a new visitor - a colourful Jay</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnuWi3H3AphUZxmM49rULhsOYlmuiNKwwg9Dan80eX5PJ63ymWSYfNs5gFRBottIPMdqkoNAXXWKuXwb_zjObNnrF0xkUD9-XhdKOPdqJRNcFR5WnUOia_z2Oo9LvAKXmKEowByGlZmpd_garyzWLiTa4kK48P_HTH4pK2-z0Q8oilYq3AmXXfmPHsito/s608/IMG_5613.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="577" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnuWi3H3AphUZxmM49rULhsOYlmuiNKwwg9Dan80eX5PJ63ymWSYfNs5gFRBottIPMdqkoNAXXWKuXwb_zjObNnrF0xkUD9-XhdKOPdqJRNcFR5WnUOia_z2Oo9LvAKXmKEowByGlZmpd_garyzWLiTa4kK48P_HTH4pK2-z0Q8oilYq3AmXXfmPHsito/w380-h400/IMG_5613.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A <i>Jay </i>comes to visit</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last month I had cleared the pond of couch grass that had invaded. This month one of our neighbours had divided her Irises and had some to spare which we have now planted in the pond on the plot. I was pleased to see that the damselflies were still around and when pulling up some couch grass near the pond was pleased to see a large frog.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We are now regularly harvesting squashes, courgettes and cucumbers - and of course, plums!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXCEuyIMMA3TTVVmNwC5qbj3n40C_2uj6j-ehp5eKf6aZwZ_g8j_n1hzge1WOracSlWDUzXFNBb6ieOsv-claFFRqYkcRgSK0RQYGZZcrEmZlxoCuvSTCoFP-9ob_w0zU0dXs2Xu8xVmkbH9dz8GYkwkNVjbztJRhr6_q9riDxsNPArCuKvpzslGmbzLi/s4032/IMG_5632.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXCEuyIMMA3TTVVmNwC5qbj3n40C_2uj6j-ehp5eKf6aZwZ_g8j_n1hzge1WOracSlWDUzXFNBb6ieOsv-claFFRqYkcRgSK0RQYGZZcrEmZlxoCuvSTCoFP-9ob_w0zU0dXs2Xu8xVmkbH9dz8GYkwkNVjbztJRhr6_q9riDxsNPArCuKvpzslGmbzLi/w300-h400/IMG_5632.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 September - <i>Patty pan, </i>cucumbers and courgette</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also have a surplus of apples and, largely based on a Mary Berry recipe, are making apple cake at least weekly. The rest of the apples are finding their way into other dishes or joining the plums in the freezer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg945_r8Ssx-RjYAxPsMUiMTLXdua0A8H0kUqCTs_pbHGkKkWyeJzLGfHe-d_Mhq5l_DD8uL_0S0H6CSfj0TuhotbMpDLHZR6NNcNtT5aC2Js7p1B40_1wRWofhnGTpIfdljUoXGb9BaVt29nWK8JrC2Y6MmaEVBnlDiPB6VgdUnCumZZs0SC1pXNuGC_3r/s4032/IMG_5634.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg945_r8Ssx-RjYAxPsMUiMTLXdua0A8H0kUqCTs_pbHGkKkWyeJzLGfHe-d_Mhq5l_DD8uL_0S0H6CSfj0TuhotbMpDLHZR6NNcNtT5aC2Js7p1B40_1wRWofhnGTpIfdljUoXGb9BaVt29nWK8JrC2Y6MmaEVBnlDiPB6VgdUnCumZZs0SC1pXNuGC_3r/w300-h400/IMG_5634.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 September - Apple cake</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2-HzVzJsL0QrOD6ulZoWRPfKro1SyYw3kOFEv0WMzPXfY9cN-lBGpGzshw9jYAjF5JK0Et_w6JeB3_3XMg-XnhvF4FXAwxZ6oLuzIxMBDLfyWI-KAOhPul4rtpv0GAXvwZgekhUAq9emzWy0oyWDGMO5-afcCleE2diBrZukJSZ9frFFgKSmKgSORsSc/s4032/IMG_5635.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2-HzVzJsL0QrOD6ulZoWRPfKro1SyYw3kOFEv0WMzPXfY9cN-lBGpGzshw9jYAjF5JK0Et_w6JeB3_3XMg-XnhvF4FXAwxZ6oLuzIxMBDLfyWI-KAOhPul4rtpv0GAXvwZgekhUAq9emzWy0oyWDGMO5-afcCleE2diBrZukJSZ9frFFgKSmKgSORsSc/w300-h400/IMG_5635.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 September - Apple cake</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our Fox still makes a regular appearance every day around 6pm.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqRFQ2LBCW-mSQV3K6u_h0Wdg0mXpMfYbbzPGiL_86EHGl3WjTgBs4lfVCLkQoAbIUgHHfgjec1rgG-7EQEgmuXrq5MZLN1BsiE4rHGQE_q1oLeM7IlwF-ZKhWQP88uTkphHXv48oNydGqOx5iaaZzpW5o9Ap953g5NtToVpo8z8dtXeYaCv0QXvwcgdf/s4032/IMG_5682.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqRFQ2LBCW-mSQV3K6u_h0Wdg0mXpMfYbbzPGiL_86EHGl3WjTgBs4lfVCLkQoAbIUgHHfgjec1rgG-7EQEgmuXrq5MZLN1BsiE4rHGQE_q1oLeM7IlwF-ZKhWQP88uTkphHXv48oNydGqOx5iaaZzpW5o9Ap953g5NtToVpo8z8dtXeYaCv0QXvwcgdf/w300-h400/IMG_5682.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">15 September</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTGf1yEcLrE0Ds83fJc-8uqubk1YVXy8ZzxHFp4oW6t5j-JR9Hbprs4vnkfN0Qni6Pg3OVguI6Ec0PIheTiHPPEPJD0p2VpfRmT2ZvBonVtriHFI-k0qbGu_s9DdyMFZ7IrE83bsJedhambF-vo36KbXKDFtvMu3or8FasOuhnFg1CkpFbBMD6TVFqgDd/s1081/IMG_5682%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1081" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTGf1yEcLrE0Ds83fJc-8uqubk1YVXy8ZzxHFp4oW6t5j-JR9Hbprs4vnkfN0Qni6Pg3OVguI6Ec0PIheTiHPPEPJD0p2VpfRmT2ZvBonVtriHFI-k0qbGu_s9DdyMFZ7IrE83bsJedhambF-vo36KbXKDFtvMu3or8FasOuhnFg1CkpFbBMD6TVFqgDd/w400-h384/IMG_5682%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">15 September</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>16 September</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We had intended to go to London on Sunday to watch the <i>Serpentine Swim </i>but due to algae growth on the days before the swim a number of swimmers had deferred their entry to next year, including those we had been going to support. We could have taken the opportunity to go to the allotment but instead decided on an alternative day out involving water with a trip to Chichester and a boat-ride on the harbour. It was another idyllic sunny day. Surely this cannot last.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVPMC6V6fXysKw5bDmG3GO-QVmPgrCJs8i4GNIK308MTQfwvc4WNMgepAeu6oxtO3AfwnkewO_qLpoU4-HaK3_PGlhQwEi_tA-9EnSwZx2I_CR1t3WFDU1e1jzDx51hVNiGzW-fQmpY2IHrITA_O82M2kw891gpj-0LYXu0a5DpCjjTuQmGdJ1LRpDDn5/s1709/IMG_5693.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1595" data-original-width="1709" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVPMC6V6fXysKw5bDmG3GO-QVmPgrCJs8i4GNIK308MTQfwvc4WNMgepAeu6oxtO3AfwnkewO_qLpoU4-HaK3_PGlhQwEi_tA-9EnSwZx2I_CR1t3WFDU1e1jzDx51hVNiGzW-fQmpY2IHrITA_O82M2kw891gpj-0LYXu0a5DpCjjTuQmGdJ1LRpDDn5/w400-h374/IMG_5693.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 September - Bosham, Chichester</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">17-20 September</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Monday there was a sudden change in the weather with heavy rain in the afternoon and evening. On 18 September there were thunderstorms and strong gusty winds with heavy rain in the morning, but followed by a bright sunny afternoon with the temperature in the twenties. it was shortlived as thunderstorms returned overnight and the following two days were wild, wet and windy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the garlic chives took a bit of a battering; but before the wild winds arrived they had been in full flower, attracting bees. Not only do they attract bees, they are a useful culinary herb and the flowers are beautiful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHhXMY3pl_UCFBDFt5Spt87mc_QWY6wvZN-qHtfy7iDR3sUqBkSvABkvQghX4eLioQihDtALLZXqUv0sA1vIbVYSFFVBEOd4BVR9Yv9d6VWvcVnLZJVy_4fN4F4TB3wR7ndBvKMnJBgesBjTPeqnGbze2YbN47aUSGRfWk3r7aCqsfFB6Q_TaAWGsNxHw/s3303/IMG_5708.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3303" data-original-width="2928" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHhXMY3pl_UCFBDFt5Spt87mc_QWY6wvZN-qHtfy7iDR3sUqBkSvABkvQghX4eLioQihDtALLZXqUv0sA1vIbVYSFFVBEOd4BVR9Yv9d6VWvcVnLZJVy_4fN4F4TB3wR7ndBvKMnJBgesBjTPeqnGbze2YbN47aUSGRfWk3r7aCqsfFB6Q_TaAWGsNxHw/w355-h400/IMG_5708.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic chives</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38cJTm5alSjzFR3a2AuFUH3jVU4eF8AV4IqpaNuyV5C-Ys91_WzhnRc_IWUiTlX8joXxjEOjQHkNzvtSi-UX-9uAfi2zm-oMuQdcgnSG6uO7a7FERAqxL8MKmQu17nospk0-u7mBKO_2ME-kHlAMeK6cGZ5Hiq1nmyBEbXCNXoHiRSY46NNWRG2qoVh7G/s1731/IMG_5709.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1675" data-original-width="1731" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38cJTm5alSjzFR3a2AuFUH3jVU4eF8AV4IqpaNuyV5C-Ys91_WzhnRc_IWUiTlX8joXxjEOjQHkNzvtSi-UX-9uAfi2zm-oMuQdcgnSG6uO7a7FERAqxL8MKmQu17nospk0-u7mBKO_2ME-kHlAMeK6cGZ5Hiq1nmyBEbXCNXoHiRSY46NNWRG2qoVh7G/w400-h388/IMG_5709.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic chives in full flower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was good news in the garden. Some of the later planted <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes had escaped the attention of the snails and were ripening nicely under a watchful eye.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwY7ZlkZo6AQ8BkzVbsYL94hKIHvLo2J-NWcOHiHGdKzBOdODe9uFxnUNccLXvH84-qetflHYt44Kx5tQFgnDpaBg1G6lt4WD74cvPddqGF6kTv9k3jM9DzhtvuQWXMjB67Y224yawTpiPTNyvBzZV9OFvB4dL9AiBotpvFeEtEmorDcumGNoaUOVbzrC/s4032/IMG_5737.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwY7ZlkZo6AQ8BkzVbsYL94hKIHvLo2J-NWcOHiHGdKzBOdODe9uFxnUNccLXvH84-qetflHYt44Kx5tQFgnDpaBg1G6lt4WD74cvPddqGF6kTv9k3jM9DzhtvuQWXMjB67Y224yawTpiPTNyvBzZV9OFvB4dL9AiBotpvFeEtEmorDcumGNoaUOVbzrC/w300-h400/IMG_5737.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 September - <i>Marmande </i>tomato<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy7L25K-9XUKbC72GLgvehYIO-0HAe5qn0L__LD0yNGv6sAcPpcNSth-SRuDZB7T_tztEeVjK3vj5aCJxrunnCQO_fD3Mm0FX7Cywk_rtJrcn3MQMEV9lNqr6eASTUn1l14BvwGpzwxG9bBQzUkjxKywDcxtSWBK2pCbnCflG0n7oHP5jyA3_o5Ll51-L/s2510/IMG_5738.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2510" data-original-width="2205" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy7L25K-9XUKbC72GLgvehYIO-0HAe5qn0L__LD0yNGv6sAcPpcNSth-SRuDZB7T_tztEeVjK3vj5aCJxrunnCQO_fD3Mm0FX7Cywk_rtJrcn3MQMEV9lNqr6eASTUn1l14BvwGpzwxG9bBQzUkjxKywDcxtSWBK2pCbnCflG0n7oHP5jyA3_o5Ll51-L/s320/IMG_5738.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 September - <i>Marmande </i>tomato</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>21 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was reminded by Facebook what the plot had looked like seven years earlier when we took it on.<br /></span><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz3OeJGVqyG_0JwZ88DoxAsjWuiEPTj6GuVAEWuX0Ygs3GSyQ-qUOBJU5f9dgqzS2knP64Vmje8-Gc4_71pClJpIbevtUx8O89egrvhqRR0DKwa36bnBJDYdoPXSaHKYndwH9KLnbjDDL0hh3HrtK859FvmIl-WynQ049Qc96cnuGMOGYrFMmi-FyuvWr/s960/IMG_2959%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPz3OeJGVqyG_0JwZ88DoxAsjWuiEPTj6GuVAEWuX0Ygs3GSyQ-qUOBJU5f9dgqzS2knP64Vmje8-Gc4_71pClJpIbevtUx8O89egrvhqRR0DKwa36bnBJDYdoPXSaHKYndwH9KLnbjDDL0hh3HrtK859FvmIl-WynQ049Qc96cnuGMOGYrFMmi-FyuvWr/w300-h400/IMG_2959%20(1).JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Plot 247: 21 September 2016</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>23 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This is how it looked today</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY1JbLykq0yaUUApHBBCIFca32KVKNudPVUI2O13g3Kh_iguzhTtGO3RYxJGktUDIxpUIILA2bRcNgPAPPzoFaOgWIjvcKbuT_t1Ed6e6X7BXhlp4Edr32b_DdA8LZ4h766H1TKHa67SmfippIck8zCZ75lXbJ1rRkUt5TzEsUXWzSbXJZVeLfE3N_wbN3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiY1JbLykq0yaUUApHBBCIFca32KVKNudPVUI2O13g3Kh_iguzhTtGO3RYxJGktUDIxpUIILA2bRcNgPAPPzoFaOgWIjvcKbuT_t1Ed6e6X7BXhlp4Edr32b_DdA8LZ4h766H1TKHa67SmfippIck8zCZ75lXbJ1rRkUt5TzEsUXWzSbXJZVeLfE3N_wbN3=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plot 247: 23 September 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At home our spindle bush produced its first berries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzOgNNOcgfDi8NuOhhVLc7970YBN_hFN6DQZ9ypb19CsZmgDVEp9D2qFO9LgXlTOl6oW4FiZMXgrnfxny8nBMu1HuNMQPRUZWARqh23Sp3aXSd3Kr-51M7Uf5oTakp_2UMcpokpD1DrgSq6K_zusTauZZo4kkYlAM7EPNfrOh5Hco5ZD76M1M7Toyo6yi/s2353/IMG_5751.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2353" data-original-width="1765" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzOgNNOcgfDi8NuOhhVLc7970YBN_hFN6DQZ9ypb19CsZmgDVEp9D2qFO9LgXlTOl6oW4FiZMXgrnfxny8nBMu1HuNMQPRUZWARqh23Sp3aXSd3Kr-51M7Uf5oTakp_2UMcpokpD1DrgSq6K_zusTauZZo4kkYlAM7EPNfrOh5Hco5ZD76M1M7Toyo6yi/w300-h400/IMG_5751.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 September - Spindle tree (<i>Euonymus</i>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And on the allotment, I harvested a ripe <i>tromboncino!</i></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LNAqQbIUVf1JbBntQ0GP5nUgDhegptIZXkLHle5ScmqCmEAmQL0Y9IAwT9UZCYNtAwHVcT07HcDU2F11arsWRw8zCacu4HF7Zc3PHZDRsd8ozOu44EUUTA9XR6JypaZIJf-0VSKlRSL2_GcWQEME531H6lrfq1DpIni5vcdtrHP83GXsrXl2P651BpWt/s3088/IMG_5754.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LNAqQbIUVf1JbBntQ0GP5nUgDhegptIZXkLHle5ScmqCmEAmQL0Y9IAwT9UZCYNtAwHVcT07HcDU2F11arsWRw8zCacu4HF7Zc3PHZDRsd8ozOu44EUUTA9XR6JypaZIJf-0VSKlRSL2_GcWQEME531H6lrfq1DpIni5vcdtrHP83GXsrXl2P651BpWt/w300-h400/IMG_5754.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 September - we have <i>tromboncino</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>24 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have more, and bigger <i>tromboncinos </i>to come. It's often a difficult decision when to harvest them - when they are young and green and can be used as courgettes or ripe and hardening off when they are more akin to a butternut squash? Luckily we have enough to do both.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaoHa1y3t3xCgLHn68W-oIHnqr5HDFD7QRc9ROWq3KX2AHJKBb4b0aLtRXtKNsouNUVBOf7_q9CmRxQ7vXwnhu12YgmNAKHanoFhMuQ3-LL5MOL6REjpwoiAQlMaYjvNH5g9AUjshUYFNSeelSVNmE0laRiPoUM7-XEhK8M_Qsr6-arzG8g6FfqRoOvOf/s2474/IMG_5756.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2474" data-original-width="2103" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaoHa1y3t3xCgLHn68W-oIHnqr5HDFD7QRc9ROWq3KX2AHJKBb4b0aLtRXtKNsouNUVBOf7_q9CmRxQ7vXwnhu12YgmNAKHanoFhMuQ3-LL5MOL6REjpwoiAQlMaYjvNH5g9AUjshUYFNSeelSVNmE0laRiPoUM7-XEhK8M_Qsr6-arzG8g6FfqRoOvOf/w340-h400/IMG_5756.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Tromboncino</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QI44OPNMkGAhN3LqLTg_H9fei7ZFhcgjhCy13bqTLG__yI3unptFZMYTipJJFYcGSBFuBDmSdI2FzUqUItDMtr9rK83hClUs80fs6wfH4mKpEi58j5ozDBh5Ebhj6fZmOejSDtRlR5Af2fl_DoM9fqmJkxLPS7grVUtHhAnhD020sLEDTgp-gzafhNPI/s3994/IMG_5757.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3994" data-original-width="2664" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QI44OPNMkGAhN3LqLTg_H9fei7ZFhcgjhCy13bqTLG__yI3unptFZMYTipJJFYcGSBFuBDmSdI2FzUqUItDMtr9rK83hClUs80fs6wfH4mKpEi58j5ozDBh5Ebhj6fZmOejSDtRlR5Af2fl_DoM9fqmJkxLPS7grVUtHhAnhD020sLEDTgp-gzafhNPI/w266-h400/IMG_5757.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Tromboncino</span><br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Perhaps late in the day but we are still harvesting second early potatoes (<i>Nicola & Charlotte</i>)</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjss4R_JJ59W_yWBiFRHXi09ffEN4eGw49oKcVgT_URMSwVbX5GZ41qNFxrMoeLBKKhNpBWHgkVpztKF5TtC2K7h7kpqjfyVLKjfP9K0ZDK0wLzyvUYjEW9yawEZ1Fg3R6TKtw5PwSAprwB6jqrk2rQvsR5AmanPw-yIBn-hCm3liHMrF25NmPkTrrUVG/s4032/IMG_5766.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivjss4R_JJ59W_yWBiFRHXi09ffEN4eGw49oKcVgT_URMSwVbX5GZ41qNFxrMoeLBKKhNpBWHgkVpztKF5TtC2K7h7kpqjfyVLKjfP9K0ZDK0wLzyvUYjEW9yawEZ1Fg3R6TKtw5PwSAprwB6jqrk2rQvsR5AmanPw-yIBn-hCm3liHMrF25NmPkTrrUVG/w300-h400/IMG_5766.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2nd Early potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some of our red cabbage had been badly affected by slugs and snails and looked rather nasty on the outside but, after peeling away the outer leaves, there was wholesome cabbage within. Another use was found for our apples - we added some to the red cabbage, a little cyder vinegar, butter and some caraway seeds - and dined on braised red cabbage - <i>It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxDjBaCtrzN2g_0XA0PltmtddTxuOPYaUJlUQZFkO6ah39-tZo2X0oUzMsKw9T0N209KtJHnVjIYr12n4F-8941kJReULhKIGsGqOkFbwhhXyZiMZAguVhDyTaR92PS8NPgenUPM9pYounlBSA0HsZdI3EMONaTVlTe-uSZAEYHBB32NMpP1YGdcgTl0n/s3459/IMG_5767.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2883" data-original-width="3459" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTxDjBaCtrzN2g_0XA0PltmtddTxuOPYaUJlUQZFkO6ah39-tZo2X0oUzMsKw9T0N209KtJHnVjIYr12n4F-8941kJReULhKIGsGqOkFbwhhXyZiMZAguVhDyTaR92PS8NPgenUPM9pYounlBSA0HsZdI3EMONaTVlTe-uSZAEYHBB32NMpP1YGdcgTl0n/w400-h334/IMG_5767.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">braised red cabbage with apple and caraway</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>25 September</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Who needs a watch? Its 6pm and who should arrive for dinner? Our fox is looking a lot better but we are still providing some food - laced with a lot of garlic to deter the mange; but as winter approaches and the nights draw in we are less likely to be around at dusk so surviving the winter might not be easy.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbmaM50BtqJU0U50L1sE6GMVvYYogjqPslhDbvVJH6FvqZTUiO0CZvsRFA4CcQawJH6hWVFffCrGe83tTUSMoPoRIVUTBQRAKIQeX4PQpbtvqGcM6giVINF7muCEcy2sbR-N6nad-BcUE6Wzk6jH_60HdbNR9AencEHeDJ13vVMgk4kRFLNoRYTB2_5Cq/s636/IMG_5780.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="636" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbmaM50BtqJU0U50L1sE6GMVvYYogjqPslhDbvVJH6FvqZTUiO0CZvsRFA4CcQawJH6hWVFffCrGe83tTUSMoPoRIVUTBQRAKIQeX4PQpbtvqGcM6giVINF7muCEcy2sbR-N6nad-BcUE6Wzk6jH_60HdbNR9AencEHeDJ13vVMgk4kRFLNoRYTB2_5Cq/w400-h335/IMG_5780.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6pm 25 September</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>26 September</b></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our sitting area by the pond had become somewhat overgrown - it was meant to be a grassed area but is just a patch of weeds - so I spent a little time with the strimmer just to temporarily tidy up.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPOrK0G4LDzSFxembzTp08LXbrGdt57HY9xQO_tt5HVhImLLphiMjqu86ofGsqjyQ1QJ28BOzOU8V4Pak8Dwyh9gjJacrm0lGZjnu78AinceQx4gFuZbekliJY9_Wp-M-S8umznxj2OROU3KyER7azfCBvjxyiOdUxuPCFGqKO63DdWU5-MbxIP8axQ6l/s4032/IMG_5788.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPOrK0G4LDzSFxembzTp08LXbrGdt57HY9xQO_tt5HVhImLLphiMjqu86ofGsqjyQ1QJ28BOzOU8V4Pak8Dwyh9gjJacrm0lGZjnu78AinceQx4gFuZbekliJY9_Wp-M-S8umznxj2OROU3KyER7azfCBvjxyiOdUxuPCFGqKO63DdWU5-MbxIP8axQ6l/w300-h400/IMG_5788.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">our summer sitting area</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One of our raised beds on the western side had become invaded by raspberries so, despite my conversion to "<i>no</i>-<i>dig</i>" gardening, I removed the frame, got out my fork and attempted to dig out some of the invading raspberries. I relocated the frame to the eastern side near the tromboncinos, where potatoes had been growing this year and will create a new <i>no-dig </i>bed for onions or garlic. In the old bed there was still a spinach plant which I carefully left whilst digging out raspberry canes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2RH_rhXp9r7g3oRaoUI6k6xykCALSg3YJKxeeQcY9R-_a9Llv-ANTbtMVBTknpgACmkhPXm4htkR4DfuHU-ap4g6DOOySHgTh7FW2q7rllQo4WaAnUPG4iY6TofqV2rrcnQECaB3qT7mEeJrKYGUE8tRxDjLCDQXiskfAot6DLXb2Rw6T-Vxvsfr_z5h/s4032/IMG_5790.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2RH_rhXp9r7g3oRaoUI6k6xykCALSg3YJKxeeQcY9R-_a9Llv-ANTbtMVBTknpgACmkhPXm4htkR4DfuHU-ap4g6DOOySHgTh7FW2q7rllQo4WaAnUPG4iY6TofqV2rrcnQECaB3qT7mEeJrKYGUE8tRxDjLCDQXiskfAot6DLXb2Rw6T-Vxvsfr_z5h/w300-h400/IMG_5790.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The old bed at the rear</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUL0uxb0-q0WUVFPjX7v1LLqzDegqMXbMPsSIeG4JsbDyN4spwBu-5XUhOzvP146TNxC-FBFr2W5rnoFW9t9N4C05Z_xpPbr9XO9cn0VrRk0wVPStKwLh9mv21p7iReZVi3O23CiIVDq0Njq4mCkk5HwD-sTVpO_Y7zes6-9bFcwneKXk8Bdz9IES2zNt/s4032/IMG_5791.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimUL0uxb0-q0WUVFPjX7v1LLqzDegqMXbMPsSIeG4JsbDyN4spwBu-5XUhOzvP146TNxC-FBFr2W5rnoFW9t9N4C05Z_xpPbr9XO9cn0VrRk0wVPStKwLh9mv21p7iReZVi3O23CiIVDq0Njq4mCkk5HwD-sTVpO_Y7zes6-9bFcwneKXk8Bdz9IES2zNt/w300-h400/IMG_5791.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the re-sited frame at the rear</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have laid cardboard where the potatoes had been growing, ready for covering with a layer of compost/manure for the autumn/winter ready for planting in the spring.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRolbVa0wSotDc8hYcip4EoFTTMPHUekBddN5Gcgz1moefCh3Holju8ZRUhM5sl-s9EsHmLSllqhMOn2Uma5Orex1CDJ0MorGT5AnE_8QhjHiwhrvU-9H01wosIM75UBBrA1VgdWrNq1soGBLIXOss-A_kbktf-GiAoWBVvTSsF4Tx-KKp8ajIaDhZ9kqL/s4032/IMG_5793.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRolbVa0wSotDc8hYcip4EoFTTMPHUekBddN5Gcgz1moefCh3Holju8ZRUhM5sl-s9EsHmLSllqhMOn2Uma5Orex1CDJ0MorGT5AnE_8QhjHiwhrvU-9H01wosIM75UBBrA1VgdWrNq1soGBLIXOss-A_kbktf-GiAoWBVvTSsF4Tx-KKp8ajIaDhZ9kqL/w300-h400/IMG_5793.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cardboard laid where the potatoes had grown</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">27 September</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I harvested the <i>Borlotti beans. </i>There were<i> </i>not as many as previous years, but we have only just finished the 2021 crop and haven't even started on 2022 yet!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc6Jwn0DY9404hfn1slWN0ba2tiau4iQo2Bjh3dxEmOBP_dm6eGWjyMatM2v5O3SfxKi3u3W285ZakmFu93lXcEdSZ7XR4tcYJkgXei9V_7VTchrEwGICddbICMuw1BK9YrjC8cPQPnqzASuVLWOUMazttHl-1Nm1PKda982xDms6bYEkLDmmDs5-Awnj/s3556/IMG_5801.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3556" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc6Jwn0DY9404hfn1slWN0ba2tiau4iQo2Bjh3dxEmOBP_dm6eGWjyMatM2v5O3SfxKi3u3W285ZakmFu93lXcEdSZ7XR4tcYJkgXei9V_7VTchrEwGICddbICMuw1BK9YrjC8cPQPnqzASuVLWOUMazttHl-1Nm1PKda982xDms6bYEkLDmmDs5-Awnj/w340-h400/IMG_5801.jpg" width="340" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Borlotti beans</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">30 September</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">More distractions as we received a visit from my grandson, Felix and his partner. It was a fine sunny day so we paid a visit to Devil's Dyke. Although it was fine when we set out it soon clouded over and the temperature dropped suddenly. Perhaps this is a taste of things to come next month!</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jdq_OVOavgq9XQqFI-giOsp_k39I7FEoIgEf74v2GuWL4uJOAJkSyK-WXB5ywvvvt1cUySWMCnhPs_3t91HZ7h0SKn4kmhhSD4Nyfhl-V46-pd6eVT_2utThSJHk6z235C2OnxtKKC3s_oQmNVAYAKILbmcgUcSB4omTQAUCrjCWPE_YOaXpCUfzF96m/s4032/IMG_5828.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Jdq_OVOavgq9XQqFI-giOsp_k39I7FEoIgEf74v2GuWL4uJOAJkSyK-WXB5ywvvvt1cUySWMCnhPs_3t91HZ7h0SKn4kmhhSD4Nyfhl-V46-pd6eVT_2utThSJHk6z235C2OnxtKKC3s_oQmNVAYAKILbmcgUcSB4omTQAUCrjCWPE_YOaXpCUfzF96m/w400-h300/IMG_5828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 September - Fairies Wood</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmwe1NzhrEvBv8WE6jbip5MT0vM75Ke57ILlx3eiuwotwcv4LMMYPzSlNHU5P79kOTIb0pxe8OwShgKofHtKcHLk9adtC6BQpMYEiaxMxja17uJZQqYGoOCnMxsN94RsJ3saIXmxN7KY_qG9VAWI0exciyp782ubIxYqrVPlMyIHlaHZuduoF0dZL_nVP/s1600/a90b0540-c667-4f6d-bca3-2fd40c3f6534.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmwe1NzhrEvBv8WE6jbip5MT0vM75Ke57ILlx3eiuwotwcv4LMMYPzSlNHU5P79kOTIb0pxe8OwShgKofHtKcHLk9adtC6BQpMYEiaxMxja17uJZQqYGoOCnMxsN94RsJ3saIXmxN7KY_qG9VAWI0exciyp782ubIxYqrVPlMyIHlaHZuduoF0dZL_nVP/w400-h300/a90b0540-c667-4f6d-bca3-2fd40c3f6534.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 September - Devil's Dyke</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">John Austin</span></i></h2></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Hove, September 2023</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-70369844496536136702023-10-11T04:33:00.000-07:002023-10-11T04:33:10.106-07:00Life on the Weald - August 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - August 2023</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in and around Hove </span></h1><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We've just gone through the driest May, the hottest June and the wettest July! It's a miracle anything has survived. But I can't sit around thinking what might have been, there is work to be done for the next season! But not until the visitors have gone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePgVum__4_atLKX02s0EMZYZTiRz2MpdXqQTGBubZZ3ueMJRYFReaDMlwpx1C3bqhK77FIP_11P_8J8GYd-vwYlvnxvEzAKMsbQb7psoRyV-0GA0o5mM6rsw03PFPRx1WcXXOi3BpxRW1C8ccwjcCjf_DtPINAdfrTOYYoMsx-swUEzigQiDeU1ZTBuv6/s2951/IMG_5347.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2951" data-original-width="2622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhePgVum__4_atLKX02s0EMZYZTiRz2MpdXqQTGBubZZ3ueMJRYFReaDMlwpx1C3bqhK77FIP_11P_8J8GYd-vwYlvnxvEzAKMsbQb7psoRyV-0GA0o5mM6rsw03PFPRx1WcXXOi3BpxRW1C8ccwjcCjf_DtPINAdfrTOYYoMsx-swUEzigQiDeU1ZTBuv6/w355-h400/IMG_5347.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A well deserved rest!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>3 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Of course there is the obligatory visit to <a href="https://www.marroccos.co.uk/"><b><i>Marrocco's</i></b></a> whenever guests are with us!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIlUFWSL_vwvjrJKr-wSVdugFpjS2zJeFJ_K6KPaf58M6fKI-bY0__gOL37I0vPctutzYhHkSiSrIlCR2Uja7fE4Bmh_4nz-BwIY9tx0KdOCT-rWfO_S7ZPS61b669xVbb-0S1Ueo0K3XhpkjTXh0PWKMd5Ld8C9DJD42SRJtT2redn8EKmIHwiwa1JkF/s4032/IMG_5353%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIlUFWSL_vwvjrJKr-wSVdugFpjS2zJeFJ_K6KPaf58M6fKI-bY0__gOL37I0vPctutzYhHkSiSrIlCR2Uja7fE4Bmh_4nz-BwIY9tx0KdOCT-rWfO_S7ZPS61b669xVbb-0S1Ueo0K3XhpkjTXh0PWKMd5Ld8C9DJD42SRJtT2redn8EKmIHwiwa1JkF/w300-h400/IMG_5353%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I managed to fit in a brief visit to the plot, which was just as well as there were cucumbers to be picked!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzDq-RruyXhKCbFTdDWpSDRFTbCekEAb26DctRuYxI5fde6Av5La2YPaPpZs5JBAuZhXTO8_VHj9gjWLLkbgk5pwgwCIdeW4uX9WhiH-nJs1YK7XsC_f-R9rRaHAQENHvvUOLDKFb2e39Y8uw8UB566iEOLBlFM-pvQ3vcccd3GGbETlcYIfM0IlLhSDQ/s3218/IMG_5358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3218" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzDq-RruyXhKCbFTdDWpSDRFTbCekEAb26DctRuYxI5fde6Av5La2YPaPpZs5JBAuZhXTO8_VHj9gjWLLkbgk5pwgwCIdeW4uX9WhiH-nJs1YK7XsC_f-R9rRaHAQENHvvUOLDKFb2e39Y8uw8UB566iEOLBlFM-pvQ3vcccd3GGbETlcYIfM0IlLhSDQ/w376-h400/IMG_5358.jpg" width="376" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Outdoor grown ridge cucumbers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The garlic chives were now in full flower and a great attraction for bees.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxLwNgO4ipjvAP2uzXDJKAPQKA0Pyt8r_iLJKcRFMjjO3qcWSr0X3zLl_MHLvf42-YbJz5ucTxSApz2lZoZ0koogNT-eRkGRwtRJvzCIdFEKspJH9gHOc6fnPOjR_G0WZum1wFiT-S1dNisy7US2hi-phFl3ivyszG-93fIbJZ0yYvnfrJrIAMBJTFPtN/s4032/IMG_5359.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxLwNgO4ipjvAP2uzXDJKAPQKA0Pyt8r_iLJKcRFMjjO3qcWSr0X3zLl_MHLvf42-YbJz5ucTxSApz2lZoZ0koogNT-eRkGRwtRJvzCIdFEKspJH9gHOc6fnPOjR_G0WZum1wFiT-S1dNisy7US2hi-phFl3ivyszG-93fIbJZ0yYvnfrJrIAMBJTFPtN/w300-h400/IMG_5359.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic chives</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>6 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Between showers I managed to take our guests to Shoreham and a visit to see the quirky houseboats.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaeTzBblpYuF7uIsvzcB6YTzO_T3k8pDT52f7QwHFoza_yiVJaUFGxb5xOx3dAAJSR-Lxr4AMeTJKJ1ryiK0EUKHqpN2fWUYnICxvINpZHm7GfB5nGpdRS_9MpDDSm7nJPLRLezBOYxsvNy0DHYcoNx6ttfELT43xScWlU8rgbLIXw82uiaZluxu6yDBZ/s4032/IMG_5368.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRaeTzBblpYuF7uIsvzcB6YTzO_T3k8pDT52f7QwHFoza_yiVJaUFGxb5xOx3dAAJSR-Lxr4AMeTJKJ1ryiK0EUKHqpN2fWUYnICxvINpZHm7GfB5nGpdRS_9MpDDSm7nJPLRLezBOYxsvNy0DHYcoNx6ttfELT43xScWlU8rgbLIXw82uiaZluxu6yDBZ/w480-h640/IMG_5368.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Shoreham houseboats</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZW93tmL3AvCjdLLX2REpZTNkXD8rfhaygO5oE06R-kFByL9r9Yvuu6jyUm9b-nQTEb1moNnZr6iUW-nzGBWbjl_uhpe-tQn0EPFS3Ld-yihL3HZbkta-6p-McMMClR25_duu5PnO904HYzPnTSmYnnTUMuz11L-TtxQwWj8wY7NEpQW9383YwbUO8dQ7/s4032/IMG_5369.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZW93tmL3AvCjdLLX2REpZTNkXD8rfhaygO5oE06R-kFByL9r9Yvuu6jyUm9b-nQTEb1moNnZr6iUW-nzGBWbjl_uhpe-tQn0EPFS3Ld-yihL3HZbkta-6p-McMMClR25_duu5PnO904HYzPnTSmYnnTUMuz11L-TtxQwWj8wY7NEpQW9383YwbUO8dQ7/w400-h300/IMG_5369.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Shoreham Houseboats</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYiPu9WWLu1ytcgGeQxFuFq7dcldZcL9oUHARvSNrkuJaLlc0QG0i0psK9Z2o0Fa9zcDAMa7XIohoTDUtYDv3b4Yqb_IB-9Hckogn-9-V506ck_fD2xHY_plHhCa4uR6mio6-AZTTdI1UeK4ifx20duJ2MMitnevuOtHSZZS_TJ5l_RGEIuPmR8xWS9y1/s4032/IMG_5373.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYiPu9WWLu1ytcgGeQxFuFq7dcldZcL9oUHARvSNrkuJaLlc0QG0i0psK9Z2o0Fa9zcDAMa7XIohoTDUtYDv3b4Yqb_IB-9Hckogn-9-V506ck_fD2xHY_plHhCa4uR6mio6-AZTTdI1UeK4ifx20duJ2MMitnevuOtHSZZS_TJ5l_RGEIuPmR8xWS9y1/w400-h300/IMG_5373.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Neice and great-neices at Shoreham</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>8 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Size isn't everything! It's the flavour that counts. Fortunately our English ridge cucumbers and the smaller Spanish <i>pepinos </i> are full of flavour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS7EO0GuqtAHjNCJJ6DPDTYtAZPt7mZI5tufprsEA01_1ieLUOl38SJ8IHoh3gWJUwWbR8FoFRVOCrvvpCDRm5EqGuAhJkiUx1LIozx-wmdexMB0Xk1tL0XFQVUgev-VaXID1rfqgORAqhQtJclzdAn2Qhir853BgVNng2nPP_ZvZSAIxghpGe2UWpTyx/s3270/IMG_5394.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2453" data-original-width="3270" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHS7EO0GuqtAHjNCJJ6DPDTYtAZPt7mZI5tufprsEA01_1ieLUOl38SJ8IHoh3gWJUwWbR8FoFRVOCrvvpCDRm5EqGuAhJkiUx1LIozx-wmdexMB0Xk1tL0XFQVUgev-VaXID1rfqgORAqhQtJclzdAn2Qhir853BgVNng2nPP_ZvZSAIxghpGe2UWpTyx/w400-h300/IMG_5394.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">English and Spanish cucumbers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>9 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Today was more like summer with the temperature above 20C and sunny. I planted out some lettuce seedlings that I had grown from seed, covering them with bottle cloches to protect them from slugs/snails and also put cloches over the few beetroot that had survived. There was still a plentiful supply of purple French beans to be harvested. And at home we were picking cherry tomatoes every day.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4hWbEW15zhAikNeAsJMn430zz66BKvvDgZ7_0pVHMU989evkaL-_vEIbnNNumFdt_i7kGlyPXS4WIj7YtaZbl6WcRYmwAH2sg9SVy75BRLsAyIK0sgZTLAbz9KWvVPHKE_ApkXA46ezPn9-wcn1Ll2xVXTPhxDqMvQsdslPOb3THUR1sXQzORwffhQEB/s4032/IMG_5402.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw4hWbEW15zhAikNeAsJMn430zz66BKvvDgZ7_0pVHMU989evkaL-_vEIbnNNumFdt_i7kGlyPXS4WIj7YtaZbl6WcRYmwAH2sg9SVy75BRLsAyIK0sgZTLAbz9KWvVPHKE_ApkXA46ezPn9-wcn1Ll2xVXTPhxDqMvQsdslPOb3THUR1sXQzORwffhQEB/w300-h400/IMG_5402.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 August - Cherry tomatoes from the garden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The larger varieties seemed to be doing well but far too many were being attacked by snails and once the skin is broken, wood lice make their home in the hole! Sylvi has suggested that next year, apart from removing the lower leaves and branches, I should put vaseline on the stems. One of the problems, however, is that several are growing up against the garden fence which the snails can use to climb up. Thankfully we have been able to harvest a few by picking them as soon as they start to change colour and continue ripening indoors.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yvjXWHnEcPYmqVv28irBT8GuxlZlRstAhrQq1guvtstZ-PeBk8gORcrHfvTI1ENluafIUsavF5evduu_US32KDua2OqTBRk8hdx_oNW4ludH7GfU54wC2WTVKobI0-mqpE9hGSvBiQuf6dJfED0WbfNDEuOL-AX1pFR1xE_GAYSJUsaW34VO9neqm_wO/s4032/IMG_5403.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yvjXWHnEcPYmqVv28irBT8GuxlZlRstAhrQq1guvtstZ-PeBk8gORcrHfvTI1ENluafIUsavF5evduu_US32KDua2OqTBRk8hdx_oNW4ludH7GfU54wC2WTVKobI0-mqpE9hGSvBiQuf6dJfED0WbfNDEuOL-AX1pFR1xE_GAYSJUsaW34VO9neqm_wO/w300-h400/IMG_5403.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 August - Marmande tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the plot the red cabbages (<i>Drumhead</i>) looked very healthy. I have not grown red cabbage before and was not sure when to harvest them. I looked it up and found that they mature app 100 days after planting and the seed catalogues say that spring sown cabbages can be harvested from late summer. They can be left in the ground for a while but if left too long they may get hard and woody and there is a risk of splitting - and the familiar threat from slugs and snails.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOcFanF11J6oebBWWRKMoygdhrp4kcpeu7VdrfTn3wY0DzPtpwPePA9Qm2-V-3hejpkbbxaRssNEkUUMXeTDTGgDVrpAYpYxAiWyGAfwMAfNFT5S9ky3iwsBeIG7WEK3apDYVCT0sVMTkg6yiS_SDUdZeLdVBTLOsljiR9abAfRzmsxTan3u-5Mkdiinl/s2914/IMG_5404.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2914" data-original-width="2186" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOcFanF11J6oebBWWRKMoygdhrp4kcpeu7VdrfTn3wY0DzPtpwPePA9Qm2-V-3hejpkbbxaRssNEkUUMXeTDTGgDVrpAYpYxAiWyGAfwMAfNFT5S9ky3iwsBeIG7WEK3apDYVCT0sVMTkg6yiS_SDUdZeLdVBTLOsljiR9abAfRzmsxTan3u-5Mkdiinl/w300-h400/IMG_5404.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 August - red cabbage (<i>drumhead</i>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Crown Prince </i>squashes are looking good but need to be left until the foliage has died back. If they are to be stored, they will need to be left until the stem, where the fruit is attached, has dried out completely.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRYxVK4xe4ckeRNqpib7uk8Xgp2laggfXo48hJk4fbdS4jhOHlpqeBEr_gW_z5dNCoXp0QD5__9X-M5L2c5WqNtSAkmJzN_NfE5NSJ2Qf3DghvA-25xKjK7jUF3tHupDPwrKWKVlWGSySZQ2iyX-4afVUBzyfbp-jtrwVNLyugApmbXqchI2cyb7Z9Z2l2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRYxVK4xe4ckeRNqpib7uk8Xgp2laggfXo48hJk4fbdS4jhOHlpqeBEr_gW_z5dNCoXp0QD5__9X-M5L2c5WqNtSAkmJzN_NfE5NSJ2Qf3DghvA-25xKjK7jUF3tHupDPwrKWKVlWGSySZQ2iyX-4afVUBzyfbp-jtrwVNLyugApmbXqchI2cyb7Z9Z2l2" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 August - <i>Crown Prince </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The apple tree is laden this year and some of the branches are now touching the ground and others are resting on the vegetable cage where the broccoli is growing. Some heavy pruning will be needed in the autumn.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVOqkAqkMPe-2drfMfSuHpRA5w8Mv_SjZ_Vlgw8Th-geVHhGxD-mJCE_Hz_0kwqL99gzYoddlz7HvHSplY93Dpk9v604XfuaaHyqFDK5QHceI17OiMr2gQqiccPpbqlhFJHxO2lEzc_qTL_HzIJJc9jwWP56N_ZHHx8-oZgDDYmsP82YXtOLUz4IrJRup/s4032/IMG_5408.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVOqkAqkMPe-2drfMfSuHpRA5w8Mv_SjZ_Vlgw8Th-geVHhGxD-mJCE_Hz_0kwqL99gzYoddlz7HvHSplY93Dpk9v604XfuaaHyqFDK5QHceI17OiMr2gQqiccPpbqlhFJHxO2lEzc_qTL_HzIJJc9jwWP56N_ZHHx8-oZgDDYmsP82YXtOLUz4IrJRup/w300-h400/IMG_5408.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>10- 11 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, the winter savory was in full flower and attracting the honey bees.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QkLdD0rY3WsdViQbkrG2jLsSThYCbE9-5Bbn8tFAJ13XmESkHDVqAg4Dsq2fTQpO3K4yP22cxOAThQNVHXN8qxh-nmYFQHBhrrU6M-Q7i9nJeRk3uwh34h4LFPWxT3nP5zjdkQFaOvXGtJvMoGXNqZhXdOmmGgUKFteOXI17blPzbM9viIDtQV0pIHay/s971/IMG_5411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="728" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QkLdD0rY3WsdViQbkrG2jLsSThYCbE9-5Bbn8tFAJ13XmESkHDVqAg4Dsq2fTQpO3K4yP22cxOAThQNVHXN8qxh-nmYFQHBhrrU6M-Q7i9nJeRk3uwh34h4LFPWxT3nP5zjdkQFaOvXGtJvMoGXNqZhXdOmmGgUKFteOXI17blPzbM9viIDtQV0pIHay/w300-h400/IMG_5411.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">winter savory</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And in the garden and on the allotment we are picking fresh tomatoes every day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4c3IZ57mVkGym9V3fBhlSfveH0-Mme_IrutUugIMceZRmssNitXVttLNTcKxJ8dbjcXRWrhD0NeLf2mc3NilJYxrcAHHxNKrsnah4GQQgVH659IzAsuqMaa4bmIvjUjUm9p5G0aeh0B6-jJaueDYPxzznyr6K8L0QZ6wruGQ8cjJxqPDAywHw0NdudfR/s3130/IMG_5416.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3130" data-original-width="3012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4c3IZ57mVkGym9V3fBhlSfveH0-Mme_IrutUugIMceZRmssNitXVttLNTcKxJ8dbjcXRWrhD0NeLf2mc3NilJYxrcAHHxNKrsnah4GQQgVH659IzAsuqMaa4bmIvjUjUm9p5G0aeh0B6-jJaueDYPxzznyr6K8L0QZ6wruGQ8cjJxqPDAywHw0NdudfR/s320/IMG_5416.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> 11 August -Today's haul from the garden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">12-14 August</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Saturday 12 August was a very windy, blustery day. Sunday was sunny but still with very strong winds, but it was then a very dull, wet day on Monday.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the garden, I spotted a red-underwing moth, sleeping/resting. Their camouflage is excellent - but not when they are sleeping on a white window sill. So I woke it up to encourage it to find somewhere more protected to spend the rest of the daylight hours.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnj2zH8DafuJWD1rQvlP1WvKDMF6DS047yGmNLnbG5sA47LKFaEaufZ9Q08QpgnLHwL8O9n2a--Jb_UaIYdIV2d3cdH32RcZtHC-eDN7H1P7yfcFEIO6gW14_lzCGLtb1xBupAfAXt-46bnijdT-5ShoJ1cgKgEnR2El8CcErBJWbjIpVr-_yRC-MHxom/s1338/IMG_5424.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1245" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEnj2zH8DafuJWD1rQvlP1WvKDMF6DS047yGmNLnbG5sA47LKFaEaufZ9Q08QpgnLHwL8O9n2a--Jb_UaIYdIV2d3cdH32RcZtHC-eDN7H1P7yfcFEIO6gW14_lzCGLtb1xBupAfAXt-46bnijdT-5ShoJ1cgKgEnR2El8CcErBJWbjIpVr-_yRC-MHxom/w373-h400/IMG_5424.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Red underwing moth</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s1c1rIT55arAUa61gmtg4mVrl6rpECS8Dw4mdAkTOQnypMiKqUsr6OgbvkHbHGIDmBaXJrMQCTJEs7YtZYAM_hCGJCTMqfj4yN9qG_ECPLMq8nLiZL8qbkjDRZFAMCuKLtVrxv6R6Ai2uS0UYVh4IjfOGIH9vI7ZNyzwX8PxADvQergVlqpSFnEy5yOe/s2831/IMG_5426.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2831" data-original-width="2464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s1c1rIT55arAUa61gmtg4mVrl6rpECS8Dw4mdAkTOQnypMiKqUsr6OgbvkHbHGIDmBaXJrMQCTJEs7YtZYAM_hCGJCTMqfj4yN9qG_ECPLMq8nLiZL8qbkjDRZFAMCuKLtVrxv6R6Ai2uS0UYVh4IjfOGIH9vI7ZNyzwX8PxADvQergVlqpSFnEy5yOe/w349-h400/IMG_5426.jpg" width="349" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A tomato, attacked by snails and hollowed out by woodlice</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If we had been in Spain, it would have been a public holiday with lots of fireworks! As it was Spanish weather here at home we decided to have a holiday too and a little trip into foreign parts - West Sussex. Not quite Santa Pola, but the view from Worthing towards Brighton and the Seven Sisters was a little reminiscent of the view across the bay from Guardamar.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE8NUnjSNqXTXqzQ61vLRRglKK0dA6zVZya8HHAtZSB5KGUSkU4qotZsiwkRZCpNE1m0jkzNY4Ypiok7nOhSVFmLIFCLighjBLemS41wscRfBaEqAcmjeLBHZNxupjXjjtLp9_UyMCMBb7i-6zHiF_cDZoCYlfVCriBntSC72zFw5EWFhDWw9dLxGrn4t/s2415/IMG_5432.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2415" data-original-width="2138" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE8NUnjSNqXTXqzQ61vLRRglKK0dA6zVZya8HHAtZSB5KGUSkU4qotZsiwkRZCpNE1m0jkzNY4Ypiok7nOhSVFmLIFCLighjBLemS41wscRfBaEqAcmjeLBHZNxupjXjjtLp9_UyMCMBb7i-6zHiF_cDZoCYlfVCriBntSC72zFw5EWFhDWw9dLxGrn4t/w354-h400/IMG_5432.jpg" width="354" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from Worthing</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was a clear day with a good view of the Rampion wind farm.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjuCMxb6Mh1gHh4FjHaRBFGmbqvu9tKFuJehjhlCf6LQ2nc1WWJhkiBiiF-erpVHyQrrLhbGm8GBiTiLfz6knaF-QcMiRK3mnCvaS07HH1-3Bt06H_vFsXdk4EZbez8wiAIrWJBL6i9raZVq0mf21sfvQ7_XA6idyZbpoUsfHv8lqc8jaGVcpRTZxsDdV/s672/IMG_5434.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="672" height="581" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEjuCMxb6Mh1gHh4FjHaRBFGmbqvu9tKFuJehjhlCf6LQ2nc1WWJhkiBiiF-erpVHyQrrLhbGm8GBiTiLfz6knaF-QcMiRK3mnCvaS07HH1-3Bt06H_vFsXdk4EZbez8wiAIrWJBL6i9raZVq0mf21sfvQ7_XA6idyZbpoUsfHv8lqc8jaGVcpRTZxsDdV/w640-h581/IMG_5434.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rampion wind farm</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On our way back, we stopped off at the New Port Inn, formerly the Pebble on the Beach, at Southwick which had undergone a pleasant makeover, but sadly the food did not impress.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqX0_k8ArVLHR84Cr1gfFdG7_TYVhnBiQYkikKYMyNoFPtBMyly5Ch2noEvX_stWzkEiEJxZ6YNs95WEOma3QKzcAqNCZDpcJWU4xeg1DiX_xsbas73Zp_7_iSrzMdeI8n31TZNHtsIBQq8h8IY9RDr2GGHBcIw_2zimuRmKNMJnti9ugu1z_865Kt3Oo/s4032/IMG_5438.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHqX0_k8ArVLHR84Cr1gfFdG7_TYVhnBiQYkikKYMyNoFPtBMyly5Ch2noEvX_stWzkEiEJxZ6YNs95WEOma3QKzcAqNCZDpcJWU4xeg1DiX_xsbas73Zp_7_iSrzMdeI8n31TZNHtsIBQq8h8IY9RDr2GGHBcIw_2zimuRmKNMJnti9ugu1z_865Kt3Oo/w300-h400/IMG_5438.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The New Port Inn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhgwnBZXwouxYWNjSnWTTtuqN5zBMOsaWySN-zKR9Sp03OSBbMZoQo2m09TuggMMlwuqBiW6PibQwr3YH6rl0THGQWXsZQdmllBihPO_6tZ7MMJ1HFvcG591xBGgIGWHQm3EJqXF0cjjbM8qeYIcRmjLqClY-LskgdXVuNgIwvqvVmh9_vzxjtJ27-ja/s4032/IMG_5439.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxhgwnBZXwouxYWNjSnWTTtuqN5zBMOsaWySN-zKR9Sp03OSBbMZoQo2m09TuggMMlwuqBiW6PibQwr3YH6rl0THGQWXsZQdmllBihPO_6tZ7MMJ1HFvcG591xBGgIGWHQm3EJqXF0cjjbM8qeYIcRmjLqClY-LskgdXVuNgIwvqvVmh9_vzxjtJ27-ja/w300-h400/IMG_5439.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoreham port and marina</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The evening, saw the return of our regular fox on the plot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBbWEJWSCbmRbvGaJaA45xWDnvMggWwSuyHTm72W2Aeo6aR8amAAYjHuWiM-H1-3ZhePCC_8_w0tdYA1vRNeOc-AUvg0Qu50hHea0ddbPFvtqd5lnuziyMc7WDJH-GGrUt51qtUL29aWAlceA4Nlm6Bon7BsjhMWVc8INqu4Am7W9RXr_5QnNQIjB0D5Z/s738/IMG_5441.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="738" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyBbWEJWSCbmRbvGaJaA45xWDnvMggWwSuyHTm72W2Aeo6aR8amAAYjHuWiM-H1-3ZhePCC_8_w0tdYA1vRNeOc-AUvg0Qu50hHea0ddbPFvtqd5lnuziyMc7WDJH-GGrUt51qtUL29aWAlceA4Nlm6Bon7BsjhMWVc8INqu4Am7W9RXr_5QnNQIjB0D5Z/w400-h309/IMG_5441.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sadly, the <i>Corazon </i>tomatoes are showing signs of <i><b>blossom end rot </b></i><b> </b>and a number of plotholders have reported the same. The usual cause is lack of calcium but it can be made worse by irregular watering drying out and too much fertiliser/nitrogen both of which may prevent calcium being absorbed. Although there is nothing you can do to save fruits that are already affected, the parts not affected are still edible and you can prevent new fruits being affected by giving a calcium boost and keeping the soil moist. I have added crushed eggshells to the soil and also ground some very finely in a coffee grinder and mixed with water to apply around the roots. Foliar sprays containing calcium are not recommended as most will be taken up by the leaves and not reach to fruit. Dampening the leaves can also encourage fungal growth.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRONzAJzQTFBLwQSFbd_SCinPejbBkzILYVZSfcGytkIHkYhs-kwT0BhWoCqXKTi0MfrYNZpe7smhNBTVuCk3WIPRFgAF9XlJFyVevXJAh1kGpKHs5sDKdsya-Ut71GHTjZ89FDmBRlSYJbuIlJD6N5B4wsYELGFku0qThfh_95VcQAUvT2oIJ_1pzMPu/s4032/IMG_5445.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRONzAJzQTFBLwQSFbd_SCinPejbBkzILYVZSfcGytkIHkYhs-kwT0BhWoCqXKTi0MfrYNZpe7smhNBTVuCk3WIPRFgAF9XlJFyVevXJAh1kGpKHs5sDKdsya-Ut71GHTjZ89FDmBRlSYJbuIlJD6N5B4wsYELGFku0qThfh_95VcQAUvT2oIJ_1pzMPu/w300-h400/IMG_5445.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blossom end rot</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhSQgDFTrpVhbdFJxwhaMGcQwg6jE5N5LkzzPgIlICs4PofwvAs30gtGdPO8IrMyTgseKkGp_D2fn9jdDzKUv8Gwm2RtDctQPq0-h3dOAkNxWGsEzglJvKAXgfDXvu1RlDAO4TfrBEWvDlGT4UeeH-IXkrtmp6onM8LBjQITBpd2QX7vbVrhVtaneff3S/s2111/IMG_5444.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2010" data-original-width="2111" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhSQgDFTrpVhbdFJxwhaMGcQwg6jE5N5LkzzPgIlICs4PofwvAs30gtGdPO8IrMyTgseKkGp_D2fn9jdDzKUv8Gwm2RtDctQPq0-h3dOAkNxWGsEzglJvKAXgfDXvu1RlDAO4TfrBEWvDlGT4UeeH-IXkrtmp6onM8LBjQITBpd2QX7vbVrhVtaneff3S/w400-h381/IMG_5444.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blossom end rot</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />As <i>blossom end rot </i>is physiological, ie nutrient deficiency, and <u>not</u> a disease, the plants can be composted at the end of the season.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our French beans had a bad start with the early sown ones being destroyed by drought, slugs and snails and rodents but I had re-sown and re-planted successively in the hope of defeating the enemy. The result is that we have fewer plants than usual or intended, but those that have survived produced heavy crops.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have been picking the dwarf purple French beans (<i>Teepee</i>) almost every day for a couple of weeks and now the climbing beans, <i>Blue Lake </i> and <i>Cobra </i>are producing prolifically.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCYtGesQjbQ6wgaZMUEctWWwVy8FakPduhmlJfsvXYBbBMKHX99YCJ9pD4Ax1Xf7bgD7LaYQME_7FNjnY6v7r5AHXmNraaLMJ_EEYZfR9n4oIo2eRSb3mIpPr9KGoW9xUx1mMS1BvHRNhFVySRUrA6Xg51JS26gjCnyl1Fx7dPUFiH9JANQsgwklLwaD9/s2118/IMG_5451.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1653" data-original-width="2118" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCYtGesQjbQ6wgaZMUEctWWwVy8FakPduhmlJfsvXYBbBMKHX99YCJ9pD4Ax1Xf7bgD7LaYQME_7FNjnY6v7r5AHXmNraaLMJ_EEYZfR9n4oIo2eRSb3mIpPr9KGoW9xUx1mMS1BvHRNhFVySRUrA6Xg51JS26gjCnyl1Fx7dPUFiH9JANQsgwklLwaD9/w400-h313/IMG_5451.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple French beans - <i>Teepee</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have also had a few early plums, but there are now masses ripening.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NMmmVouSeb7WN6T37ehJEq8NVNYLlvHeQghFwg_95z4r_N7GPcWf_7_KgE2S8HP-MKXQBD6TLwkMQTT1FVpWwfVRU28eiNdo2EKUTqrAwzyMD7uIXDwWuMdZWiknOTPQeyYZALtELeGUgRJFnw0xRsDv83aodj03DI__EbivWedagKWQLSsDHfrgI1P6/s2337/IMG_5456.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2337" data-original-width="1753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NMmmVouSeb7WN6T37ehJEq8NVNYLlvHeQghFwg_95z4r_N7GPcWf_7_KgE2S8HP-MKXQBD6TLwkMQTT1FVpWwfVRU28eiNdo2EKUTqrAwzyMD7uIXDwWuMdZWiknOTPQeyYZALtELeGUgRJFnw0xRsDv83aodj03DI__EbivWedagKWQLSsDHfrgI1P6/w300-h400/IMG_5456.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plums and blue sky</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>16 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We picked some of the early ripe plums and although a few had been infected with plum moth, the majority were either pest free or had limited damage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSg8lRKHeI1EeH5uzyuG3BqRMmwfzipxbsSbIXM6MV3tzAGeQpn8sBw1N_isA17KNxqdEnj63GVj8BHOu_C8zXolpsjyf8H8UMacfURkSWToNZ0LPZ4vT4ab4sK3KZz5Yttt_d93UPK5GBll-0lodGdfgI52PgWpdkoaX2j5upBsUn8R1Z27lItWOdyKo/s2988/IMG_5447.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="2053" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSg8lRKHeI1EeH5uzyuG3BqRMmwfzipxbsSbIXM6MV3tzAGeQpn8sBw1N_isA17KNxqdEnj63GVj8BHOu_C8zXolpsjyf8H8UMacfURkSWToNZ0LPZ4vT4ab4sK3KZz5Yttt_d93UPK5GBll-0lodGdfgI52PgWpdkoaX2j5upBsUn8R1Z27lItWOdyKo/w275-h400/IMG_5447.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early crop of plums</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>In addition to plums and beans we also harvested Cavolo nero, cucumber and more tomatoes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXmd9Qbds9i2sK6kYmCASeVkpbgPXrj0YmXrI-mR5vJl8TWXmBaUJ-rLPLqol63yKKrGDOThIstUThuvr0bbIbqNkqg6_rO7vMjCKSlDOAjMwHR6nKRe9y_iZAQkdUoCoqLKM-8O3N0ikYCsphvaMwdn6cRz_aAxFuNN9HPCKMvYFUYvhFsk08fUKjuuu/s2914/IMG_5449.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2914" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXmd9Qbds9i2sK6kYmCASeVkpbgPXrj0YmXrI-mR5vJl8TWXmBaUJ-rLPLqol63yKKrGDOThIstUThuvr0bbIbqNkqg6_rO7vMjCKSlDOAjMwHR6nKRe9y_iZAQkdUoCoqLKM-8O3N0ikYCsphvaMwdn6cRz_aAxFuNN9HPCKMvYFUYvhFsk08fUKjuuu/w400-h303/IMG_5449.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A summer harvest</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>18 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apart from the French beans, the <i>Borlotti </i>were doing well. At home we have just finished the dried crop from 2021 - cooked with our <i>Cavolo nero </i> in a delicious Tuscan <b><i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribollita">Ribollita</a> </i></b>. There are so many recipes on the internet that you can follow any of them - or as we do, make it up as you go along. Often we leave out the stale bread and just have the soup served with fresh crusty bread - not authentic but delicious.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJjb8XWbITdyK_HDuDYkaIOW6vRs9G9FTr0EJ8drtMa9kPOh58BGa5LLIOTrz3V3wKz2IBLjl97EFxMSGSMWLeR5fakKvbKjf3V1qukF70nsQ5XEj8GIIecZkCUMDKTBHLKZ6f8wCz0OrrDHgtGU6oJ9pXVv1q4TCNy47oNDZdI43M8zVYsITNRBPr2sI/s2129/IMG_5457.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2129" data-original-width="1597" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJjb8XWbITdyK_HDuDYkaIOW6vRs9G9FTr0EJ8drtMa9kPOh58BGa5LLIOTrz3V3wKz2IBLjl97EFxMSGSMWLeR5fakKvbKjf3V1qukF70nsQ5XEj8GIIecZkCUMDKTBHLKZ6f8wCz0OrrDHgtGU6oJ9pXVv1q4TCNy47oNDZdI43M8zVYsITNRBPr2sI/w300-h400/IMG_5457.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Borlotti </i>beans ripening</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41YAoehRnwQUq1_wVAwSxHG7mx5BLktoap7RJoAu7kGEWwQ6kzqJ9nLi8dZA1Sw0QG3gC_W3YFaRl7NGCtdZeW9CcpSO5Wy1nY673uvVcIs_cDKH9M8-NVoKxBCMvhC9T_kNd-vNYQLPvqUvaSFhlrzCMUOBWYFqzYzsoACDpy9rLi5MELHNsdaZl2mDe/s2160/IMG_5460.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="1620" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41YAoehRnwQUq1_wVAwSxHG7mx5BLktoap7RJoAu7kGEWwQ6kzqJ9nLi8dZA1Sw0QG3gC_W3YFaRl7NGCtdZeW9CcpSO5Wy1nY673uvVcIs_cDKH9M8-NVoKxBCMvhC9T_kNd-vNYQLPvqUvaSFhlrzCMUOBWYFqzYzsoACDpy9rLi5MELHNsdaZl2mDe/w300-h400/IMG_5460.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing French beans, <i>Blue Lake</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyaca-hlnFET9L-ENljhzAdWbU6SrfGAfQhUZli00xwk1xGuKkwmTtBufbDwGJbHWfXX2BCRFsT3w5P-adIqTsJh-qxXxxSuDZ5FO9In9q5nySIeEJ_mEJvsNFa8QeOg1DeTf9v00DqKtXWGN7t60FpZhTBHTxjF-NqGocdsNB_uJAUv-srXj0KnU4Ve0/s2246/IMG_5464.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2246" data-original-width="1685" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyaca-hlnFET9L-ENljhzAdWbU6SrfGAfQhUZli00xwk1xGuKkwmTtBufbDwGJbHWfXX2BCRFsT3w5P-adIqTsJh-qxXxxSuDZ5FO9In9q5nySIeEJ_mEJvsNFa8QeOg1DeTf9v00DqKtXWGN7t60FpZhTBHTxjF-NqGocdsNB_uJAUv-srXj0KnU4Ve0/w300-h400/IMG_5464.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Cobra, Teepee & Blue Lake </i> beans and courgette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRp6CRL9CgaBLR8yvTaIZKM6z9072UlneGnOuTzJ_Vfx32Lqn4w8eRzwO_8LxJB4m6DHMO9MzyCRQUl8XymdsdTaJHzj6T56AOPZVZn9cgZJYdsfzHwRCmAbmiEhBYfoXtpjlzQZZ0TSwl3pwN9u3MGxlW21oBqKcvPLjSCCClmC1uuGIlurVIDQvReQ5/s2375/IMG_5461.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2375" data-original-width="1781" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRp6CRL9CgaBLR8yvTaIZKM6z9072UlneGnOuTzJ_Vfx32Lqn4w8eRzwO_8LxJB4m6DHMO9MzyCRQUl8XymdsdTaJHzj6T56AOPZVZn9cgZJYdsfzHwRCmAbmiEhBYfoXtpjlzQZZ0TSwl3pwN9u3MGxlW21oBqKcvPLjSCCClmC1uuGIlurVIDQvReQ5/w300-h400/IMG_5461.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More ripe plums<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>When I lost my squash and courgette plants, earlier in the year, a neighbour gave me one of each. The <i>butternut </i> is doing well.....</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmqtpvTggyvaKTF-QEf8MC0xr7fDEO-5hb-nRG805Xr7N_Y69-3wbkxpFAoRnrRESR_60XEXEDt8Cd_7Ow6G4xz7f9-5V7O76U9m3ZCoNgsmpPKVSXUysnFDiLK3zpM9jiKBF9yPLoDDK_9e9sJ6rP4pI0Wf8VkahcHhWJVwEoCaoAW_gS7xD5jYqGZT8/s1857/IMG_5465.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1393" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmqtpvTggyvaKTF-QEf8MC0xr7fDEO-5hb-nRG805Xr7N_Y69-3wbkxpFAoRnrRESR_60XEXEDt8Cd_7Ow6G4xz7f9-5V7O76U9m3ZCoNgsmpPKVSXUysnFDiLK3zpM9jiKBF9yPLoDDK_9e9sJ6rP4pI0Wf8VkahcHhWJVwEoCaoAW_gS7xD5jYqGZT8/w300-h400/IMG_5465.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Butternut </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br />...but, what we thought was a courgette turns out to be another variety of squash.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqVQJK1UhvHrHviP7NVktv2YRHjZ0NcbHXakw3cCS-BFCD97fn7hushjaHcBcEIl8y-B7uAtN26hGR0tqwwHB5SWYdf-wI1p6YyouIvrzRGYwS9B0CEnoOhrtFrFG2aBZ_bqLqAiuA4GNXjyr8H33tNKONJPWzKDU32GIzKEJjJb5mGpX-f2NNLt1IyA8/s1410/IMG_5466.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1410" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqVQJK1UhvHrHviP7NVktv2YRHjZ0NcbHXakw3cCS-BFCD97fn7hushjaHcBcEIl8y-B7uAtN26hGR0tqwwHB5SWYdf-wI1p6YyouIvrzRGYwS9B0CEnoOhrtFrFG2aBZ_bqLqAiuA4GNXjyr8H33tNKONJPWzKDU32GIzKEJjJb5mGpX-f2NNLt1IyA8/w400-h300/IMG_5466.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an unknown squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But we will be picking courgettes (some of marrow size) cucumbers and Frencxh beans for days to come.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZLCcuK0GOk2pRBeistc-d47Yg7ppvgAHfIQbHMDZVlMtQTSsrAhx9vcuvvNyQRtSu5OGrXV07eMxcmxkyJ53d49z0Kd4EUrkYYm96es1kjCNP-pSzc39MXE7yGEmq8vPUnE3ymGd64BAX3hW5xNTETHecIHLSIhKZewQp3Mtmq9O0M_Cmi07IXKLZvuP/s2901/IMG_5471.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2860" data-original-width="2901" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvZLCcuK0GOk2pRBeistc-d47Yg7ppvgAHfIQbHMDZVlMtQTSsrAhx9vcuvvNyQRtSu5OGrXV07eMxcmxkyJ53d49z0Kd4EUrkYYm96es1kjCNP-pSzc39MXE7yGEmq8vPUnE3ymGd64BAX3hW5xNTETHecIHLSIhKZewQp3Mtmq9O0M_Cmi07IXKLZvuP/w400-h394/IMG_5471.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courgettes, cucumber and French beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">19 August</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was time to do something with the plums, apart from putting some in the freezer; we decided on an upside-down plum cake.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfL_sZlWky4nX2i80O3fQ0TYJls_eraT1rWGefWvkCmx_nVF7JV7_PIjS2tLxZqaDBvZ3g8jLzVydOVohmnnrGjwL15DxJ1cYj8ES-eZxNuTB1ekYHVduJ1Iqsyvo-iUCKxZOw17Jmw4eTOH0E6RiY92DxOGI0dXoocqaC2sdP2agGy5ENX8Wpq-dIe91/s4032/IMG_5483.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCfL_sZlWky4nX2i80O3fQ0TYJls_eraT1rWGefWvkCmx_nVF7JV7_PIjS2tLxZqaDBvZ3g8jLzVydOVohmnnrGjwL15DxJ1cYj8ES-eZxNuTB1ekYHVduJ1Iqsyvo-iUCKxZOw17Jmw4eTOH0E6RiY92DxOGI0dXoocqaC2sdP2agGy5ENX8Wpq-dIe91/w300-h400/IMG_5483.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plums ready for the cake mix<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_tRgUfKORnMzednmEK1rNM6236ZDHRLzqv0K1ji6nsONhCOpcyxhPlrHpU0HGRpHSQTovOB33qv_w38uj1tuQ17mX_IqgWPi6lPObg6TeqkDM-xhrkaScCP5skipKl3-jsQdVDf33R-JPjLmBxzevtnSvdg4Cl_jIvtk8H1erYLqeHd4lZocuIH3a3R/s4032/IMG_5487.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitf_tRgUfKORnMzednmEK1rNM6236ZDHRLzqv0K1ji6nsONhCOpcyxhPlrHpU0HGRpHSQTovOB33qv_w38uj1tuQ17mX_IqgWPi6lPObg6TeqkDM-xhrkaScCP5skipKl3-jsQdVDf33R-JPjLmBxzevtnSvdg4Cl_jIvtk8H1erYLqeHd4lZocuIH3a3R/w300-h400/IMG_5487.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The resulting plum upside-down cake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>21 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Good news on my birthday! Whilst some of the <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes have fed the slugs and woodlice, a number have survived and have ripened on the vine. Others we have picked after they have started to turn colour and will ripen them indoors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMjqih7_V_dbSaENab7Wzp4K97dleikqI1fBBHxKguQmt4EH6xMjkerwnNFuD-m9Ff_261tHLDpBwX9HZkY_pdvJpSENZHVRp77yvb8YOcuwG_Yg7JkF_QjBwuV86nQIIXOVeRBSYOFBmh4s0ADZ_fJ44cSfdz1AVj6uJHhMQCxc_dKTmQ3zNfScMSnoG/s2237/625CDC95-D849-4858-9D15-2DCE24F4EFDE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2237" data-original-width="2133" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMjqih7_V_dbSaENab7Wzp4K97dleikqI1fBBHxKguQmt4EH6xMjkerwnNFuD-m9Ff_261tHLDpBwX9HZkY_pdvJpSENZHVRp77yvb8YOcuwG_Yg7JkF_QjBwuV86nQIIXOVeRBSYOFBmh4s0ADZ_fJ44cSfdz1AVj6uJHhMQCxc_dKTmQ3zNfScMSnoG/w381-h400/625CDC95-D849-4858-9D15-2DCE24F4EFDE.jpg" width="381" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Once tomatoes have begun to change colour and the ripening process has started they are no longer needing to feed from the plant and chemical processes have started, with the production of ethylene, to ripen them. Once picked, putting them in proximity to a ripe banana (which also gives off ethylene) will hasten the ripening process.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I took a stroll to the local shops and there were amazing cloud formations.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgTgauKmCskF-WJEkw2GkBd88LH4LXIWXdzuXTst7ZneMCEXYMdsEjW67mkCr2ds1nLIbrTw8HS4LE_DfnTpnbgcM66M2HcMa_JQlmmdUj10b7v2CN3XOQVL5lZoJ_wq8BckvtTvkcT9HrjyJLZh1TEUEkfwfAW1itHWcd650ayQxpvWTQccGsOCfR6lm/s4032/IMG_5495.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgTgauKmCskF-WJEkw2GkBd88LH4LXIWXdzuXTst7ZneMCEXYMdsEjW67mkCr2ds1nLIbrTw8HS4LE_DfnTpnbgcM66M2HcMa_JQlmmdUj10b7v2CN3XOQVL5lZoJ_wq8BckvtTvkcT9HrjyJLZh1TEUEkfwfAW1itHWcd650ayQxpvWTQccGsOCfR6lm/w400-h300/IMG_5495.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amesbury Crescent, Hove - 21 August</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-mgqHJZfGaxGOGVWYvxWLG2ydIitGu58Ct_f6vWJCFuYRFM_SjMpc7l54yrjPbcVnkjO9tiMB0ZOu1ndAIusyX7WXcNjGCcXXz5pcvDEn59hCzgOzFwcHu49vOk3JSifFJRoSxUgm8Y9PINMorc6OSxKqZLep2DmaYCz2swjR-8cuyJpVeswE0rrdrSz/s4032/IMG_5496.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr-mgqHJZfGaxGOGVWYvxWLG2ydIitGu58Ct_f6vWJCFuYRFM_SjMpc7l54yrjPbcVnkjO9tiMB0ZOu1ndAIusyX7WXcNjGCcXXz5pcvDEn59hCzgOzFwcHu49vOk3JSifFJRoSxUgm8Y9PINMorc6OSxKqZLep2DmaYCz2swjR-8cuyJpVeswE0rrdrSz/w300-h400/IMG_5496.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portland Road, Hove - 21 August</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>22 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was more produce to harvest......</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKt1N-xj26tGuAIZxQNezmnFFF81ngC0P7actmg61nSUmJoiujAoQpAAm72o9lRfq0LmZWbi-IjqPGvL3BGtFVvDoPWC1pwQc5rCQXWV0eesBeLP5y8Ddl0zTpDyjyEKZSzzSC392CvEZ-UKItRlqFM1rqu6Jeoezy_Hy9RjPPX1s5Lrw0KUCquuVWogS/s2748/IMG_5501.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="2748" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKt1N-xj26tGuAIZxQNezmnFFF81ngC0P7actmg61nSUmJoiujAoQpAAm72o9lRfq0LmZWbi-IjqPGvL3BGtFVvDoPWC1pwQc5rCQXWV0eesBeLP5y8Ddl0zTpDyjyEKZSzzSC392CvEZ-UKItRlqFM1rqu6Jeoezy_Hy9RjPPX1s5Lrw0KUCquuVWogS/s320/IMG_5501.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more cucumbers, beans and plums</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>....and I had also given the composter a lick of paint, ready for the winter.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE4G08Y83zeZnKESbMbAr4nydxXAvxCKQzQAwFS6RN1SKYfp-MwZI682t_tmlSxo4V2YxHSiSrEEv0i4BT_OxO8jiVWsNEz-imxqQPZ3-hJVMSR01W1bWwlRf8sre10fHtQGfkL0SBI0-UDmBuZOo3IELK71-a6bfCrBacUk6L-yfkeI4mRHoNDFkCaYs/s4032/IMG_5502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDE4G08Y83zeZnKESbMbAr4nydxXAvxCKQzQAwFS6RN1SKYfp-MwZI682t_tmlSxo4V2YxHSiSrEEv0i4BT_OxO8jiVWsNEz-imxqQPZ3-hJVMSR01W1bWwlRf8sre10fHtQGfkL0SBI0-UDmBuZOo3IELK71-a6bfCrBacUk6L-yfkeI4mRHoNDFkCaYs/w300-h400/IMG_5502.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><b>23 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were still picking tomatoes daily - especially the cherry ones - faster than we can eat them (despite giving loads away)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy-LY0x9TAzMQgiND0ys0iKWI386TMMcRrZnwed8E4a4BbVoutPt0rYxTSJgb6h4PdYrPycleqLl92x8TubkCgwnxMcdzbMmEnAsT7Ynh4trI0j9EgccNMK6THk98g-zXQd3gmqBlh6yoBQ13x6jFvzFvYZsPbPK1Djg-7XKuahNsz2fDJU-2iuAtCoBD/s1803/IMG_5505%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1803" data-original-width="1780" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy-LY0x9TAzMQgiND0ys0iKWI386TMMcRrZnwed8E4a4BbVoutPt0rYxTSJgb6h4PdYrPycleqLl92x8TubkCgwnxMcdzbMmEnAsT7Ynh4trI0j9EgccNMK6THk98g-zXQd3gmqBlh6yoBQ13x6jFvzFvYZsPbPK1Djg-7XKuahNsz2fDJU-2iuAtCoBD/w395-h400/IMG_5505%20(1).jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a variety of tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>24 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Habanero </i>chilli peppers were also doing well in the garden.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQYLBGv5hptmQ0mL66f5fn3WMUgANaIjYtaFz-m7Gl9VxY-WbY8xTTrjaShzABEn_q_hw-lWOOnR9NBgmmV0ai45JaTJqEEwcR0OiYJO5pXMnDrjKa_LJVeQV5uPrNXHN-A5Ip2SJkyeLtOHDyvjxvAftfXLdK9PjjEoqxU2wGagGqdNIeOmEnRX8vV9e/s4032/IMG_5507.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQYLBGv5hptmQ0mL66f5fn3WMUgANaIjYtaFz-m7Gl9VxY-WbY8xTTrjaShzABEn_q_hw-lWOOnR9NBgmmV0ai45JaTJqEEwcR0OiYJO5pXMnDrjKa_LJVeQV5uPrNXHN-A5Ip2SJkyeLtOHDyvjxvAftfXLdK9PjjEoqxU2wGagGqdNIeOmEnRX8vV9e/w300-h400/IMG_5507.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Habanero</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><b>26 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Yet another upside-down plum cake 😄 </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TLO2ugBQ036OviU-bNgoHqG0BgI8AUfD6uDJRvwC0ZeN8Zt8DKHKLmktVP3gv7FdBB-DfQKz47K0jY0z4H7jqy-1BfJ-LCsnDnCYpvZthUiLEIw0h5KnWZZERyGCz47cAk4amaKhkFSowLlP6389W3dJsq4BywxxyOQKGB4vz-W_FIBJiIM_4DalULqs/s2048/Image-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TLO2ugBQ036OviU-bNgoHqG0BgI8AUfD6uDJRvwC0ZeN8Zt8DKHKLmktVP3gv7FdBB-DfQKz47K0jY0z4H7jqy-1BfJ-LCsnDnCYpvZthUiLEIw0h5KnWZZERyGCz47cAk4amaKhkFSowLlP6389W3dJsq4BywxxyOQKGB4vz-W_FIBJiIM_4DalULqs/w400-h400/Image-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upside-down plum cake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>27 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Borlotti </i> beans were looking better every day......</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86VceXcAWgqte1oWotdlQxSLkvKYM3u5Dw2NYpsBbhhSRGf8fh9uVWZWRpFOj-ouHPuzwLkGpifL1RJiqrvBGx_p635FHHVYIsnzv-0eeqcI_a7nPEDL7xi8GF8cbLlrOiT_tY8n8IFQyNU4huFRhWX8l3tLEqf_MHWG41Xdz7RLU8fgTqLuBMG0F5-it/s3155/IMG_5522.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3155" data-original-width="2242" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86VceXcAWgqte1oWotdlQxSLkvKYM3u5Dw2NYpsBbhhSRGf8fh9uVWZWRpFOj-ouHPuzwLkGpifL1RJiqrvBGx_p635FHHVYIsnzv-0eeqcI_a7nPEDL7xi8GF8cbLlrOiT_tY8n8IFQyNU4huFRhWX8l3tLEqf_MHWG41Xdz7RLU8fgTqLuBMG0F5-it/w284-h400/IMG_5522.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Borlotti </i>beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkABJxQR7OWCzouKqBP5lA4dVL3qN9FBEdhUO9IckNrQyc2Wn-hlS8YuwhUvxBQOwIMvyDXr9PGXTBIPWnsTUdRFZfPhKI5fOY9fKSUZbk_kbLwNj3B9xEYB5qhv8rS28jWBEOjzaQXvnSNaOFViUt8QaNRGOQPIoPnk4txuRZzs5__u2Rt0RRBLDSNwb5/s2230/IMG_5524.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2230" data-original-width="1672" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkABJxQR7OWCzouKqBP5lA4dVL3qN9FBEdhUO9IckNrQyc2Wn-hlS8YuwhUvxBQOwIMvyDXr9PGXTBIPWnsTUdRFZfPhKI5fOY9fKSUZbk_kbLwNj3B9xEYB5qhv8rS28jWBEOjzaQXvnSNaOFViUt8QaNRGOQPIoPnk4txuRZzs5__u2Rt0RRBLDSNwb5/w300-h400/IMG_5524.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Drumhead </i>red cabbage</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>....and the red cabbage looks ready to pick.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>27 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A simple open sandwich with fresh tomato.... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1m8NqVzhNgCfmnEwcP3e9FLrfS-YXLL5qhPYgfnHng4GEobVH-Jwd3AP3nR4XU2GGQaZTJqqYIj3soqdDPZKtYYC9fXVtXtwJu0IQMJ2ppBbySpXI-IJxInIZHy0X0qnmXxkWfQLJEFrC5j-wxj9sT949fK3UZvfgBMe96ux-j663hlY_qRSuNuKzqfT/s4032/IMG_5530.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1m8NqVzhNgCfmnEwcP3e9FLrfS-YXLL5qhPYgfnHng4GEobVH-Jwd3AP3nR4XU2GGQaZTJqqYIj3soqdDPZKtYYC9fXVtXtwJu0IQMJ2ppBbySpXI-IJxInIZHy0X0qnmXxkWfQLJEFrC5j-wxj9sT949fK3UZvfgBMe96ux-j663hlY_qRSuNuKzqfT/w300-h400/IMG_5530.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">tomato smorgasbord<br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><br /></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table><div>...more <i>Cavolo nero...</i></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFr7cSZK5yFA_UZ_EbznLnmDQH8ZMWNGehfvQV3wk0FFQMhTeMyHwlCiwjIwL75-1XjAcz6m5eNAMsOxoODsrtqqiiboZlSIhGfUUoTaO-UkUGTdjUbszYu0L5gGfHRMShC8f6uK7EBv4vAMiUTAC70PM8n_GXieIQppW9pkSWYBbna1sYSkMmqCKQbxf/s4032/IMG_5531.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjFr7cSZK5yFA_UZ_EbznLnmDQH8ZMWNGehfvQV3wk0FFQMhTeMyHwlCiwjIwL75-1XjAcz6m5eNAMsOxoODsrtqqiiboZlSIhGfUUoTaO-UkUGTdjUbszYu0L5gGfHRMShC8f6uK7EBv4vAMiUTAC70PM8n_GXieIQppW9pkSWYBbna1sYSkMmqCKQbxf/w300-h400/IMG_5531.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cavolo nero</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>...and more cucumbers and <i>Patty pan </i>squash.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L39bYrX0IV2llGSziheVUV0y1UGv7f04Jy11g6DdbnIDoQRFEZCyF8qntJl5UfhunIWqsySDF_bUDz77s8BKJglTn9ZkvkVqWEZmCKbCbG5ewVlK716AE1BrIK11x40AoI2_CIoHEYKS0XA9nx4v5A2SSfB3uQN3xc0yFczj4SGcs4jMNnszVnUlQC-i/s3619/IMG_5532.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3619" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2L39bYrX0IV2llGSziheVUV0y1UGv7f04Jy11g6DdbnIDoQRFEZCyF8qntJl5UfhunIWqsySDF_bUDz77s8BKJglTn9ZkvkVqWEZmCKbCbG5ewVlK716AE1BrIK11x40AoI2_CIoHEYKS0XA9nx4v5A2SSfB3uQN3xc0yFczj4SGcs4jMNnszVnUlQC-i/w334-h400/IMG_5532.jpg" width="334" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cucumbers and Patty pan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>28 August</b></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We made a delicious open tomato "tart/pizza" using cherry tomatoes on home made flatbread.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9GLdLkNOfIaOuQdqkBCGLMsVcwyvGI40n4W4ZG9TsoyXNu8ZDvcND5_JKUAJU3LeQfgD7t-8GPqJzDqLOqa739bMYYBp5oqIy7KH3tIEL73IFNTrVko8opfepUR4Q_iU05e7EtOg5vbdpIwNcy7eQDGwVh35YUAUltvZtTmBYb4QrI97Ic5DSlTn1iKH/s4032/IMG_5534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9GLdLkNOfIaOuQdqkBCGLMsVcwyvGI40n4W4ZG9TsoyXNu8ZDvcND5_JKUAJU3LeQfgD7t-8GPqJzDqLOqa739bMYYBp5oqIy7KH3tIEL73IFNTrVko8opfepUR4Q_iU05e7EtOg5vbdpIwNcy7eQDGwVh35YUAUltvZtTmBYb4QrI97Ic5DSlTn1iKH/w300-h400/IMG_5534.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="RCP__sc-l87aur-2 PLTXZ" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="SHRD__sc-10plygc-0 itJBWW" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Tarte à la tomate </span></h1></div></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>29 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the evening we saw our fox. Her fur still showed signs of mange but she was surviving and hopefully our feeding her with garlic has helped.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our tromboncinos were also doing well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3oZOyh5BA7TffhBRBlvw-jgTSVBRq_JxgxoK26OCuCXUCfSye4fMyczIHJHi2eeQKWs-gaSfzYkKnDBvmomRHQgSYIergygWZYxLaszGLX7YKUGO_vtqGk07nVkcyYz3rHmAoj5732uj98xp2_MTIslO_AgDR45lI6jEVg1J8AjLMHvFbZV88J92_xA9/s4032/IMG_5545.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3oZOyh5BA7TffhBRBlvw-jgTSVBRq_JxgxoK26OCuCXUCfSye4fMyczIHJHi2eeQKWs-gaSfzYkKnDBvmomRHQgSYIergygWZYxLaszGLX7YKUGO_vtqGk07nVkcyYz3rHmAoj5732uj98xp2_MTIslO_AgDR45lI6jEVg1J8AjLMHvFbZV88J92_xA9/w300-h400/IMG_5545.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">tromboncino</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg2qVizMH_9NLtdgmGEXGRTWa6I_9HQRTwBUnesmBWlhfdng-2olChbpusTnG7v1PaThu4pzjlYzhjrAQ-yQWnMj4JJQ1OPyNzV7VB71HXNHJy7CXnetpJufaxGIz-rUtG-n5Vs9j730tEwxzcLQ33-3tRDIPLBZfWcQ1NEEMuMWmx9mk8O_VnP6ohpss/s4032/IMG_5546.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzg2qVizMH_9NLtdgmGEXGRTWa6I_9HQRTwBUnesmBWlhfdng-2olChbpusTnG7v1PaThu4pzjlYzhjrAQ-yQWnMj4JJQ1OPyNzV7VB71HXNHJy7CXnetpJufaxGIz-rUtG-n5Vs9j730tEwxzcLQ33-3tRDIPLBZfWcQ1NEEMuMWmx9mk8O_VnP6ohpss/w300-h400/IMG_5546.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">tromboncinos</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I spent some time on the much long awaited pond clearing. It had become choked with couch grass, which I removed with a rake, but unless I clear the surrounding area of couch grass and bindweed, it will be a continuing problem. So I made a start.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDcViuEEt5mhgZR652x59XJJyPgmcevzuH7gPwt7izDJul-d2qKPZ7Pa05HtKxc6dqt_jgWUjmFHSTz9IdFTNSDVel_jvkf4egaB4_3K05Fw6PEy2NpI8CgqLCEj1vN4yLNYRWTUoop9Mky3WrJ6th2otWEz_e8Q5qHYlhMKmfF_NAI4MH0qcVT-iEF8x/s4032/IMG_5553.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMDcViuEEt5mhgZR652x59XJJyPgmcevzuH7gPwt7izDJul-d2qKPZ7Pa05HtKxc6dqt_jgWUjmFHSTz9IdFTNSDVel_jvkf4egaB4_3K05Fw6PEy2NpI8CgqLCEj1vN4yLNYRWTUoop9Mky3WrJ6th2otWEz_e8Q5qHYlhMKmfF_NAI4MH0qcVT-iEF8x/w300-h400/IMG_5553.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The month ended with a <b><i><a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-supermoon">Supermoon </a> </i>(</b>i.e. when the Moon is at the closest point in its orbit to the earth coinciding with a full moon) making the moon appear larger and brighter than usual. But this was not just a Supermoon; it was also a <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-blue-moon-how-often-does-it-occur">Blue Moon</a> </i>which occurs about every 2 - 2.5 years (hence the expression once in a blue moon) when there are two full moons in the same month. So this was a <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.space.com/blue-moon-rises-august-2023">Super Blue Moon</a> </i>which won't happen again until 2037!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIF3ZhxJZ21HATMpXtrTvjq8d6KYhVxlnzIlNtwPN5khLMIja8JZDitT47QDHOb4TeU8sEHWG7oegmWxP4i5KtfLz8w-lkxM_uOflJoG1-nLSuBOwrMLMAYGspniYctDzs0X27mDd-lvqtsrN7LqZ02ETwJRosctMWnuS5yoIcPtMTrzw_M-1OuSEwgTR/s2582/IMG_5554.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2508" data-original-width="2582" height="389" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIF3ZhxJZ21HATMpXtrTvjq8d6KYhVxlnzIlNtwPN5khLMIja8JZDitT47QDHOb4TeU8sEHWG7oegmWxP4i5KtfLz8w-lkxM_uOflJoG1-nLSuBOwrMLMAYGspniYctDzs0X27mDd-lvqtsrN7LqZ02ETwJRosctMWnuS5yoIcPtMTrzw_M-1OuSEwgTR/w400-h389/IMG_5554.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Super blue moon seen from our front garden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmy9YA7Mpk0G53FRWHYTkij5VlwpOxRu0O_FKD2gpkPlZoe9p6dj28LVt4u678kHu36PDlCQrou6kvHeyeNQvgSsBT7kiNwzL80cdcW2sQ3y2im-QIai_UM84Xv4lZ2WLyRa5vGVeZGxqHSVulX_vCAd5hgYXwX0Azgw0G3I-LvAJ8LvLpA9rJ6tW6F0-/s3024/IMG_5560.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2712" data-original-width="3024" height="359" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmy9YA7Mpk0G53FRWHYTkij5VlwpOxRu0O_FKD2gpkPlZoe9p6dj28LVt4u678kHu36PDlCQrou6kvHeyeNQvgSsBT7kiNwzL80cdcW2sQ3y2im-QIai_UM84Xv4lZ2WLyRa5vGVeZGxqHSVulX_vCAd5hgYXwX0Azgw0G3I-LvAJ8LvLpA9rJ6tW6F0-/w400-h359/IMG_5560.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The super blue moon from our upstairs window</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>31 August</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After a very clear night, the month ended with more rain and it was a very cool 15C!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It felt like Autumn was on its way.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hove, August 2023</b></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h2></div></div></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-54370490683186190072023-09-01T11:09:00.001-07:002023-09-02T03:05:48.543-07:00Life on The Weald - July 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald, July 2023</span></h1><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <b>1 July</b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The month began with rain in the early morning and the rest of the day was dreary, cloudy and overcast, but I did venture out to plant some leeks that had kindly been given to me by a neighbour.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL2FZeZS3cmVhgsQ_HpyLvuYL8Y-JVia79qv1GI9QGksqDtLFbBRnljQh3wSj9AK7T43PG8GYWlEF6Ck1OIo829XZifrwN1iRBjWbwwt3XI_Xiy21d-ZdorlswYqCQhPxrwqgB6XIvj1w5FT9UnbenSJblGtHdSRQwf12c53dV0SXedU8kdHlA_B7kRRF/s4024/IMG_5082.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="2736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL2FZeZS3cmVhgsQ_HpyLvuYL8Y-JVia79qv1GI9QGksqDtLFbBRnljQh3wSj9AK7T43PG8GYWlEF6Ck1OIo829XZifrwN1iRBjWbwwt3XI_Xiy21d-ZdorlswYqCQhPxrwqgB6XIvj1w5FT9UnbenSJblGtHdSRQwf12c53dV0SXedU8kdHlA_B7kRRF/w273-h400/IMG_5082.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I replaced the purple sprouting broccoli and the Brussels sprouts with some spare seedlings that I had saved. Although the plants had suffered from both changeable weather and pests, the weeds were thriving!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I shouldn't use the term weeds. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Weeds are basically wild flowers and plants that are growing where you don't want them, otherwise they're just flowers or plants! We have a number of wild flowers which self-seed and provided they're not harming a vegetable patch they are probably helping the general health and balance of the plot by being food for insects such as bees and butterflies which may be useful for pollination or keeping unwanted pests under control. Our "weeds" include wild mustard, blistery ox tongue, Ragwort (stinking Willie) and of course dandelions and groundsel.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapZlYGmvkHSvSf5g9IJYOEqtWZ47GG2cFcQrKTyePTnUtmF9j3mkobWRXLTPmcoETOoahA9Z4X-zWeHqy_QKdcx7-nSizF5gZ6jYDPbrB7O-WCLg7cI7zvZwPHJtJDUYoN4ADF3Y-yX1eDLII5x9FxMafGpTo3yIZcqFTT4TmABPI0gHbDTfrIe67Gli6/s1988/IMG_5083.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1988" data-original-width="1751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapZlYGmvkHSvSf5g9IJYOEqtWZ47GG2cFcQrKTyePTnUtmF9j3mkobWRXLTPmcoETOoahA9Z4X-zWeHqy_QKdcx7-nSizF5gZ6jYDPbrB7O-WCLg7cI7zvZwPHJtJDUYoN4ADF3Y-yX1eDLII5x9FxMafGpTo3yIZcqFTT4TmABPI0gHbDTfrIe67Gli6/s320/IMG_5083.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Wild mustard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3h7VsrloEn7R2PsyLjqAHIFHYG5OST_oFn4EQtVejRZP7BZbB0yeox_DmvGYpImbjiY9-IC1XMoUQKdcXqxz9g94gB-eKjuRrpn3bNj1DIjl1MUQenVTLlB3SvofT8tF3kOai2Ue71D-JF0H80TBdRrsSnLAruaoK9GKz8woFE1EsgMVE2inLahPWLQlW/s2850/IMG_5084.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2850" data-original-width="2608" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3h7VsrloEn7R2PsyLjqAHIFHYG5OST_oFn4EQtVejRZP7BZbB0yeox_DmvGYpImbjiY9-IC1XMoUQKdcXqxz9g94gB-eKjuRrpn3bNj1DIjl1MUQenVTLlB3SvofT8tF3kOai2Ue71D-JF0H80TBdRrsSnLAruaoK9GKz8woFE1EsgMVE2inLahPWLQlW/s320/IMG_5084.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Blistery Ox-tongue</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfet-k1bi6Fza3culuURi7K4PmaPB2UvpihFNUyUmfCpYe6x_2keBxXvE9_xSG9y9WU6fUVCjMHfK9kui88waGIY-QWhI_312Pg_HZ-vzVlSxgV6M7G9P1Od062FyGpVRq88xWECuhwVRorhVsKSlifif49ziS-CclTAY8jv823smuoV4us1Ubj5uxde0c/s1882/IMG_5085.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1882" data-original-width="1412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfet-k1bi6Fza3culuURi7K4PmaPB2UvpihFNUyUmfCpYe6x_2keBxXvE9_xSG9y9WU6fUVCjMHfK9kui88waGIY-QWhI_312Pg_HZ-vzVlSxgV6M7G9P1Od062FyGpVRq88xWECuhwVRorhVsKSlifif49ziS-CclTAY8jv823smuoV4us1Ubj5uxde0c/s320/IMG_5085.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stinking Willie</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the herb garden, many of the herbs were flowering and, hopefully, will attract the bees.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OJ3wi91T5HJEGZTboejF7-trd8Q8FdugNcRJm_1GJHjBBgo2lABEAxeffvY-n3yfEPhw73bzBGdUL6YDXwMd0ToZ-Ll_xQ5B5Mo8piliFcFYEpqLFLpbpXFOJy6gNRQt6_lvAZh_BF0j4T_CXB2yh31vfdlPShA_qSlb8_krTOyGZMLPecZQteqBvAf_/s2511/IMG_5087%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2511" data-original-width="2145" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OJ3wi91T5HJEGZTboejF7-trd8Q8FdugNcRJm_1GJHjBBgo2lABEAxeffvY-n3yfEPhw73bzBGdUL6YDXwMd0ToZ-Ll_xQ5B5Mo8piliFcFYEpqLFLpbpXFOJy6gNRQt6_lvAZh_BF0j4T_CXB2yh31vfdlPShA_qSlb8_krTOyGZMLPecZQteqBvAf_/w341-h400/IMG_5087%20(1).jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thyme in full flower</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And there was an abundance of apples. The heavily laden branches were weighed down and encroaching on the vegetable cage below.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9pVRIteAd-t7tECfv-sAEWb6USAnOnGBt-rl61-Qz0b8KYCteA0IdfU-Ji4bp0kYnR2Wjcap-pBWBl-apQ4cqWDlGCySzc-RfV_cAEmmzRTvAN01Um_hmL9jqyoAlI2pXLH_6qHjs5kI8w9ufTufV4JWxvPjtUp6VPKhQI14qfr8jHixplCEbqJbRr77/s3580/IMG_5090.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3580" data-original-width="2403" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL9pVRIteAd-t7tECfv-sAEWb6USAnOnGBt-rl61-Qz0b8KYCteA0IdfU-Ji4bp0kYnR2Wjcap-pBWBl-apQ4cqWDlGCySzc-RfV_cAEmmzRTvAN01Um_hmL9jqyoAlI2pXLH_6qHjs5kI8w9ufTufV4JWxvPjtUp6VPKhQI14qfr8jHixplCEbqJbRr77/w269-h400/IMG_5090.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Apples</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">3 July</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I set out for the plot with all good intentions but, almost there, turned round and returned home due to a sudden downpour of rain. The rest of Europe seemed to be experiencing a long dry heatwave, but not in Hove!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I planted out some more <i>Blue Lake </i>climbing French beans to replace the ones that had been eaten or died and directly sowed some more. In an attempt to control the growth of grass and annual weeds, I </span><span style="font-family: arial;">strimmed around the raised beds, but with all this rain, it's a losing battle! Today should have been Wimbledon but it was a washout but we were fortunate to have only light showers in Hove.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the hydrangea was now in full flower.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtU3unchVXTugTbSkCb1uLCelVWzLD5gyQksgXEuDK7FGho000OU_eMYgV3AS6A6L3HMA6lks8ZVnmPNmrApmbV9ScjSFRm6kg3zNMmvpqSRSy-UKpBf9SUF289vFeD4BGg1u9DB2QvdP7PaV8XQfvxaFxb3nLzoj_G5s4V-JWo-zBUty7zxYT-WDT9ITZ/s4032/IMG_5107%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtU3unchVXTugTbSkCb1uLCelVWzLD5gyQksgXEuDK7FGho000OU_eMYgV3AS6A6L3HMA6lks8ZVnmPNmrApmbV9ScjSFRm6kg3zNMmvpqSRSy-UKpBf9SUF289vFeD4BGg1u9DB2QvdP7PaV8XQfvxaFxb3nLzoj_G5s4V-JWo-zBUty7zxYT-WDT9ITZ/w300-h400/IMG_5107%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hydrangea<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>5 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home I had a couple of months of "no-mow" and several flowers had self seeded, or had survived previous mowings, including the dandelion-like, but more elegant, flatweed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmqq1ZziX8HCa92XT2nlHX75utmlNJCgVncqTVG24s6Qb1kCeARRnFUcR0wodXwFbQ_BUEsNJ-zHCQDkJOnlLAhLJ2GdeZQ0LG6_MsvqBSkkqqrIW2U6docLBWQxbCwGCvHXCkHw-cNBWhU6N1nE1LNr9n_h191V3Vp8CoPBjz87Ee2ntSJafqAD5cPWF/s2584/IMG_5119.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2584" data-original-width="1938" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmqq1ZziX8HCa92XT2nlHX75utmlNJCgVncqTVG24s6Qb1kCeARRnFUcR0wodXwFbQ_BUEsNJ-zHCQDkJOnlLAhLJ2GdeZQ0LG6_MsvqBSkkqqrIW2U6docLBWQxbCwGCvHXCkHw-cNBWhU6N1nE1LNr9n_h191V3Vp8CoPBjz87Ee2ntSJafqAD5cPWF/w300-h400/IMG_5119.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Flatweed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ0FUQMvRZFfxGlNXWhWl37yxoUYt_SffwCwFHX-Vejyh4zeLvcM_UHwitlqce1rNz9E3j56A1WXa39CP4OgI5ev-5zh-hSaedotBd2dxzsSw2h1ZKNisfGGOaykFk03ByCdpXnphV3etG_f33SiuDf951D8QfVgriv3gNCN-flAsv8324rNB9zKDCjn0/s2336/IMG_5118.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="2007" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFJ0FUQMvRZFfxGlNXWhWl37yxoUYt_SffwCwFHX-Vejyh4zeLvcM_UHwitlqce1rNz9E3j56A1WXa39CP4OgI5ev-5zh-hSaedotBd2dxzsSw2h1ZKNisfGGOaykFk03ByCdpXnphV3etG_f33SiuDf951D8QfVgriv3gNCN-flAsv8324rNB9zKDCjn0/w344-h400/IMG_5118.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Flatweed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>7/8 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Globe thistles on my neighbour's plot were looking magnificent and were a magnet for bees.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BRuUtV6yfzlrkjK2S-3gcveqGQUzKDs0Q0NCVwbc0gPbrvItWhjsQF_E7r-DVYPpEhhKyk7eYnKkKKCPJSLdLr7WqbF-gP3Keejtrjbtf0TNEO36sVK0VVc6DUE7ggfU1Z5FiYdc9rWmxvpwKRQ9FIQwghqqsxwidyxfASZby70sqhanAaRR4cM6vLvR/s2054/IMG_5134.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2054" data-original-width="1541" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5BRuUtV6yfzlrkjK2S-3gcveqGQUzKDs0Q0NCVwbc0gPbrvItWhjsQF_E7r-DVYPpEhhKyk7eYnKkKKCPJSLdLr7WqbF-gP3Keejtrjbtf0TNEO36sVK0VVc6DUE7ggfU1Z5FiYdc9rWmxvpwKRQ9FIQwghqqsxwidyxfASZby70sqhanAaRR4cM6vLvR/w300-h400/IMG_5134.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Globe thistle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I sowed some more purple French beans, <i>Teepee,</i> and <i>boltardy </i>beetroot. I removed some of the Chard plants that were going to seed. We collected as many of the good leaves as possible but the rest went straight to the compost bin.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>9 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was busy in the morning with the Big swim in aid of the local hospital Friends - not in the water! I was helping out with the organising on the beach and remained firmly on dry land. The actor Kirsten Callaghan was one of the participants. She had starred as <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes_Gleitze"> Merecedes Gleitze</a> </i> in the film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindication_Swim"><i>Vindication Swim</i></a><i>. </i>Mercedes, born in Brighton, was the first woman to swim the Straits of Gibraltar and the first British woman to swim the English Channel. The film was written and directed by one of my neighbours, a very talented 23 year old, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9090154/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk"><i>Elliott Hasler</i></a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the afternoon I managed a visit to the plot to tie up the cucumbers - they didn't seem to know they were supposed to climb and had trailed along the ground.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mx657DFIxZXGlCX7fa5RnY7426ro9MOcu_AO_K2Ddj15YrYIkYNYupqNGrOb97nsXWNxkY_hvEaT2woJOw8TFmyEDgw3WAL9v1PXBzGmq-ouDRyDB_nZdIC711ihL1ZsKI9_KA2Cb8QJDOSD6l3YTPsH6JGrReUoSQ2smwI3Y0MF-2_BQZ_IeInPzG_7/s4032/IMG_5165.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mx657DFIxZXGlCX7fa5RnY7426ro9MOcu_AO_K2Ddj15YrYIkYNYupqNGrOb97nsXWNxkY_hvEaT2woJOw8TFmyEDgw3WAL9v1PXBzGmq-ouDRyDB_nZdIC711ihL1ZsKI9_KA2Cb8QJDOSD6l3YTPsH6JGrReUoSQ2smwI3Y0MF-2_BQZ_IeInPzG_7/w300-h400/IMG_5165.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ridge cucumbers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The English, outdoor ridge varieties were doing well but the</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> Spanish, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">pepinos, </i><span style="font-family: arial;">were still only tiny seedlings. I also tried to train one of the squashes over a frame.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPTPD1Grx89co27ierQ1LTCxqrhGtBdsVk3RXnZ8iajfpntVZTAX9sp9GwnkU9k2uD6HzWaoqj8iEtT0Z1I30gheH5lcS1E2akwYMS22me-XMdWwEQcFqwa3oVRmgK4E1mLt_N_fxZ1ljpY2qVKWo6y-h9Q6eQdYMKscF7fUYnfTw-OP7KzrehhvPu1z9/s4032/IMG_5166.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPTPD1Grx89co27ierQ1LTCxqrhGtBdsVk3RXnZ8iajfpntVZTAX9sp9GwnkU9k2uD6HzWaoqj8iEtT0Z1I30gheH5lcS1E2akwYMS22me-XMdWwEQcFqwa3oVRmgK4E1mLt_N_fxZ1ljpY2qVKWo6y-h9Q6eQdYMKscF7fUYnfTw-OP7KzrehhvPu1z9/w300-h400/IMG_5166.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">An attempt to train a squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>10 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I lifted some of the red onions and took them home to ripen and removed some of the new raspberry canes that had invaded the raised beds on the western boundary of our plot but I know they will be back. It was a relatively dry day with light cloud.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfwG4oqhFZiNUB9lq5rIs4wJXBsYVs3ibr3JHa5z8o6W00h5wor3EnTer3fZdKJ31ky62GiZUMTqm_N4MmQd4clzcBbdSYYE7FJQGEhaRhAUL1ebnKlgTz-JfoVQtrz3IzLrXqa4H_oB2FmfOJQWyPXVkA8T0rhd1JdSIQmOlNFn5CKV2D2dp6JVXi3wL/s4032/IMG_5176.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfwG4oqhFZiNUB9lq5rIs4wJXBsYVs3ibr3JHa5z8o6W00h5wor3EnTer3fZdKJ31ky62GiZUMTqm_N4MmQd4clzcBbdSYYE7FJQGEhaRhAUL1ebnKlgTz-JfoVQtrz3IzLrXqa4H_oB2FmfOJQWyPXVkA8T0rhd1JdSIQmOlNFn5CKV2D2dp6JVXi3wL/w300-h400/IMG_5176.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 July looking east</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBQ0lHoa2Cuhr4st7h626C6JZm72ohdq_Ev3PdMM0mhmihkOELut5PZjta9T5DmQLnzEtU4o0EOFJUtAFveYOvr3Yqv78g2begQmIoLA6GOGHU7mi9vnkb5SJKc1zAvNvjVHjjCXRsgFrqMTH9dBFdst2Q56YQaCvsaMNskZjHDJT7sqYGXJhvDQwPG7n/s4032/IMG_5177.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjBQ0lHoa2Cuhr4st7h626C6JZm72ohdq_Ev3PdMM0mhmihkOELut5PZjta9T5DmQLnzEtU4o0EOFJUtAFveYOvr3Yqv78g2begQmIoLA6GOGHU7mi9vnkb5SJKc1zAvNvjVHjjCXRsgFrqMTH9dBFdst2Q56YQaCvsaMNskZjHDJT7sqYGXJhvDQwPG7n/w300-h400/IMG_5177.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 July looking west</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The <i>Cavolo nero </i>was looking very healthy and was much earlier than usual. It tastes better after the first frosts, but I can't wait that long; and the beauty of this variety of kale is that it is "cut and come again". Picking the outer, lower leaves encourages new growth.</span><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmvWYgS2H-EFcyXcOiYj_CObQt5kV5aHFuAGwNy14mJIMj74QOphHiFs2RLJeA0miaLl7nRrQQyDzifwU52kjBMAKcy7V9Wx16m0wkyJlel1vua63m60z7W6_FAKSIk-jFkR-Q4ydCDY7zqrVttnVUxbuq_E-UH1nhtOS_obABfCNqsbw7MCrusI84cvy/s3238/IMG_5178.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3238" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmvWYgS2H-EFcyXcOiYj_CObQt5kV5aHFuAGwNy14mJIMj74QOphHiFs2RLJeA0miaLl7nRrQQyDzifwU52kjBMAKcy7V9Wx16m0wkyJlel1vua63m60z7W6_FAKSIk-jFkR-Q4ydCDY7zqrVttnVUxbuq_E-UH1nhtOS_obABfCNqsbw7MCrusI84cvy/s320/IMG_5178.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cavolo nero <br /></span></span><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>13 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Following the Allotment Association AGM I have been given the task of updating the alllotment association website, <b><i><a href="https://wealdallotmentgardeners.home.blog/waga/">WAGA</a> </i></b>which has been neglected for two years, so I took some new photos, including the site shop, to add to the website.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUsjPugbj0cjJ4CP-8UE68lIuPbHh2ufk6hFpE1OVEAtYYDxauh2GHEi5Sj1bzPapifgtDLJm3ANAs6idKpE0sLm8P9ZQKk769YC0Ubyi-iZ7oZN9olXY5OvHnGhbtInntrQ934pheNKah0r-cbBt_6JFJTRBAIad4FqJJARHYo8nhhRU-fXUM1AEPVO7/s4032/IMG_5209%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUsjPugbj0cjJ4CP-8UE68lIuPbHh2ufk6hFpE1OVEAtYYDxauh2GHEi5Sj1bzPapifgtDLJm3ANAs6idKpE0sLm8P9ZQKk769YC0Ubyi-iZ7oZN9olXY5OvHnGhbtInntrQ934pheNKah0r-cbBt_6JFJTRBAIad4FqJJARHYo8nhhRU-fXUM1AEPVO7/w300-h400/IMG_5209%20(2).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the site shop</td></tr></tbody></table> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>I checked on my squashes and was pleased to see that, with the recent rain, the </span><i>Crown Prince </i><span>had put on a lot of growth.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycuEyDZVQEYtROT40glu-jutsWuui-cJRwNtWzNBe8-PlXoCsNma858q6LkdxOeYmAH4r-UV3b-_2fUKvUaoAp-KGJCqUtHDMFPbenFCm6VMbBix0UsJmRdpzwKaC_RBtfOSeXXZyJzFTVLyyXIhH0vNl7LincBaayyAEOhAbxlQKZkXeMaxdg3CkkSgH/s1553/IMG_5216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1553" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjycuEyDZVQEYtROT40glu-jutsWuui-cJRwNtWzNBe8-PlXoCsNma858q6LkdxOeYmAH4r-UV3b-_2fUKvUaoAp-KGJCqUtHDMFPbenFCm6VMbBix0UsJmRdpzwKaC_RBtfOSeXXZyJzFTVLyyXIhH0vNl7LincBaayyAEOhAbxlQKZkXeMaxdg3CkkSgH/s320/IMG_5216.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crown Prince </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a weather warning and winds of 50-60mph were predicted so I made sure the tarpaulin covering the old greenhouse was secure, but fortunately we were spared the full force of the winds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>16 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I lifted the red onions, <i>Electric </i>and <i>Winter Red - </i>the <i>Electric </i>variety were on average larger, so I will certainly grow them again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFHyoH8BrO4X-H5xgh2gzqP0TGQRve6m9M0g4UpQ-xchlxvQoJUV7e-mQfvUKXklpPFg58ejumT3GX7tijESNtfOwNU9BAe6ucGIo4uJPmEMIzJBG55IEGiohdSFM3CjnUv-lcPzkB6ZSKf_ML4FpK57sMA8NLnpLZFb76BTlpeIN3Hnmjwk70r9wB1Um/s2387/IMG_5221.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2060" data-original-width="2387" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFHyoH8BrO4X-H5xgh2gzqP0TGQRve6m9M0g4UpQ-xchlxvQoJUV7e-mQfvUKXklpPFg58ejumT3GX7tijESNtfOwNU9BAe6ucGIo4uJPmEMIzJBG55IEGiohdSFM3CjnUv-lcPzkB6ZSKf_ML4FpK57sMA8NLnpLZFb76BTlpeIN3Hnmjwk70r9wB1Um/w400-h345/IMG_5221.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Electric </i>onion and a size 9 (43) shoe!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUct4u8ycDiGk8nbehOXaNinEgwt9lOCwFfLTPTilSvBsCHAso2T4s4K2OufiGBV5kjoLP7vGJRuPR7Oe5dfgEPaEVCjq39ZW_GxoDEoVITDTRDbEhtHTBZlImCXNtmnRqfPJF2YSJBTB3_Fz7gxsrEEhJho_lqrsKaOoGbUup2HCMNIgL8b0aJv51hC3/s3582/IMG_5223.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2615" data-original-width="3582" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUct4u8ycDiGk8nbehOXaNinEgwt9lOCwFfLTPTilSvBsCHAso2T4s4K2OufiGBV5kjoLP7vGJRuPR7Oe5dfgEPaEVCjq39ZW_GxoDEoVITDTRDbEhtHTBZlImCXNtmnRqfPJF2YSJBTB3_Fz7gxsrEEhJho_lqrsKaOoGbUup2HCMNIgL8b0aJv51hC3/w400-h293/IMG_5223.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onions drying on the garden table</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><b>17 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was also time to lift the shallots.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoPRvX3UC6sbf9Jw-KV4Fu4Jp_XVxCGegp_JoGFTrwGs7sK2HFM-MvEwGc-AAqeTBQF2pAdyM3kw2mDuygq1MGgeV8VAE0UI4PrwhZeJrHlQwAeJvbHNL-eMoEy5N5VxXOHWYapE92Rhw9OW29OhUZ6ze1WncI3oNBgcYzXyMBsLN20elxBCgRoKRanhK/s2932/IMG_5234.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="2932" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfoPRvX3UC6sbf9Jw-KV4Fu4Jp_XVxCGegp_JoGFTrwGs7sK2HFM-MvEwGc-AAqeTBQF2pAdyM3kw2mDuygq1MGgeV8VAE0UI4PrwhZeJrHlQwAeJvbHNL-eMoEy5N5VxXOHWYapE92Rhw9OW29OhUZ6ze1WncI3oNBgcYzXyMBsLN20elxBCgRoKRanhK/w400-h328/IMG_5234.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallots ripening</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>18 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Having lifted the onions it was time to start sorting them - some for immediate use and the larger ones to store.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W8Sh0sgC--1jAElxnJDAiAmM0xlkRVQqCiN7CdAZ-pR8vg_OCseiKv9ZnqdZ9n5rnAKyvQPVxz_bfXSvQQhldad5es5r_XQScA0TjALoofGw2LS-GS_zB_hvLoTGfeOsmbQ2QLJp0gVBNNvLkb-C40U3vrDTr_Bk7fiQt4fjUh-u1nvz6qOmo_hVVWnW/s4032/IMG_5242.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W8Sh0sgC--1jAElxnJDAiAmM0xlkRVQqCiN7CdAZ-pR8vg_OCseiKv9ZnqdZ9n5rnAKyvQPVxz_bfXSvQQhldad5es5r_XQScA0TjALoofGw2LS-GS_zB_hvLoTGfeOsmbQ2QLJp0gVBNNvLkb-C40U3vrDTr_Bk7fiQt4fjUh-u1nvz6qOmo_hVVWnW/w300-h400/IMG_5242.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onions ready to be stored</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>At the end of June, I stood down as a Trustee of the <a href="https://www.londonmarathongroup.org/"><b>London Marathon Charitable Trust</b></a><b>, </b>after 27 years and 11 months on the Board, far longer than is recommended by the Charity Commission! It was a real privilege to have been part of the journey that the London Marathon has been on - not only is it the best marathon in the world but its runners have ensured its place in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest one-day charitable fundraising event. Last year the runners themselves raised over £60 million for good causes, and any trading surplus from the Marathon itself is gift-aided to the Trust (now the London Marathon Foundation) which to date has made grants of over £100 million for community sporting and recreational activity.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In recognition of my long service I was kindly given a garden bench, which I have just assembled, and screwed on the inscription plate. I now need to decide where it goes in the garden.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsDqb6ZBcyVq49dCI3asz6m060eg4__hg5oxCTbMrOAGXXZOrtTD9BMmQaszk5QvVRo_yIau8cUq232KApdqEJUBpht1UThgn-wpxxQFftAesGinQ0TxaWhMl9tSM5v0nLtq_cZoZ2ipY0lTlnauNTjGVXvYxgDSxVjIZMDu4NQqZHhKK0WU1fIVEEh7O/s1339/IMG_5252.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1339" data-original-width="1004" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsDqb6ZBcyVq49dCI3asz6m060eg4__hg5oxCTbMrOAGXXZOrtTD9BMmQaszk5QvVRo_yIau8cUq232KApdqEJUBpht1UThgn-wpxxQFftAesGinQ0TxaWhMl9tSM5v0nLtq_cZoZ2ipY0lTlnauNTjGVXvYxgDSxVjIZMDu4NQqZHhKK0WU1fIVEEh7O/s320/IMG_5252.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;">21 July</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I picked some yellow tomatoes and chilli peppers grown in the garden in pots.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjI-vwurapnZ1p0ItYTO0UfQ0dYMYBILhpMPPWiu2Vj42oq4YHE75kOF4Z5nJln6AmdHx4Tl_4ztaSM7HejqCEkscyiYC-IimL18mJIK3hG8RAhut3Ud3o3UZIsDQ3ZPOTuIDS4B25OAFkYaImB7dUmpkW10jvMfoyRHJpDFHlTudhXTiR6opuBspCOX9/s1356/IMG_5293.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1118" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXjI-vwurapnZ1p0ItYTO0UfQ0dYMYBILhpMPPWiu2Vj42oq4YHE75kOF4Z5nJln6AmdHx4Tl_4ztaSM7HejqCEkscyiYC-IimL18mJIK3hG8RAhut3Ud3o3UZIsDQ3ZPOTuIDS4B25OAFkYaImB7dUmpkW10jvMfoyRHJpDFHlTudhXTiR6opuBspCOX9/w330-h400/IMG_5293.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Yellow</i> <i>Perfection </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1_mqNSv7s5nIFfdJW9rH0ce1ZHZZbf75Afve_vG4a0yLsvjpqMay7LaDGVka8bcetLj5LY33e0cW3Mv0pz_fuJTYFmhFD_DYUW-dvZZ1mAageQPPEBzoDVF-b5I33-R1Q-vXo__It0XC0sxV-jaQXdkesaMBxU9aHzd61YkYfDQWH5zH6cvC7yMDuNyf/s2610/IMG_5291.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2463" data-original-width="2610" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ1_mqNSv7s5nIFfdJW9rH0ce1ZHZZbf75Afve_vG4a0yLsvjpqMay7LaDGVka8bcetLj5LY33e0cW3Mv0pz_fuJTYFmhFD_DYUW-dvZZ1mAageQPPEBzoDVF-b5I33-R1Q-vXo__It0XC0sxV-jaQXdkesaMBxU9aHzd61YkYfDQWH5zH6cvC7yMDuNyf/w400-h378/IMG_5291.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Home grown chillies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">22 July</span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I began to lift some of the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Nicola </i><span style="font-family: arial;">second early potatoes and was pleased to see that we had ladybirds. They appear to be the 7 spotted variety, the most common in Europe, and their main diet is aphids, which is why they are popular with gardeners.</span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ5NAyGMtRf6tmvKEEw1swluc_vdLgIRfRUP_Z6ujrUgMxGwpJc4TE1qZqvketHEeuAYXjfqzaPpb01sEjYnUB0RcSPXx7uYu2lVbTfud2wgz5LHrt5vHlwLwLGVWwWA-Xigg9QqYCqYK_0AMG5fdG-m_GhnPwWHjNhuIsywlZfrQcQhWKvDg9-yK2A8e/s734/IMG_5296.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ5NAyGMtRf6tmvKEEw1swluc_vdLgIRfRUP_Z6ujrUgMxGwpJc4TE1qZqvketHEeuAYXjfqzaPpb01sEjYnUB0RcSPXx7uYu2lVbTfud2wgz5LHrt5vHlwLwLGVWwWA-Xigg9QqYCqYK_0AMG5fdG-m_GhnPwWHjNhuIsywlZfrQcQhWKvDg9-yK2A8e/w339-h400/IMG_5296.jpg" width="339" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 spotted ladybird</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdo5IOhfKWBqG0p3wiY5iaGaWLF5fl4sRnUYEJMJFSfuO4ep5_sqFBE5q10esy-eJHOthBL4WThjxy5DFRyf1Y16f0XrST0_fINlDB1DpJvMfoiHZEwOmHY3oFsPi-lt-fd_T73RG0XjMKQuHdtCUZu0ZiAbDqpuk7S13wf5O43TdzWQZrkuJK-QpsXyU/s2978/IMG_5299.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2978" data-original-width="2498" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUdo5IOhfKWBqG0p3wiY5iaGaWLF5fl4sRnUYEJMJFSfuO4ep5_sqFBE5q10esy-eJHOthBL4WThjxy5DFRyf1Y16f0XrST0_fINlDB1DpJvMfoiHZEwOmHY3oFsPi-lt-fd_T73RG0XjMKQuHdtCUZu0ZiAbDqpuk7S13wf5O43TdzWQZrkuJK-QpsXyU/w335-h400/IMG_5299.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Nicola </i>potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw20NlGD7sxt3F6rMzqHVsFmPCIBBU4Ie3-BWtw9Hn3w5GMV8npCjJ0LzIUyzESPZNWfLLcodWARhMN_DkURprS-DPXzGG4ZX3xVrq0wT5KxiTvXDtAft26xnHiXg_geyRG59FuV02yCBLk5H1nMWnh_ChuPNv-UkCP5KjMNS2e96W7SZPcvS7cIzqkta/s3840/54A3CB82-715F-4AE9-A26D-C6997FE604BA.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNw20NlGD7sxt3F6rMzqHVsFmPCIBBU4Ie3-BWtw9Hn3w5GMV8npCjJ0LzIUyzESPZNWfLLcodWARhMN_DkURprS-DPXzGG4ZX3xVrq0wT5KxiTvXDtAft26xnHiXg_geyRG59FuV02yCBLk5H1nMWnh_ChuPNv-UkCP5KjMNS2e96W7SZPcvS7cIzqkta/w225-h400/54A3CB82-715F-4AE9-A26D-C6997FE604BA.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Nicola </i>potatoes<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></b></span></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">23 July</span></b></div></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I spent some time tidying up on the allotment and storing the onions at home. Sylvi had a great idea for hanging and storing them in old tights.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx7iLQPYbfQxFMp0u3WfLKFjh4eaXIwXcr2JdGeZQN69s9C7EbzLGI9ZjjXJN-UNCh5UOMkN38l1kKn3I-aq3EjV1Z_-wikRg-CuQ93JkXGf_8sayJ7geQTTtaHr5uvnU9JTS-D8L3KLEsTwiDhF43j4pwAmriL_oaI6477VCTCCJCPnt6IeUKKSbKpmj/s3757/IMG_5303.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3757" data-original-width="2352" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgx7iLQPYbfQxFMp0u3WfLKFjh4eaXIwXcr2JdGeZQN69s9C7EbzLGI9ZjjXJN-UNCh5UOMkN38l1kKn3I-aq3EjV1Z_-wikRg-CuQ93JkXGf_8sayJ7geQTTtaHr5uvnU9JTS-D8L3KLEsTwiDhF43j4pwAmriL_oaI6477VCTCCJCPnt6IeUKKSbKpmj/w250-h400/IMG_5303.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">Onions ready for storing</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>25 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the morning, I took Sylvi to the hospital for her long awaited hip replacement operation and, apart from visiting, spent the next few days at home getting ready for her discharge and the arrival of visitors at the weekend!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>26 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I harvested some tomatoes from the containers in the garden and watered the plants. Early morning is the best time for watering tomatoes, aiming for the base and avoiding the leaves. The advantage of early morning watering is that any splashes on the leaves or stem will soon evaporate, reducing the risk of fungal growth.</span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdzzbFBzni84YajgPj1yy9xjoGNJdvzh_Oc43QtCdYzpPFNw7AEMnlS_cDrGbAbCSp45f_SissexzdVG3azYoH7Z6Hf5gmD6xz7gQDCF3EPYlCfEVafW6fq8bUPZmfMNUjekZv7reBWHBbCKQJU9iyGgAwF7xeMt-Qp6aqDaHScFq7HOSRVBoNXi_H7wQ/s2878/IMG_5326.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2255" data-original-width="2878" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdzzbFBzni84YajgPj1yy9xjoGNJdvzh_Oc43QtCdYzpPFNw7AEMnlS_cDrGbAbCSp45f_SissexzdVG3azYoH7Z6Hf5gmD6xz7gQDCF3EPYlCfEVafW6fq8bUPZmfMNUjekZv7reBWHBbCKQJU9iyGgAwF7xeMt-Qp6aqDaHScFq7HOSRVBoNXi_H7wQ/s320/IMG_5326.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A selection of ripening tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">27 July</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I found a space to hang the garlic and the onions in the garden workshop.</span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHVV8pS20PPUc-NxRS-kTiLPrEcSFYB0lzkFTUoxY-oLr7ZzIynbm9nHiWErk4mjVaYcHeWav4vWjLZ3G99QP6AO9rLXs6alwSoU6qftBKJuw-QlQrEh0uy6cbDeJUGZQ6nuoMtA7sZwDpWIM93vmNcDZVtp_ATaTDXFkbhyFR1BbY3iV-VDhvIr3lZYv/s4032/IMG_5337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHVV8pS20PPUc-NxRS-kTiLPrEcSFYB0lzkFTUoxY-oLr7ZzIynbm9nHiWErk4mjVaYcHeWav4vWjLZ3G99QP6AO9rLXs6alwSoU6qftBKJuw-QlQrEh0uy6cbDeJUGZQ6nuoMtA7sZwDpWIM93vmNcDZVtp_ATaTDXFkbhyFR1BbY3iV-VDhvIr3lZYv/w300-h400/IMG_5337.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19C9SOxvqjJepenQULq7Mb-Z7rQ0O1fkl_Xh3tDrjFr4vR_TOdpKhcXjMGbMmNI-4Iu1XwXYBDn-v2wOGcTlT62qGCxDn2pQ_bkYkvRywXchkqyReBSrIARvIRr6uHCdZOD2YQqG1gXn1cyPL0wHQRub7frPgE1CtheXgw0AwxvQZv__EbOEZX6olAfak/s3990/IMG_5336.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3990" data-original-width="1443" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19C9SOxvqjJepenQULq7Mb-Z7rQ0O1fkl_Xh3tDrjFr4vR_TOdpKhcXjMGbMmNI-4Iu1XwXYBDn-v2wOGcTlT62qGCxDn2pQ_bkYkvRywXchkqyReBSrIARvIRr6uHCdZOD2YQqG1gXn1cyPL0wHQRub7frPgE1CtheXgw0AwxvQZv__EbOEZX6olAfak/w145-h400/IMG_5336.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Onions</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTj5s4TayqUOkIWGoEiS55SwMJydIk-thJh2JYCMFIkfW2GGr5gC6os4voWf9Iq7CfKXpzX4XV-mlYMnTWuUh11AFGgJldvY5gqB92jblKySLmqAvu9kJou_SLRwxJfzjoWwu11V7-ijB-M8SnmXFqk16cb6JAC47kcSHglKBsldHi_U5v5U0fmR5ICrqz/s3088/IMG_5339.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTj5s4TayqUOkIWGoEiS55SwMJydIk-thJh2JYCMFIkfW2GGr5gC6os4voWf9Iq7CfKXpzX4XV-mlYMnTWuUh11AFGgJldvY5gqB92jblKySLmqAvu9kJou_SLRwxJfzjoWwu11V7-ijB-M8SnmXFqk16cb6JAC47kcSHglKBsldHi_U5v5U0fmR5ICrqz/w300-h400/IMG_5339.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Onions safely stored</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">28 July</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sylvi was home from hospital in the evening (on crutches) and the following day nephews, neices, great-nephews and great-neices arrived, together with neice's in-laws, for their summer Hove holiday! So there will be little work in the garden or on the allotment for a few days - and the family had brought the bad weather with them from Sheffield!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 July</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A brief respite from the rain and an opportunity to try out my new bench - I need the rest as there is so much work to be done next month.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vZcAegjPvcs3ItfgtYctUCLdkXc6k5kuWmeUhtQeJzEV1228P9PxZmaeA2fanKJO3oYLcOucupbM9AnWWAISGLjqtwYD1QWT_Ie5bWbJz_YU5XGhLL9Aff953Q0Opt8My1JR4PV8qDSEcKcxkAtfbz75rmsZZsE3O6pHfvluuUIyKTLldqj6nTpsjAQ5/s2951/IMG_5347%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2951" data-original-width="2622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vZcAegjPvcs3ItfgtYctUCLdkXc6k5kuWmeUhtQeJzEV1228P9PxZmaeA2fanKJO3oYLcOucupbM9AnWWAISGLjqtwYD1QWT_Ie5bWbJz_YU5XGhLL9Aff953Q0Opt8My1JR4PV8qDSEcKcxkAtfbz75rmsZZsE3O6pHfvluuUIyKTLldqj6nTpsjAQ5/w355-h400/IMG_5347%20(1).jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Time for a rest!</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><i style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>John Austin</b></i></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, July 2023</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-60914270341329657722023-07-10T02:01:00.000-07:002023-07-10T02:01:15.617-07:00Life on the Weald - June 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on the Weald - June 2023</span></h1><h2><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and in the kitchen and garden</span></span></h2><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The dry weather continued into June with no rain forecast until the middle of the month. This is causing a real problem because the new water supply, which should have been operational in May is still not completed. Some emergency water tanks have been installed but these are 150m from our plot so it is difficult to ensure that young plants get enough.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 June</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another distraction from the allotment at the beginning of the month! We had friends from the North East staying with us so, instead of working on the allotment, we took them on a visit to <a href="https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/legends/devils-dyke/"><b><i>Devil's Dyke</i></b></a>.</span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iF6cSyQWpYEn1G6BAvbOzr4c3p_XN1W40iC1kConX44uwWMMT_fyJkemXEGDs9lNRJQv4kmxudDSUOv9rD7S8R18v5m0OPbRZt9pocV-lmfKq4iHxQtEiTvnw_GVLL8QHdcMfX57MdCF66XBCaAo0MTPkwrWQtFbOBsZf2uQ5UTODG8YjLmaqDl3nFi2/s4032/IMG_4877.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6iF6cSyQWpYEn1G6BAvbOzr4c3p_XN1W40iC1kConX44uwWMMT_fyJkemXEGDs9lNRJQv4kmxudDSUOv9rD7S8R18v5m0OPbRZt9pocV-lmfKq4iHxQtEiTvnw_GVLL8QHdcMfX57MdCF66XBCaAo0MTPkwrWQtFbOBsZf2uQ5UTODG8YjLmaqDl3nFi2/w480-h640/IMG_4877.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 June - Faries Wood, Devil's Dyke</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGJ0yLi3M3Y9fCcvtv6AnoNZz1uJUCBXq7g003LuF-B8saIQdcI1nyICwwcyn1o2251aTJOPRveOaB-v64cW0Trem_vyz2QVAIIPk-uspK9V8Uxd74WXGSSxw3obwaMWyuydyY_gFC-Fm53fHWnElrSuWFWE95U4vYwWT1GOEsW4LN5AqnpFhTlVvyLhX/s4032/IMG_4878.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJGJ0yLi3M3Y9fCcvtv6AnoNZz1uJUCBXq7g003LuF-B8saIQdcI1nyICwwcyn1o2251aTJOPRveOaB-v64cW0Trem_vyz2QVAIIPk-uspK9V8Uxd74WXGSSxw3obwaMWyuydyY_gFC-Fm53fHWnElrSuWFWE95U4vYwWT1GOEsW4LN5AqnpFhTlVvyLhX/w400-h300/IMG_4878.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 June - Devil's Dyke</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>2 June</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the morning I potted on some seedlings at home, including Cavolo Nero. The afternoon temperature rose to 18C and despite my earlier decision I risked planting out some </span><i style="font-size: large;">Borlotti </i><span style="font-size: medium;">beans that had germinated at home</span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">. There was a lot of watering to do as we had not seen any rain since 6 May. Everyone had the same idea and our temporary water tanks soon emptied! All of the <i>butternut </i>squash and courgettes that I had planted out had either died or been eaten or were very shrivelled. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>3 June </b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At home, I sowed some more courgettes and <i>butternut </i> squash (<i>Hawk </i>and <i>Waltham </i>varieties). I'm waiting until the water is restored on the plot before planting out any more seedlings. They continue to occupy our garden table.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolbTVm5661xRYw0b7qAzSjXFxa6Q-CMLTgeohL7YemhJWqOaFsbIGfuVjY_S9NGsctQC-GP8k7jA9Qvgp6CN0nS6u15MLOmicRT_0bI6-LO34Yo9wQRoAKm7Cc-B3i1QWvYI9_zUZPod0mnZh08oIRB8WMlDczVMmns-6yyWw5DtkB9rCy9aZWqYAMDPF/s3024/IMG_4883.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2750" data-original-width="3024" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgolbTVm5661xRYw0b7qAzSjXFxa6Q-CMLTgeohL7YemhJWqOaFsbIGfuVjY_S9NGsctQC-GP8k7jA9Qvgp6CN0nS6u15MLOmicRT_0bI6-LO34Yo9wQRoAKm7Cc-B3i1QWvYI9_zUZPod0mnZh08oIRB8WMlDczVMmns-6yyWw5DtkB9rCy9aZWqYAMDPF/w400-h364/IMG_4883.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 June - seedlings at home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had recently seen a fox on the plot in the evening. The fox was not at all timid and came up close and stared at me. It didn't look very healthy and appeared to be losing fur. I assumed it had either been in a fight or more likely had mange.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaussErI218jV8vStkFIB71ih-RTVwp8HJb3DOZPX9P_P94lT6S4QddlJIAr5yx9rpy9KCvHUsbZ80ngcnxFp2oUSczzJLKuNzSHaDcjbUvRekHd6vQwTZqvhcAto5dOGaNgOSzbmxA3A6kaZXhZt2U1vNf1r_gtuKNve8gL0e79nwobgjUh73BYgMjes/s1075/IMG_4887.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1028" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaussErI218jV8vStkFIB71ih-RTVwp8HJb3DOZPX9P_P94lT6S4QddlJIAr5yx9rpy9KCvHUsbZ80ngcnxFp2oUSczzJLKuNzSHaDcjbUvRekHd6vQwTZqvhcAto5dOGaNgOSzbmxA3A6kaZXhZt2U1vNf1r_gtuKNve8gL0e79nwobgjUh73BYgMjes/w383-h400/IMG_4887.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 June - our fox</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGo6la2b9W49hw4eAxZONTAXUUzHmtkVS6Vp7MSwjaOuRCRpsJnsEVJ9PnR5aFNSIbfJMkvjirHAM4kxifJ-SzFOr70wdLvpP4_saIwDsnNbdYNoKskKYywrfowb-wcuKXwADYh4UHzGJYRGOXmMrlOKlwoF9y42VJJqh3RJJcIy53M2MLQLlDSWnyi9A/s692/IMG_4888.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="639" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGo6la2b9W49hw4eAxZONTAXUUzHmtkVS6Vp7MSwjaOuRCRpsJnsEVJ9PnR5aFNSIbfJMkvjirHAM4kxifJ-SzFOr70wdLvpP4_saIwDsnNbdYNoKskKYywrfowb-wcuKXwADYh4UHzGJYRGOXmMrlOKlwoF9y42VJJqh3RJJcIy53M2MLQLlDSWnyi9A/w369-h400/IMG_4888.jpg" width="369" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 June - the fox - summer moult or mange</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">Sylvi put down a dish of water which seemed to be appreciated. I read up on mange which can be fatal. It causes foxes to be less timid and eating can be difficult and painful. I consulted the RSPCA and other plotholders, one of whom, Sue, told me that adding garlic to food can help prevent mange, and get rid of the mites that cause it, as they don't like garlicky blood! We thought we might give that a try.</span></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">4 June </span></span></span></span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At home, the <i>Paeonies </i>were flowering. So too was the lemon scented geranium that our friend Jana had given to us on our trip to Ramsgate last month.</span></span></span></span></span></h1><div><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmWsssZDq0_Mv328aFZeIHamAmJSNKV9kDuOHOebhXSo022RHwmYR5MgnXWBi4ept0iOB0LR0SLuSpt_HWdRmqMUVGkFS_7qVsZwzyQp7ahdfepomIXXbGYn6PITT1bb_zGD7z4XRaAHPtsuzoWAlzj7C4PYW1jR9s5_IPhDflVdQsH14kXBRJji25T6-C" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="287" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmWsssZDq0_Mv328aFZeIHamAmJSNKV9kDuOHOebhXSo022RHwmYR5MgnXWBi4ept0iOB0LR0SLuSpt_HWdRmqMUVGkFS_7qVsZwzyQp7ahdfepomIXXbGYn6PITT1bb_zGD7z4XRaAHPtsuzoWAlzj7C4PYW1jR9s5_IPhDflVdQsH14kXBRJji25T6-C=w358-h400" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 June - <i>Paeonies<br /><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o2v6QLlrWH0Io4f8_jYLSVHyGr14D7sWWU_uG1lUyr2BUKI-uldtC4WuCJzwYbgUFYHQN1-FI4jwkR4U0YBsHjjwieOFrtvCQXEyBZ2VjzTGXt26etjRsUl5MjYxO07hnkN_Cih2CvPxYK7VnQeDeSe39asdtYu0JjyhsXkmQZrwYwy8f65ZPXilOdwh/s2148/IMG_4890.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2148" data-original-width="1611" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o2v6QLlrWH0Io4f8_jYLSVHyGr14D7sWWU_uG1lUyr2BUKI-uldtC4WuCJzwYbgUFYHQN1-FI4jwkR4U0YBsHjjwieOFrtvCQXEyBZ2VjzTGXt26etjRsUl5MjYxO07hnkN_Cih2CvPxYK7VnQeDeSe39asdtYu0JjyhsXkmQZrwYwy8f65ZPXilOdwh/w300-h400/IMG_4890.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 June - <i>geranium</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></span></span></span></div><i><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Normally, I would not advocate feeding wild animals but if they are poorly perhaps it's right to make an exception. We are reluctant to put food down in case it attracts rats etc but Sylvi prepared some table scraps, some bread and lamb dripping mixed with lots of fresh garlic to take to the plot in case we encountered the fox again. We did. Sylvi put down some water and the food. The fox drank some water then picked up the dish of food and dragged it to Viv's plot, next to ours, and had supper there! Viv says she is happy to host.</span></div><span><span><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/54z-4psmgvI" width="320" youtube-src-id="54z-4psmgvI"></iframe></b></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>5 June</b></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Our visit today was confined to watering - a tiring, laborious process carrying watering cans 150m from the temporary tank to the plot. Priority was given to watering the young seedlings. Despite the lack of water the 2nd early potatoes seemed to be surviving the drought but the 1st earlies were dying back without having flowered.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa93loF3Goy5X7_-Nim1psWsGvrxuqEuedcL1yURkACcGG5I4zrPVFPGQ7vNO7EryxkIGBa3W6VXePp4bj4L9h1NFBCUHU-SUx9mTVavcCCNb2WnFJqsmLqLUtjZ_5Tvdf3nYbGOmlyHAJesHlcv9XWBHhzouTSaxO_ex8nL8zmDi1Ea4gRmRmN5NMOAR/s4032/IMG_4897%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa93loF3Goy5X7_-Nim1psWsGvrxuqEuedcL1yURkACcGG5I4zrPVFPGQ7vNO7EryxkIGBa3W6VXePp4bj4L9h1NFBCUHU-SUx9mTVavcCCNb2WnFJqsmLqLUtjZ_5Tvdf3nYbGOmlyHAJesHlcv9XWBHhzouTSaxO_ex8nL8zmDi1Ea4gRmRmN5NMOAR/w400-h300/IMG_4897%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 June - 2nd Early potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And I was fearful that the garlic plants would die back before the bulbs had swollen.</span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5Ntilx7M_hG8-rqcwlUS_MuEAi0bfP9cpAPyAuMIrhBfsOc04b1-AZO-fr6HcpI_duKdGhX6HsNVF7ocMzq5kvq0Onopthb5rLcMN4DV7FdQEXL9qqDt_hj20eYFVdQVh4eayR7znBH20-Y377ElURXjB9N79zAPTKwQvutUAt56NzsqJWkHfMEumSMD/s2762/IMG_4898.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2762" data-original-width="2470" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5Ntilx7M_hG8-rqcwlUS_MuEAi0bfP9cpAPyAuMIrhBfsOc04b1-AZO-fr6HcpI_duKdGhX6HsNVF7ocMzq5kvq0Onopthb5rLcMN4DV7FdQEXL9qqDt_hj20eYFVdQVh4eayR7znBH20-Y377ElURXjB9N79zAPTKwQvutUAt56NzsqJWkHfMEumSMD/w358-h400/IMG_4898.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> 5 June - Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The recently transplanted <i>Borlotti </i>beans had survived - I had put some lambswool around them to deter gastropods! It seems to have worked.</span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNsgeDmJQxVL4HHfXuFxdyahzDHTDkQgmkeSuwdalGeFwkR_NQiqnNMwde3IU_ZiyLd9GZjPBKlC9U-BX7DrV7t9R-UF_EaWDzohxfBvrGVwtjvHmuh2x8I4VPY_sMd328tMNOlfB67EHl9fXUeXLRLGV6YWQczIuSJNEui96RyYbYY2q426eWpfqZo7r/s4032/IMG_4899%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNsgeDmJQxVL4HHfXuFxdyahzDHTDkQgmkeSuwdalGeFwkR_NQiqnNMwde3IU_ZiyLd9GZjPBKlC9U-BX7DrV7t9R-UF_EaWDzohxfBvrGVwtjvHmuh2x8I4VPY_sMd328tMNOlfB67EHl9fXUeXLRLGV6YWQczIuSJNEui96RyYbYY2q426eWpfqZo7r/w300-h400/IMG_4899%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 June - <i>Borlotti </i>beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">7 June </span></b></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Ox-eye daisies around the pond were looking very attractive.....</span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2tRGigl9V2Z2ze2mforoB2miIwtM3DQPjyeqtbAh1eYox1b0JT4LgrE2QtaWVPu7dU80PaYcWNCVNMYbhKjrBHev7tT0WDrvDB_xw8uBAZOaBevSJl9JEeMmp9R2Gb7HJh9m9fSQ1dp1O_pkQkDqYUrf0a3eH6uegDpvqJszcqB1-nVKb21y8ijCqQY7/s4032/IMG_4903.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2tRGigl9V2Z2ze2mforoB2miIwtM3DQPjyeqtbAh1eYox1b0JT4LgrE2QtaWVPu7dU80PaYcWNCVNMYbhKjrBHev7tT0WDrvDB_xw8uBAZOaBevSJl9JEeMmp9R2Gb7HJh9m9fSQ1dp1O_pkQkDqYUrf0a3eH6uegDpvqJszcqB1-nVKb21y8ijCqQY7/w300-h400/IMG_4903.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">...and the Love in a mist was also flowering</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w_HIa9NgwwJKVoWfeNEgLYjkliNBxl5EcIma9wx1av4RWmzPC76BvJf-LOc2pIYJjkoqV3MA_5TiT_Bk01sDnCuayT5yQhbIWbXaoJyjCIQC3Rd46JbnWjzdWqxRwabDP7JjKCt4C6_W4oOX6Y_mDOObIOugrqrR59UZ7fgXx4eSSLXXjjKeQNwRx4JL/s1692/IMG_4905.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1692" data-original-width="1269" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w_HIa9NgwwJKVoWfeNEgLYjkliNBxl5EcIma9wx1av4RWmzPC76BvJf-LOc2pIYJjkoqV3MA_5TiT_Bk01sDnCuayT5yQhbIWbXaoJyjCIQC3Rd46JbnWjzdWqxRwabDP7JjKCt4C6_W4oOX6Y_mDOObIOugrqrR59UZ7fgXx4eSSLXXjjKeQNwRx4JL/w300-h400/IMG_4905.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>9-10 June</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I planted out a few more <i>Borlotti </i>beans and <i>Cobra </i>French beans that I had grown from seed at home but had little time to do more as we had more visitors for the weekend - which meant the obligatory trip to <a href="https://www.marroccos.co.uk/"><b><i>Marrocco's</i></b></a></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qXPDvzCfhk" width="320" youtube-src-id="7qXPDvzCfhk"></iframe></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Saturday I got up early, before our guests, to do a bit of watering and also to plant out some of my Spanish cucumbers (<i>Pepinos</i>) grown from seed - two <i>Ashley </i>and two <i>Marketer </i>varieties and also to plant out <i>purple sprouting broccoli, kale </i>& <i>purple Brussels sprouts. </i></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The plums were looking good and the apples were just beginning to set.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFLRCmcV38n34gZBokQEUMHrfLeMTKYABuc3ljZNSHopZxCaj1s3IeyBVOZZTwcL4G6YIKXNaFnSx2BbQHbGJHS9eVH9rMzoj_6y92V60WcwowYHrjyIltr22Vznu1b8cxA1VC4oJ3xDBVmpqtQOkAS0seRRXbL_eFc6K3nrq0BnY7LZC_3hcE2c3_akS/s3024/IMG_4917.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2739" data-original-width="3024" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSFLRCmcV38n34gZBokQEUMHrfLeMTKYABuc3ljZNSHopZxCaj1s3IeyBVOZZTwcL4G6YIKXNaFnSx2BbQHbGJHS9eVH9rMzoj_6y92V60WcwowYHrjyIltr22Vznu1b8cxA1VC4oJ3xDBVmpqtQOkAS0seRRXbL_eFc6K3nrq0BnY7LZC_3hcE2c3_akS/w400-h363/IMG_4917.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 June - 7am - Plums</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3HdpOaF3kEUwdhqEq35sijWvHuF5RoihldP8Lc94SbEu_Jb8tNY9SDhSIyXARGNnzKxBAB-YXZSsmrJTVyo_kqzW5auA0sVOaRD8AEuxaKcNNciI2anA6GU7DY2f5ki403YMGH6wowukeHxhQ-r1t8-6QpENlvVCtL6bCMgEcF5TupkQAZ1rjkK61m7c/s4032/IMG_4919.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3HdpOaF3kEUwdhqEq35sijWvHuF5RoihldP8Lc94SbEu_Jb8tNY9SDhSIyXARGNnzKxBAB-YXZSsmrJTVyo_kqzW5auA0sVOaRD8AEuxaKcNNciI2anA6GU7DY2f5ki403YMGH6wowukeHxhQ-r1t8-6QpENlvVCtL6bCMgEcF5TupkQAZ1rjkK61m7c/w300-h400/IMG_4919.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 June 7am - apples</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was pleased to have done some early morning watering as it turned out to be the hottest day of the year - perhaps not the ideal day to take our guests on a 3 mile walk from <i>Beachy Head</i> to <i>Birling Gap</i></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWbAWFKxOZqmjK4fsg6Gfmp-1QH717ZSyTvvXBAzZGeGAk6jSpZYbEe8qgVPhLrDXKJLseqMHS6CqOO_mxvefNp8wa1GQyco__mTmT29IDCKkmdZXLqlqm95wYNZ0Rs1S-aWxYWNtonnbUXX1A7ChHExug7FQpUDcP1R0MQUZxY_fQgRtk4jnf1wO3Mgn/s1418/IMG_4921.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1418" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWbAWFKxOZqmjK4fsg6Gfmp-1QH717ZSyTvvXBAzZGeGAk6jSpZYbEe8qgVPhLrDXKJLseqMHS6CqOO_mxvefNp8wa1GQyco__mTmT29IDCKkmdZXLqlqm95wYNZ0Rs1S-aWxYWNtonnbUXX1A7ChHExug7FQpUDcP1R0MQUZxY_fQgRtk4jnf1wO3Mgn/w400-h360/IMG_4921.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 June 1pm <i>Beachy Head</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMRGk8m9F2KHpKG304kHNPQgDqgdQ_J6-RD2JXIU2rHLU3dDXCgw1ilbjz5DQZiFBMF7IdqTkVpJdnG4nxlaus8DQ74G5EgrTl1-BBADcr7MOTA3uHKVXMMG4hrhpir9hFjiUi5UQcu3xR5lEblvOir8wjOyYAH0we_R__gBUJrZrxyioARZ1tHlz1W6m/s4032/IMG_4925.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMRGk8m9F2KHpKG304kHNPQgDqgdQ_J6-RD2JXIU2rHLU3dDXCgw1ilbjz5DQZiFBMF7IdqTkVpJdnG4nxlaus8DQ74G5EgrTl1-BBADcr7MOTA3uHKVXMMG4hrhpir9hFjiUi5UQcu3xR5lEblvOir8wjOyYAH0we_R__gBUJrZrxyioARZ1tHlz1W6m/w300-h400/IMG_4925.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 June - 1.30pm approaching Belle Tout lighthouse</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We did manage a trip to the allotment later when we picked about 3kg of broad beans. I also managed to find a couple of larger pots to house surplus<i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i><i>Marmande </i>and <i>Tres Cantos </i>tomatoes.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Some of our fellow plotholders seem to be having problems using the new standpipes so one of our plotholders, Helen, has made a very useful video.</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6RJx5nmR78U" width="320" youtube-src-id="6RJx5nmR78U"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #222222;">12 June</b><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">My daughter, </span><span style="color: #222222;">Zoe and a friend came down for a couple of days and she helped to pick some chard and about 4kg Broad beans. I lifted a couple of the dying plants of the First early <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes, just to see how they were doing. They were a lot smaller, and less plentiful than last year and yielded about 1kg.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of our neighbours on the site, Sophie, gave me a butternut squash and courgette which she had to spare, and I planted these out to replace ones that I had lost.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: medium;">14 June</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">We did some late watering and Sylvi fed the fox. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnb0AEZJ29gz7fiIgGWDMm-OZvt3e4LWAESFE4c7J5Hpw5fQHGH_vG9YRh16I1D9YnCzbGHYmJkeLz1twp5I__GFDWAzJhTUW2OeazSCL10_rbi99I74EEfv1X4YAN91GS55bD5V9Dg08CLEpWs7oGYI1TTruUYEz1uHtjuSCPwksG71-Xx7vH5XJEQ4J/s673/IMG_4949.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="555" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnb0AEZJ29gz7fiIgGWDMm-OZvt3e4LWAESFE4c7J5Hpw5fQHGH_vG9YRh16I1D9YnCzbGHYmJkeLz1twp5I__GFDWAzJhTUW2OeazSCL10_rbi99I74EEfv1X4YAN91GS55bD5V9Dg08CLEpWs7oGYI1TTruUYEz1uHtjuSCPwksG71-Xx7vH5XJEQ4J/w330-h400/IMG_4949.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">14 June Feeding time</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">It was still light at</span><span style="color: #222222;"> 9pm and still 20C! During the day it had been 26C.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> We had some of the <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes, roasted in their skins then finished with a coating of grated Parmesan - they were scrumptious!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b style="color: #222222; font-size: large;">15 -16 June</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Thursday 15 was much cooler and cloudy but Friday was another hot day with temperatures in the high twenties. We planted out some Patty pan squashes (<i>Sunblest</i>), courgettes and <i>Blue Ballet </i>squash. I was pleased to see that some of the directly sown purple dwarf French beans were beginning to come up. Sadly this was not true of the <i>Cobra </i>climbing French beans, so I sowed some more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">The <i>Crown Prince </i>squash seem to be doing well....</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mBEx8PG6xVgjLufs_NqjqtoTOFmweoyydqZqCpkL5XyS9e0EXtI_ktN2SdBhgH5b_6tyvB7ma8V4OAvV1oCXeST_fUsBoluR7vNt6Nh5me00UpXqpPxdAMMZVNo_D-kTyZ9oKOpQm1p8kQ1kZLMrQSpaGjpAo4Jf837wg_1m1m-7nv5DkPLyxHsr7NYx/s4032/IMG_4955.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mBEx8PG6xVgjLufs_NqjqtoTOFmweoyydqZqCpkL5XyS9e0EXtI_ktN2SdBhgH5b_6tyvB7ma8V4OAvV1oCXeST_fUsBoluR7vNt6Nh5me00UpXqpPxdAMMZVNo_D-kTyZ9oKOpQm1p8kQ1kZLMrQSpaGjpAo4Jf837wg_1m1m-7nv5DkPLyxHsr7NYx/w300-h400/IMG_4955.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 June <i>Crown Prince </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">....and the red onions will be ready for lifting soon.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijst5aX2LK-PDPgQYR2muYEKMCz9B-sTiYs0JXVuc9U03F-yBFjGUWYWoNrHibYzHtdtLEFxzAX4zENKdvATk336HA5FP1Da88xZ6bRFw-0_h_BBPjWjLm7QBc6pewRiHoMGGpjnET88wx32hRVzaUh-VVMuZ5Qygz7UIX7OmiOCeW-5qWNWUz_6cnpNMv/s2912/IMG_4956.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2912" data-original-width="2184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijst5aX2LK-PDPgQYR2muYEKMCz9B-sTiYs0JXVuc9U03F-yBFjGUWYWoNrHibYzHtdtLEFxzAX4zENKdvATk336HA5FP1Da88xZ6bRFw-0_h_BBPjWjLm7QBc6pewRiHoMGGpjnET88wx32hRVzaUh-VVMuZ5Qygz7UIX7OmiOCeW-5qWNWUz_6cnpNMv/w300-h400/IMG_4956.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 June - red onions</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We picked the last of the late autumn sown broad beans which had suffered from the blackfly invasion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgko4j6yruhKMzWcFC6avxhA9L0US686yjQ3XCBWl-ePYoESCbMLA1m1sVGFPmENb5VFBZbfxI-oCLA1HOWJ96UPHTl1sELy_tZwKl7RhBh-CfTqHg15LGnhPXE9kLzJwCImoTNbSPc0xzHhV3iwcOq0XOvWh6gFybGtE8Ln_eAuvJ-R4gNbqnDWoWxhy/s4032/IMG_4959.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgko4j6yruhKMzWcFC6avxhA9L0US686yjQ3XCBWl-ePYoESCbMLA1m1sVGFPmENb5VFBZbfxI-oCLA1HOWJ96UPHTl1sELy_tZwKl7RhBh-CfTqHg15LGnhPXE9kLzJwCImoTNbSPc0xzHhV3iwcOq0XOvWh6gFybGtE8Ln_eAuvJ-R4gNbqnDWoWxhy/w300-h400/IMG_4959.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 June - Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>18 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">We picked most of the remaining broad beans and dug up some of the chard which was beginning to go to seed. I laid cardboard around the frame which I had constructed for the tromboncinos and covered this with worm compost and planted out 3 tromboncino plants that I had bought from a garden centre (my own home-sown ones having died). In the pond, the water lilies were beginning to flower but the water level was very low.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBTQCI0rvr09xtCrIz4w1y0baPNbH8Fz-J0VMfZYEVqToTCdeMHKv5WnHDgk4qq_Da_ZwujEuVAfIx8aLESYJDckO50tftO6N8i0OIXZcoczQvfacHIsJ7emgUQMM_PzjMW4PgDP03dV8zww1YVlqLu8Q7RT5pHt8OGzQ1ebcdeFCnxabCulS-7GmqNfS/s4032/IMG_4990.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBTQCI0rvr09xtCrIz4w1y0baPNbH8Fz-J0VMfZYEVqToTCdeMHKv5WnHDgk4qq_Da_ZwujEuVAfIx8aLESYJDckO50tftO6N8i0OIXZcoczQvfacHIsJ7emgUQMM_PzjMW4PgDP03dV8zww1YVlqLu8Q7RT5pHt8OGzQ1ebcdeFCnxabCulS-7GmqNfS/w300-h400/IMG_4990.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 June - water lilies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">Just as I was finishing, the sky clouded over, followed by heavy rain which, hopefully, will replenish the pond.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>19 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">I planted out some <i>Cavolo Nero </i> but one of the purple Brussels sprouts planted earlier had been eaten and the purple sprouting broccoli had also been attacked. I also planted out the two remaining <i>Hungarian Blue </i>squashes, a butternut squash (<i>Hawk</i>) and a courgette. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz4JzPslOqITsk_GeGAompJhRHJ4z7y9CL-f0hA8vgsgZ6ynKbc2nw_xJzul4sUwNEfu_ZzwD3IxWPoZrtJ3JpQXN-TkAx4HV_yaVXd7pUIwnQyigifv1oxva8tEHnQBLw-aj3N-m6aJy7JWRMqG9Xub3N-DjuIF0emFEQfbUt4o9XJ1Hknj8VzNkzT_9/s3220/IMG_4997.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3220" data-original-width="2429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz4JzPslOqITsk_GeGAompJhRHJ4z7y9CL-f0hA8vgsgZ6ynKbc2nw_xJzul4sUwNEfu_ZzwD3IxWPoZrtJ3JpQXN-TkAx4HV_yaVXd7pUIwnQyigifv1oxva8tEHnQBLw-aj3N-m6aJy7JWRMqG9Xub3N-DjuIF0emFEQfbUt4o9XJ1Hknj8VzNkzT_9/w301-h400/IMG_4997.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 June - planting out squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvB7s65Kxd28LMtGWDM6zWt7MZqtV7qvM0flFmxn5AFwLCHtOfIIE8Ze0gjPfKwUY60Deommd4EZRyxBKMTBrdLYgq-4QTNKTehBuFx7YHyhkcntL6E8_UL0z7kGEfya92a6W9m3FwNnKlr_UL9rRU5MdlQPbwTOqoYKIFB7W0O21Cpjn0iXFqVzijK6Y/s3794/IMG_4998.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3794" data-original-width="2737" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvB7s65Kxd28LMtGWDM6zWt7MZqtV7qvM0flFmxn5AFwLCHtOfIIE8Ze0gjPfKwUY60Deommd4EZRyxBKMTBrdLYgq-4QTNKTehBuFx7YHyhkcntL6E8_UL0z7kGEfya92a6W9m3FwNnKlr_UL9rRU5MdlQPbwTOqoYKIFB7W0O21Cpjn0iXFqVzijK6Y/w289-h400/IMG_4998.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 June - planting out squashes<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Normally, I would plant out squashes when they are more advanced but it is getting late in the season and these were recently sown to replace lost ones.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">There was more rain overnight.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>21 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">The butternut squashes and courgette, planted out before the rain came down, have survived but the sole remaining Brussels sprout plant has been eaten! The <i>tromboncinos </i>seemed to be surviving and I planted out some more Patty pan - this time <i>Custard white </i>variety.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIRBGhyjaBG_aJuSeNpMLyob3-g9LMinipnD-uNs2xgQmFeFykOA57xHTfZ8QVda2Wh6rDITGZSWhLHu4YvuAANkDkV3K22Eok-E9z0Zp2wrkq6FDgTngLF4Zpy60Wd2rx8Ze_KEorHst_T_PbDF0da472P24zIvIvVoXBXNwmTtG26rQvhCFvySvWhJ6/s2387/IMG_5016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2086" data-original-width="2387" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIRBGhyjaBG_aJuSeNpMLyob3-g9LMinipnD-uNs2xgQmFeFykOA57xHTfZ8QVda2Wh6rDITGZSWhLHu4YvuAANkDkV3K22Eok-E9z0Zp2wrkq6FDgTngLF4Zpy60Wd2rx8Ze_KEorHst_T_PbDF0da472P24zIvIvVoXBXNwmTtG26rQvhCFvySvWhJ6/w400-h350/IMG_5016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 June - <i>tromboncino</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR5it2oQNM3LFw6OYZnkgfUW_NwQTTxkMGBPNo09DFL-e7nsRQSBCYUxene76pcga6FM2Ar2GF6gIuNX4qpaX6f39FpPTWdv3fjN3hwdSBk3ldLiIPsBbdJM-K4ZW7UQv9brJagiIdegTmnUQAYFVIAxfB3H7CS_vBoicAnN_CjsMIfTTY2cU4C-aaJNg/s2053/IMG_5017.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2010" data-original-width="2053" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcR5it2oQNM3LFw6OYZnkgfUW_NwQTTxkMGBPNo09DFL-e7nsRQSBCYUxene76pcga6FM2Ar2GF6gIuNX4qpaX6f39FpPTWdv3fjN3hwdSBk3ldLiIPsBbdJM-K4ZW7UQv9brJagiIdegTmnUQAYFVIAxfB3H7CS_vBoicAnN_CjsMIfTTY2cU4C-aaJNg/w400-h391/IMG_5017.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 June - </span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">tromboncino<br /></span><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEh4-ckcFY49LZs-1A_szDLyGQpB-tkE-QpHi8CqsGcPDE1IK62i_GBTBhYfp_rT1_GoTRIFuc1dObTslj_W4arMJlzzD_T3V0fd1Igyv517KivM5Chfxko9cOfGklHeMN-yZGF98MrgixW27Oj5QgsCUemzIYYQFNBU_aJO7RBhtdzM9kzFSqbyw3UFo/s2002/IMG_5018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="1984" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEh4-ckcFY49LZs-1A_szDLyGQpB-tkE-QpHi8CqsGcPDE1IK62i_GBTBhYfp_rT1_GoTRIFuc1dObTslj_W4arMJlzzD_T3V0fd1Igyv517KivM5Chfxko9cOfGklHeMN-yZGF98MrgixW27Oj5QgsCUemzIYYQFNBU_aJO7RBhtdzM9kzFSqbyw3UFo/w396-h400/IMG_5018.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 June<i> - Custard </i>Patty pan</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>22 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">A neighbour, Roz, had given me a <i>Kuri </i>squash which I planted out and I replaced the two Brussels sprout plants that had been eaten and covered them with a bottle cloche. I directly sowed some more <i>Cobra </i> climbing French beans and some <i>Borlotti</i>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">At home the chillies were ripening</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZmpxjJz_5FZw8CkXryWPUs4yD9LKWmsoocd81FJogQFbMubbUWa6YZcKwHPWMcNa8D3YgtEjbhCM7SwslqMOmapsRfSnYOrMhr1z8iU84st45k2HloaOppPFXHMWoKopzXZplnJn3JsjVf73EGU_698tiOaGC3xE9DD9IEkfe6FawgBp9EKOHhbYtV-f/s2300/IMG_5027.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="2103" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZmpxjJz_5FZw8CkXryWPUs4yD9LKWmsoocd81FJogQFbMubbUWa6YZcKwHPWMcNa8D3YgtEjbhCM7SwslqMOmapsRfSnYOrMhr1z8iU84st45k2HloaOppPFXHMWoKopzXZplnJn3JsjVf73EGU_698tiOaGC3xE9DD9IEkfe6FawgBp9EKOHhbYtV-f/w366-h400/IMG_5027.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 June - Habanero</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive1JTAjNiEdpjAqe2kp8uXs4UTJ5oJcJ6T8ZIvHh1IjK7YgXcFEcvfv_A519CcVBzW8l5_st5hdP8TcGbNtOtUNQJaV1mBjItnygn0zA0W9Iv9HaEujTCaURM5pG0H1Y00V6dEcGxX4ejgpXtTj_i-z6srsXUeC5myts_VcJRSLoayJjG7D5PO5sz1PKA/s1441/IMG_5028.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="1222" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEive1JTAjNiEdpjAqe2kp8uXs4UTJ5oJcJ6T8ZIvHh1IjK7YgXcFEcvfv_A519CcVBzW8l5_st5hdP8TcGbNtOtUNQJaV1mBjItnygn0zA0W9Iv9HaEujTCaURM5pG0H1Y00V6dEcGxX4ejgpXtTj_i-z6srsXUeC5myts_VcJRSLoayJjG7D5PO5sz1PKA/w339-h400/IMG_5028.jpg" width="339" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 June - Basket of Fire</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>23 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">The forecast was for another dry hot spell with temperatures around 25C and possibly 29C at the weekend so I did some early morning watering around 7am and I sowed some <i>Blue Lake </i>climbing French beans in the gaps between the growing ones. I also lifted a few <i>Duke of York </i>first early potatoes and some of the garlic.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFapI0zQjgd6TqvvY1J70dhZMzQly52FF1oyi4_vUcv14JNMq_ik5JAbwhMPyCtdVJ5tx3IKII-cbqkmIdlVOc-IcXFCI1dmKJvnfgYAp7oy8uKQvuO0yDuiiLpcFoV0tIti3dr0c851m3bSN7FCnVZDSGlnbGjFFzJbYIQ42yiZ9Y6x08U9jiPmET1b5J/s2848/IMG_5048.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="2222" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFapI0zQjgd6TqvvY1J70dhZMzQly52FF1oyi4_vUcv14JNMq_ik5JAbwhMPyCtdVJ5tx3IKII-cbqkmIdlVOc-IcXFCI1dmKJvnfgYAp7oy8uKQvuO0yDuiiLpcFoV0tIti3dr0c851m3bSN7FCnVZDSGlnbGjFFzJbYIQ42yiZ9Y6x08U9jiPmET1b5J/w313-h400/IMG_5048.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 June - First early <i>Duke of York</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSQJqQN0mM--dAjr7cxZ8eFn_wkb3GL4qH-HzZbwpSsutl6Iaeg5QoD1P6iJhnHu7ZEIAmaWM2w_an-_Jlnd_biZrIaZN63Zbzc1p7IEWttojVtscS-6vgCFU1AnoEenI5DD4Skw8QwBMooS7SKnrg5brqUVspRLLLlBeRa-oiciqrMqrulV9Go4VtXK-/s1764/IMG_5051%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1764" data-original-width="1223" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSQJqQN0mM--dAjr7cxZ8eFn_wkb3GL4qH-HzZbwpSsutl6Iaeg5QoD1P6iJhnHu7ZEIAmaWM2w_an-_Jlnd_biZrIaZN63Zbzc1p7IEWttojVtscS-6vgCFU1AnoEenI5DD4Skw8QwBMooS7SKnrg5brqUVspRLLLlBeRa-oiciqrMqrulV9Go4VtXK-/w278-h400/IMG_5051%20(1).jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 June - Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>26 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">We cleared the remaining broad bean plants and planted out a couple of courgette plants and purple sprouting broccoli to replace the ones that had died or been eaten.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b>27 June</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">In the morning I sowed some purple French beans, where the broad beans had been and sprinkled some coffee grouts and crushed eggshells as a slug/snail deterrent.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptIw55WRbVgvtEFGdMwp_nly-DEg6ZiDUVpfgLynMQX5BgT6IWIEygALIdy8TdgRHyo1ML3gRz5yOjEPgxR8vquFvfP3LnvFO50zKxQdO2nck_yZSJi3H5rh_mSuBsgu8o2FDfhboA53DT-DOQJpApMniqKsdYfjV3s2Cc2v1uqF_gZp6XtEHtas9FovR/s4032/IMG_5058.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptIw55WRbVgvtEFGdMwp_nly-DEg6ZiDUVpfgLynMQX5BgT6IWIEygALIdy8TdgRHyo1ML3gRz5yOjEPgxR8vquFvfP3LnvFO50zKxQdO2nck_yZSJi3H5rh_mSuBsgu8o2FDfhboA53DT-DOQJpApMniqKsdYfjV3s2Cc2v1uqF_gZp6XtEHtas9FovR/w300-h400/IMG_5058.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 June - ready for sowing</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIDd3Ea8FiPq-fmS_sI1ARO_yo5Ac4nyJ2VIl6A9QLmDxCBkI-JK-IzqL2A0PSa3rB63p6N571l9WVYTvveSZw4JkwvmE2FPa3X3kneEpZv3Ubn1w3_heu3x5is4OXfFfbyinQvcAija5hsYgrV5QeQNmkZ8O1cVekU6rTAZrxq8m3a2gk-rbKSBUxpps/s4032/IMG_5063.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIDd3Ea8FiPq-fmS_sI1ARO_yo5Ac4nyJ2VIl6A9QLmDxCBkI-JK-IzqL2A0PSa3rB63p6N571l9WVYTvveSZw4JkwvmE2FPa3X3kneEpZv3Ubn1w3_heu3x5is4OXfFfbyinQvcAija5hsYgrV5QeQNmkZ8O1cVekU6rTAZrxq8m3a2gk-rbKSBUxpps/w300-h400/IMG_5063.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">beans sown and dusting of coffee & eggshells</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last month when cleaning out the old shed we found a stash of plumstones each with a neat hole.</span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2gO2GMbypY-YAnHCj6RUxDJ_2Wdub4iZIkVCiQ1H44asCdNcnXNUU45L5xHFVRw1XJiG9qQUA93nNaH6TVwxf9btfH6sEEAbA7PvCJ96v6pP193xidqugO-Ljtwhd2MvZyczkwxZzZhdGhnLZggCsu3PgjUjhuUscA4uO3WREfTc8NOwp70ghMNa1NqD/s1454/IMG_4830%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2gO2GMbypY-YAnHCj6RUxDJ_2Wdub4iZIkVCiQ1H44asCdNcnXNUU45L5xHFVRw1XJiG9qQUA93nNaH6TVwxf9btfH6sEEAbA7PvCJ96v6pP193xidqugO-Ljtwhd2MvZyczkwxZzZhdGhnLZggCsu3PgjUjhuUscA4uO3WREfTc8NOwp70ghMNa1NqD/w373-h400/IMG_4830%20(1).jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A stash of plum stones</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;">A closer examination showed that the hole had been neatly chiseled, probably by sharp incisors to extract the kernel. <br /></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzq17XH1iGCsMvndMBC9zKaRYKR1BvZLxMbUQCVnpodtT7o7ZDtdY3Y_QprzzdejFjIDNZLt-GeKe0LR9Be4Ghd6Y1pDaANZqlQDHa59ydUcMUTP8i2GJUymoSXBxCRfABsa6vRusNh5OCe66Uu3Sd1lsDFmzvwx0-Vb4Xj8j8ZMsZwNynhOvzUdqrGJe/s4032/IMG_5057.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzq17XH1iGCsMvndMBC9zKaRYKR1BvZLxMbUQCVnpodtT7o7ZDtdY3Y_QprzzdejFjIDNZLt-GeKe0LR9Be4Ghd6Y1pDaANZqlQDHa59ydUcMUTP8i2GJUymoSXBxCRfABsa6vRusNh5OCe66Uu3Sd1lsDFmzvwx0-Vb4Xj8j8ZMsZwNynhOvzUdqrGJe/w300-h400/IMG_5057.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 June - plum stones</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">My initial thought was rats, but then I wondered if they would create a stash and probably they would just crush the nuts open. Could it possibly be squirrels with such a neat crafted hole? A neighbour suggested field mice. It is still a mystery.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">I strimmed around the apple tree and laid cardboard in anticipation of the arrival of some more wood chippings. In the evening we strengthened the frame and put netting over the red cabbages, which were beginning to heart up. We covered the blueberries with loose netting and picked some raspberries and a few peas - some <i>mangetout, </i>some sugar snap and some ordinary peas.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqrJRZjI2PpmAIrNjkU-jVUX74xu7FkSqysbJIP_tFqhTP53d40JiTiKDO4UsnnHCjVj9GJvpXBZEED92IKImvqakENIxjrzC5lVB5okAb975uSDlZx4-5vCtwMFsv4hzMIXh3FdvKlwzNuzUg79qBw1qZYkcVwjCoeI4qLGJFNpSqAIxKWQuVE4nae3S/s3024/IMG_5069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2908" data-original-width="3024" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqrJRZjI2PpmAIrNjkU-jVUX74xu7FkSqysbJIP_tFqhTP53d40JiTiKDO4UsnnHCjVj9GJvpXBZEED92IKImvqakENIxjrzC5lVB5okAb975uSDlZx4-5vCtwMFsv4hzMIXh3FdvKlwzNuzUg79qBw1qZYkcVwjCoeI4qLGJFNpSqAIxKWQuVE4nae3S/s320/IMG_5069.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 June - a variety of peas</td></tr></tbody></table><b style="color: #222222; font-size: large;">29 June</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">We managed to pick the redcurrants and some raspberries before the rain came down again. The redcurrants are fine, just not very many and the raspberries are very small. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0faCXkdOLve_TtEt4W5hdrrbssNR-u1zVWD6Prx7NdFnaA8YSdqOHBry6_fjdeDUriRF3Hbz4Cq4W7X17dKT9CLltFThobn8CFPpOtghQAJ2PKLqguhbqvRKPexT47bBSAjMfxZ4rkJLZo_v1Y-RK1ApGnoyO1ykp6FcFoJkp0xLLgGMKzeDa-_Za7fk/s4032/IMG_5073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0faCXkdOLve_TtEt4W5hdrrbssNR-u1zVWD6Prx7NdFnaA8YSdqOHBry6_fjdeDUriRF3Hbz4Cq4W7X17dKT9CLltFThobn8CFPpOtghQAJ2PKLqguhbqvRKPexT47bBSAjMfxZ4rkJLZo_v1Y-RK1ApGnoyO1ykp6FcFoJkp0xLLgGMKzeDa-_Za7fk/w300-h400/IMG_5073.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 June - Redcurrants</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t4RIv86FxIVG0gq7L-NzI0YjM7dqH5bjRlfGBXxWX29uyT7jtcrPklAsHBNyJnXM3gyGT1vipsO9WyKWnV164jLn7hh-3VxXWM5P0Zv57j0KkvSKE0IwlyhxFtQql4Bp1s2L8fyhlJpdwyoaGC9O5sFnwLenWmEhxpJ21m-zSGydxv8SuAB5wuw0Hd6-/s4032/IMG_5074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-t4RIv86FxIVG0gq7L-NzI0YjM7dqH5bjRlfGBXxWX29uyT7jtcrPklAsHBNyJnXM3gyGT1vipsO9WyKWnV164jLn7hh-3VxXWM5P0Zv57j0KkvSKE0IwlyhxFtQql4Bp1s2L8fyhlJpdwyoaGC9O5sFnwLenWmEhxpJ21m-zSGydxv8SuAB5wuw0Hd6-/w300-h400/IMG_5074.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 June - redcurrants and raspberries</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">It may be that the redcurrants are having a rest this year, having been prolific last year, or it may be that the bushes are now very old and perhaps need replacing. Maybe we'll just see how they do next year. I put the poor raspberry crop down to the May drought. After the prolonged drought, we have had some rain and the water supply is now working, so hopefully most of the plants will recover and we might see some progress in July.</span></p><h2 style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, June 2023</span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 1241px;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 0cm;" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="color: white; font-size: 0px; height: 0px; left: 403.5px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 165px; width: 0px; z-index: -9;"><form action="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=html&zy=s" id="null" method="post"><br />21 BJune<input class="submit_as_link" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: none; border-width: initial; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline;" type="submit" value="Basic HTML view" /></form></div><div aria-atomic="true" aria-live="assertive" style="height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -1000px;"></div><div aria-atomic="true" aria-live="polite" style="height: 1px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -1000px;">Conversation opened. 1 unread message.</div><div style="min-height: 100%; position: relative;"><div class="vI8oZc yL"><div class="wl" style="background: rgb(246, 248, 252); height: 550px; overflow: hidden; position: fixed; width: 1345px;"></div><div class="wq" style="height: 550px; position: fixed; width: 1345px;"></div><div class="wp" style="height: 550px; position: fixed; width: 1345px;"></div><div class="wo" style="height: 550px; position: fixed; width: 1345px;"></div><div class="wn" style="height: 550px; position: fixed; width: 1345px;"></div></div><div tabindex="0"></div><div class="nH" style="width: 1345px;"><div class="nH" style="position: relative;"><div class="nH w-asV bbg aiw" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-shadow: none; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: inherit; position: relative; z-index: 6;"><div class="nH oy8Mbf"><div class="a3I" style="height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 1px;"><br /><a class="J-Ke" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/" id=":d" target="_top">Skip to content</a><br /><a aria-controls=":f" aria-expanded="false" class="J-Ke" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/" id=":e" target="_top">Using Gmail with screen reader</a><span face=""Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #c2e7ff; color: #001d35; font-size: 0px; text-align: center; text-wrap: nowrap;">ompose</span></div></div></div><div class="nH aqk aql bkL" style="--gm3-sys-color-background-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-background: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-error-container-rgb: 249,222,220; --gm3-sys-color-error-container: #f9dedc; --gm3-sys-color-error-rgb: 179,38,30; --gm3-sys-color-error: #b3261e; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-on-surface-rgb: 242,242,242; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-on-surface: #f2f2f2; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-primary-rgb: 168,199,250; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-primary: #a8c7fa; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-surface-rgb: 48,48,48; --gm3-sys-color-inverse-surface: #303030; --gm3-sys-color-on-background-rgb: 31,31,31; --gm3-sys-color-on-background: #1f1f1f; --gm3-sys-color-on-error-container-rgb: 65,14,11; --gm3-sys-color-on-error-container: #410e0b; --gm3-sys-color-on-error-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-on-error: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-container-rgb: 4,30,73; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-container: #041e49; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-fixed-rgb: 4,30,73; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-fixed-variant-rgb: 8,66,160; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-fixed-variant: #0842a0; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-fixed: #041e49; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-on-primary: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-container-rgb: 0,29,53; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-container: #001d35; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-fixed-rgb: 0,29,53; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-fixed-variant-rgb: 0,74,119; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-fixed-variant: #004a77; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-fixed: #001d35; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-on-secondary: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-on-surface-rgb: 31,31,31; --gm3-sys-color-on-surface-variant-rgb: 68,71,70; --gm3-sys-color-on-surface-variant: #444746; --gm3-sys-color-on-surface: #1f1f1f; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-container-rgb: 7,39,17; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-container: #072711; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-fixed-rgb: 7,39,17; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-fixed-variant-rgb: 15,82,35; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-fixed-variant: #0f5223; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-fixed: #072711; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-on-tertiary: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-outline-rgb: 116,119,117; --gm3-sys-color-outline-variant-rgb: 196,199,197; --gm3-sys-color-outline-variant: #c4c7c5; --gm3-sys-color-outline: #747775; --gm3-sys-color-primary-container-rgb: 211,227,253; --gm3-sys-color-primary-container: #d3e3fd; --gm3-sys-color-primary-fixed-dim-rgb: 168,199,250; --gm3-sys-color-primary-fixed-dim: #a8c7fa; --gm3-sys-color-primary-fixed-rgb: 211,227,253; --gm3-sys-color-primary-fixed: #d3e3fd; --gm3-sys-color-primary-rgb: 11,87,208; --gm3-sys-color-primary: #0b57d0; --gm3-sys-color-scrim-rgb: 0,0,0; --gm3-sys-color-scrim: #000; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-container-rgb: 194,231,255; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-container: #c2e7ff; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-fixed-dim-rgb: 127,207,255; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-fixed-dim: #7fcfff; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-fixed-rgb: 194,231,255; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-fixed: #c2e7ff; --gm3-sys-color-secondary-rgb: 0,99,155; --gm3-sys-color-secondary: #00639b; --gm3-sys-color-shadow-rgb: 0,0,0; --gm3-sys-color-shadow: #000; --gm3-sys-color-surface-bright-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-surface-bright: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-high-rgb: 233,238,246; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-high: #e9eef6; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-highest-rgb: 221,227,234; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-highest: #dde3ea; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-low-rgb: 248,250,253; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-low: #f8fafd; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-lowest-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-lowest: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container-rgb: 240,244,249; --gm3-sys-color-surface-container: #f0f4f9; --gm3-sys-color-surface-dim-rgb: 211,219,229; --gm3-sys-color-surface-dim: #d3dbe5; --gm3-sys-color-surface-rgb: 255,255,255; --gm3-sys-color-surface-tint-rgb: 105,145,214; --gm3-sys-color-surface-tint: #6991d6; --gm3-sys-color-surface-variant-rgb: 225,227,225; --gm3-sys-color-surface-variant: #e1e3e1; --gm3-sys-color-surface: #fff; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-container-rgb: 196,238,208; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-container: #c4eed0; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-fixed-dim-rgb: 109,213,140; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-fixed-dim: #6dd58c; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-fixed-rgb: 196,238,208; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-fixed: #c4eed0; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary-rgb: 20,108,46; --gm3-sys-color-tertiary: #146c2e; display: flex; flex-direction: row; position: relative;"><div class="aeN WR baA nH oy8Mbf bhZ" jslog="88024; u014N:xr6bB;" role="navigation" style="box-shadow: none; display: flex; flex-flow: column nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; height: 486px; left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 72px; min-width: 72px; position: fixed; transition-duration: 0.15s; transition-property: background-color, box-shadow; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1); user-select: none; width: 187px;"><div class="V3 aam ada" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; border-top: 1px solid transparent; box-shadow: rgba(32, 33, 36, 0.1) 0px -3px 2px -2px inset; flex-grow: 1; height: 0px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden auto; transition-duration: 0.3s; transition-property: flex; transition-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1);"><div class="at9"><div class="Ls77Lb aZ6"><div class="pp" jscontroller="DUNnfe" style="user-select: none;"><div id=":d7"><div class="nM" style="font-size: 0.875rem; position: relative;"><div class="aic" id=":cy"></div><div class="yJ" style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><div aria-labelledby=":dj" class="ajl aib aZ6" style="overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;"><h2 class="aWk" id=":dj" style="height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 1px;">Labels</h2><div class="wT" style="max-width: 240px; min-width: 240px; padding-right: 0px;"><div class="n3" id=":d8"><div class="byl"><div class="TK" style="overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; width: 240px;"><div class="aim ain"><div class="TO aBP nZ aiq" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Inbox" id=":dl" style="background-color: #d3e3fd; border-radius: 16px; box-shadow: transparent 0px 0px 0px 1px inset; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bnt" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/inbox_fill_baseline_p900_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU n1" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Inbox 11395 unread" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#inbox" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #001d35; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="0" target="_top">Inbox</a></span><div class="bsU" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: auto; background-color: #c5221f; border-radius: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #001d35; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-left: auto; padding: 4px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: center; text-shadow: none; top: 4px;">721</div></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Starred" id=":dm" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bnw" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/star_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Starred" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#starred" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Starred</a></span></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Snoozed" id=":dn" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bu1" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/schedule_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Snoozed" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#snoozed" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Snoozed</a></span></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Important" id=":do" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bns" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/label_important_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Important" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#imp" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Important</a></span></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Sent" id=":dq" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bnu" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/send_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Sent" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#sent" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Sent</a></span></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Drafts" id=":ds" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN bzz aHS-bnq" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/draft_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio UKr6le" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU n1" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Drafts 1 unread" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#drafts" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Drafts</a></span><div class="bsU" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: auto; background-color: #c5221f; border-radius: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-left: auto; padding: 4px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: center; text-shadow: none; top: 4px;">1</div></div><div class="nL aif" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; left: 0px; margin: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="byl aJZ a0L"><div class="TK" style="overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; width: 240px;"><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Categories" id=":dw" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH aih J-J5-Ji" role="link" style="background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/arrow_drop_down_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; height: 20px; left: 0px; margin-left: -17px; margin-right: -3px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 20px;" tabindex="-1" title="Collapse label: Categories"></div><div class="qj" style="-webkit-mask: none; align-items: center; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/label_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; mask: none; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Categories expanded" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Categories</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO aS6" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Social" id=":dx" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aik aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 12px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/group_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU n1" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Social 234 unread has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#category/social" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Social</a></span><div class="bsU" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: auto; background-color: #c5221f; border-radius: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-left: auto; padding: 4px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: center; text-shadow: none; top: 4px;">234</div></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO aS4" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Updates" id=":dy" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aik aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 12px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/info_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU n1" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Updates 4871 unread has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#category/updates" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Updates</a></span><div class="bsU" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: auto; background-color: #c5221f; border-radius: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-left: auto; padding: 4px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: center; text-shadow: none; top: 4px;">4,871</div></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO aS3" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Forums" id=":dz" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aik aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 12px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/forum_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Forums has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#category/forums" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Forums</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO aS5" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Promotions" id=":e0" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aik aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 12px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/sell_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 1; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU n1" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Promotions 5576 unread has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#category/promotions" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Promotions</a></span><div class="bsU" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: auto; background-color: #c5221f; border-radius: 10px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #5f6368; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0px; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 0; margin-left: auto; padding: 4px; pointer-events: none; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-align: center; text-shadow: none; top: 4px;">5,576</div></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="n6" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px;"><span class="J-Ke n4 ah9" gh="mll" id=":df" role="button" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 16px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; display: flex; height: 32px; left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; width: 32px;" tabindex="0"><span class="CJ" face=""Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-box-ordinal-group: 1; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 0.875rem; opacity: 0; order: 1; text-shadow: none;">More</span><span class="ait" style="padding-left: 6px;"><div class="G-asx J-J5-Ji" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/expand_more_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: inline-block; font-size: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px 18px 0px 0px; opacity: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;"> </div></span></span></div></div></div></div><div class="aAw FgKVne" style="align-items: center; display: flex; margin-bottom: 12px; max-width: 206px; padding-left: 26px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;"><div aria-label="Create new label" class="aAu arN" data-tooltip="Create new label" jslog="167296; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b,xr6bB;" jsname="dlrqf" role="button" style="align-items: center; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/add_large_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; height: 20px; justify-content: center; opacity: 1; outline: none; position: relative; width: 20px; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0" type="button"></div></div><div class="yJ" style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><div aria-labelledby=":dk" class="ajl aib aZ6" style="overflow: hidden; will-change: transform;"><h2 class="aWk" id=":dk" style="height: 1px; left: -10000px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -10000px; width: 1px;">Labels</h2><div class="wT" style="max-width: 240px; min-width: 240px; padding-right: 0px;"><div class="n3" id=":d9"><div class="zw" gh="cl"><div class="TK" style="overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-wrap: nowrap; width: 240px;"><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="[Gmail]/All mail" id=":e1" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj aEe qr" style="-webkit-mask: url("https://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/material/system_gm_filled/1x/label_gm_grey_24dp.png") center center / contain; align-items: center; background-color: black; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 0.71; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="[Gmail]/All mail has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#label/%5BGmail%5D/All+mail" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">[Gmail]/All mail</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="[Gmail]Bin" id=":e2" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj aEe qr" style="-webkit-mask: url("https://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/material/system_gm_filled/1x/label_gm_grey_24dp.png") center center / contain; align-items: center; background-color: black; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 0.71; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="[Gmail]Bin has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#label/%5BGmail%5DBin" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">[Gmail]Bin</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Notes" id=":e3" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj aEe qr" style="-webkit-mask: url("https://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/material/system_gm_filled/1x/label_gm_grey_24dp.png") center center / contain; align-items: center; background-color: black; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 0.71; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Notes has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#label/Notes" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Notes</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="Personal" id=":e4" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj aEe qr" style="-webkit-mask: url("https://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/material/system_gm_filled/1x/label_gm_grey_24dp.png") center center / contain; align-items: center; background-color: black; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 0.71; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="Personal has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#label/Personal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">Personal</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div><div class="aim"><div class="TO" data-tooltip-align="r" data-tooltip="SAVED" id=":e6" style="border-radius: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 20px; transition: border-radius 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, width 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; width: 32px;"><div class="TN aY7xie aEc aHS-bnr" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px 6px; position: relative; transition: margin 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s, padding 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"><div class="TH J-J5-Ji" style="display: inline-block; flex: 0 0 auto; left: 0px; opacity: 0; order: -1; outline: none; position: relative; top: inherit; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s;"></div><div class="qj aEe qr" style="-webkit-mask: url("https://www.gstatic.com/images/icons/material/system_gm_filled/1x/label_gm_grey_24dp.png") center center / contain; align-items: center; background-color: black; display: flex; flex-shrink: 0; height: 20px; justify-content: flex-start; margin-right: 18px; opacity: 0.71; width: 20px;"></div><div class="aio aip" style="color: #202124; display: flex; flex: 1 1 0px; line-height: 20px; margin-right: 0px; overflow: visible; text-overflow: ellipsis;"><span class="nU" style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; vertical-align: middle;"><a aria-label="SAVED has menu" class="J-Ke n0" draggable="false" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1#label/SAVED" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-shadow: none;" tabindex="-1" target="_top">SAVED</a></span></div><div class="nL aig" style="display: inline-block; height: auto; margin: 0px; position: relative; right: 0px; top: inherit; width: auto;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="n6" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 32px;"><span class="J-Ke n4 ah9" gh="mll" id=":dg" role="button" style="align-items: center; border-radius: 16px; border: none; box-sizing: border-box; color: #202124; cursor: pointer; display: flex; height: 32px; left: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; width: 32px;" tabindex="0"><span class="CJ" face=""Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-box-ordinal-group: 1; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-size: 0.875rem; opacity: 0; order: 1; text-shadow: none;">More</span><span class="ait" style="padding-left: 6px;"><div class="G-asx J-J5-Ji" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/expand_more_baseline_nv700_20dp.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; display: inline-block; font-size: 0px; height: 20px; margin: 0px 18px 0px 0px; opacity: 1; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;"> </div><span class="ts" face=""Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #5e5e5e; font-size: 0.75rem; font-weight: inherit; text-align: right; text-wrap: nowrap;">,175</span></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="nH bkK" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; flex-grow: 1; margin-left: 72px; overflow: hidden;"><div class="nH" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 16px; margin-bottom: 16px; overflow-y: hidden;"><div class="nH"><div class="nH ar4 z"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div aria-disabled="true" aria-label="Newer" class="T-I J-J5-Ji adg T-I-awG RwtgC T-I-ax7 T-I-Js-IF T-I-JE L3" data-tooltip="Newer" id=":hy" jslog="168966; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="button" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: none; border-radius: 2px 0px 0px 2px; border: none; box-shadow: none; color: #b8b8b8; cursor: default; display: inline-flex; font-size: 0.875rem; height: auto; justify-content: center; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; user-select: none; z-index: 0;"><img alt="" class="adj T-I-J3" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 20px; background: url("//ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/gm3/1x/chevron_left_baseline_nv700_20dp.png") center center / 20px no-repeat; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.43; padding: 0px; transition: opacity 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; vertical-align: middle; width: 20px;" /></div></div><div class="aeH" id=":4"><div class="G-atb D E" gh="tm" jsaction="NqvLIb:.CLIENT;swrS2e:.CLIENT" style="align-items: center; background: none; border: none; display: flex; height: 48px; justify-content: space-between; margin: 0px 16px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 16px; position: relative; text-wrap: nowrap; transition: box-shadow 0.15s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 0s; z-index: 3;"><div class="adF" style="display: flex; height: 20px; text-align: right;"><div class="iG J-J5-Ji" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 20px; margin-left: 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="h0" style="align-items: center; color: #5e5e5e; display: flex; height: 20px; padding: 0px;"><div aria-label="Older" class="T-I J-J5-Ji adg T-I-awG T-I-ax7 T-I-Js-Gs L3" data-tooltip="Older" id=":ie" jslog="168965; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="button" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: transparent; border-radius: 0px 2px 2px 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; color: #444444; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-size: 0.875rem; height: auto; justify-content: center; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><br /></div><div aria-label="Older" class="T-I J-J5-Ji adg T-I-awG T-I-ax7 T-I-Js-Gs L3" data-tooltip="Older" id=":ie" jslog="168965; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="button" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: transparent; border-radius: 0px 2px 2px 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; color: #444444; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-size: 0.875rem; height: auto; justify-content: center; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><br /></div><div aria-label="Older" class="T-I J-J5-Ji adg T-I-awG T-I-ax7 T-I-Js-Gs L3" data-tooltip="Older" id=":ie" jslog="168965; u014N:cOuCgd,Kr2w4b;" role="button" style="-webkit-user-drag: none; align-items: center; background: transparent; border-radius: 0px 2px 2px 0px; border: none; box-shadow: none; color: #444444; cursor: pointer; display: inline-flex; font-size: 0.875rem; height: auto; justify-content: center; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 20px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-46305655059284711632023-06-20T04:32:00.000-07:002023-06-20T04:32:13.282-07:00Life on The Weald - May 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Life on the Weald - May 2023</span></span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and in the kitchen and garden</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>1-5 May</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The early part of the month was mainly cloudy but dry with a maximum daytime temperature of 13C so it felt a little early to be planting out.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmEv0qzOc7F8K0lmKQOwC_0-WP5rwZ9agaATSXJUx6vyR48izpC7AeDf31VktAOfiACwy8oxpm6czePKpznmlrI6-nTXwD5sx0UF0SdFR64z4wblzeh7WCce261p0xp5PQ_Wcv84EdOWARrRXdMrI7ETrwig5Qp0Vld-usmpDZlhLi3F2T9NvisxR1A/s4032/IMG_4645.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmEv0qzOc7F8K0lmKQOwC_0-WP5rwZ9agaATSXJUx6vyR48izpC7AeDf31VktAOfiACwy8oxpm6czePKpznmlrI6-nTXwD5sx0UF0SdFR64z4wblzeh7WCce261p0xp5PQ_Wcv84EdOWARrRXdMrI7ETrwig5Qp0Vld-usmpDZlhLi3F2T9NvisxR1A/w300-h400/IMG_4645.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 May - looking West from Plot 247</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvjKoAFJkoIyjerwpihpW9wizGljl0aomZxWhyUrNFNZ55WROV81qmAE8SxBTtoDa5BjBvmhrM7BUIivybyEefEpzOvAOtTegvjQEJqPGJ3QfsJ5sIkS4uAh34zmgJRLwWDGvWkVzfqKs9EUk4F3kAO62Ph_yP4-6VawX9bO7PM4V8q6vjX9_vxIw6Q/s4032/IMG_4646.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvjKoAFJkoIyjerwpihpW9wizGljl0aomZxWhyUrNFNZ55WROV81qmAE8SxBTtoDa5BjBvmhrM7BUIivybyEefEpzOvAOtTegvjQEJqPGJ3QfsJ5sIkS4uAh34zmgJRLwWDGvWkVzfqKs9EUk4F3kAO62Ph_yP4-6VawX9bO7PM4V8q6vjX9_vxIw6Q/w300-h400/IMG_4646.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 May - looking East from Plot 247<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyN0REzCIRl2unOB5ZM1yy82W14Yep4sUvPXTOXaov69blTmT7JSUJROIWw2Ur287dh0r__JW-NSuS-W5H0lJXL14VHSG5vIRADVLhKlvF8Atojg7ZqkN_qy_AO4Ksr4dv2_WYBDb9OcFmhNYP1-7i6V4XALPm6iddlRTtHIRAi7eEAkIcAewHoL_JQ/s4032/IMG_4647.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyN0REzCIRl2unOB5ZM1yy82W14Yep4sUvPXTOXaov69blTmT7JSUJROIWw2Ur287dh0r__JW-NSuS-W5H0lJXL14VHSG5vIRADVLhKlvF8Atojg7ZqkN_qy_AO4Ksr4dv2_WYBDb9OcFmhNYP1-7i6V4XALPm6iddlRTtHIRAi7eEAkIcAewHoL_JQ/s320/IMG_4647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 May - redcurrants 247b</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The broad beans planted in November were now in flower and on those sown in October the pods had begun to set.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU5xG_wcx8Yr4hCX8qBjv2Gex102WFyjmtDMlWss-_0V4TYnTXhi4HS9Db2J87yjrIXIJAKPtARahtHNYAhPw1d_3EbT4H9-1F4mjhzS8cudaPyxG18dBXUnQA0AsuFt5GwRhBqHmICmOfaDAb2GOgPK0aspnSjmVVkM_PCq6ti5hjJDrP70XkXLbFA/s4032/IMG_4643.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU5xG_wcx8Yr4hCX8qBjv2Gex102WFyjmtDMlWss-_0V4TYnTXhi4HS9Db2J87yjrIXIJAKPtARahtHNYAhPw1d_3EbT4H9-1F4mjhzS8cudaPyxG18dBXUnQA0AsuFt5GwRhBqHmICmOfaDAb2GOgPK0aspnSjmVVkM_PCq6ti5hjJDrP70XkXLbFA/w300-h400/IMG_4643.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 May - Broad beans in flower</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>First early Duke of York red potatoes, </i>planted at the end of February were looking healthy and the <i>Nicola second earlies, </i>planted in March looked even better.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Nicola </i>and <i>Charlotte </i>planted later were just showing through.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM1cDedc09zM_r0xUbEtPvKBsHMMOU9PTDREch9cf7MRBviSsd9LDrLCE1sgL8YJhkVBZsflqGf3lGlcMgS3Jbn0Mb4cm_GWdzorWY1rUFfKf2GAkOnsCksS_QiO11fHd72XfiMMPnv4Z7bv1iNthE0XECU9U_cGENkVAQ5ZfWqDbrvmzAmnhjrmFMw/s3699/IMG_4648.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3699" data-original-width="2639" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPM1cDedc09zM_r0xUbEtPvKBsHMMOU9PTDREch9cf7MRBviSsd9LDrLCE1sgL8YJhkVBZsflqGf3lGlcMgS3Jbn0Mb4cm_GWdzorWY1rUFfKf2GAkOnsCksS_QiO11fHd72XfiMMPnv4Z7bv1iNthE0XECU9U_cGENkVAQ5ZfWqDbrvmzAmnhjrmFMw/w285-h400/IMG_4648.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 May - <i>Duke of York </i>on the left, <i>Nicola </i>to the right</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLs7iP0Zcnz90kAE9CZ0VEvlxFkgHB9ZJEWqWXWYo6rTlCbLKSSQYsgevtoDX5w_0YgmytOIJmWSatN2MJWZf6knR3kDbqepMmrjqtdecheUh_h596Fsk9PxSTlDZC850DkXXaDaeZRzQvncrYLmI2pbnrG1dfuAa6VALKAOnmQWlrRj7GVdLs5iVHUg/s4032/IMG_4649.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLs7iP0Zcnz90kAE9CZ0VEvlxFkgHB9ZJEWqWXWYo6rTlCbLKSSQYsgevtoDX5w_0YgmytOIJmWSatN2MJWZf6knR3kDbqepMmrjqtdecheUh_h596Fsk9PxSTlDZC850DkXXaDaeZRzQvncrYLmI2pbnrG1dfuAa6VALKAOnmQWlrRj7GVdLs5iVHUg/w300-h400/IMG_4649.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 May - later planted <i>Nicola </i>and <i>Charlotte</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a new supply of woodchip which I collected and with help from my stepson, Luke, and a neighbouring plotholder, Steve, we loaded several barrow loads of stable manure. I had laid cardboard where the new growing beds were to be located.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, some of the later tulips were looking magnificent</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dH3QnvJtj0ZWtrXKJoggAiX0M2TrZpuhwbNnMmfnYv9EpdYU4VISgF2QX-gg4cy70xOfSJ140zK4ERsY8ISV2-_et5CGFje5cgyrN4am7KAu3QXxd1R2zKcsg5f1YKK8E9Hz8Xz1gecnPQEBvGN6wwBJPB2rJ_CwQQrKBxzBVNFMI9Te0k-0tnNi8g/s2708/IMG_4653.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2708" data-original-width="2629" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dH3QnvJtj0ZWtrXKJoggAiX0M2TrZpuhwbNnMmfnYv9EpdYU4VISgF2QX-gg4cy70xOfSJ140zK4ERsY8ISV2-_et5CGFje5cgyrN4am7KAu3QXxd1R2zKcsg5f1YKK8E9Hz8Xz1gecnPQEBvGN6wwBJPB2rJ_CwQQrKBxzBVNFMI9Te0k-0tnNi8g/w389-h400/IMG_4653.jpg" width="389" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - tulips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojdT27QWxFAwAuEof27uTso9wulDqFpQDn2-tFfU-6DYPMY2vNyBe-w2FzrKcXL7NRiNFUDtv-vlCgb7C6lXFiizalfBXtyBvYL3-uEeGzDMXZyWvOuslPjl7YpDBI4gjsIYgayi-Amzf18OLGV3gCVkEBUS9PT7N1wJgm_BQ363VGmu9Mp7YRUqZHw/s3610/IMG_4658.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3610" data-original-width="2844" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojdT27QWxFAwAuEof27uTso9wulDqFpQDn2-tFfU-6DYPMY2vNyBe-w2FzrKcXL7NRiNFUDtv-vlCgb7C6lXFiizalfBXtyBvYL3-uEeGzDMXZyWvOuslPjl7YpDBI4gjsIYgayi-Amzf18OLGV3gCVkEBUS9PT7N1wJgm_BQ363VGmu9Mp7YRUqZHw/w504-h640/IMG_4658.jpg" width="504" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - tulips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_dANIAMb5Swh4ssJoFU-TYiFmCvXnnRNyzcjvLee6MJ8cJdnJXWMmUpeul_dS18VhCba4sloHjUzhrJUEcI4O12tQrfFOxlTE3UHaxRfCcbovjOqbkO2AuMGExtE-9zMvCktIRDavIhEYKtFQ5Z9GTgC5y9BBGbEKPuUWRdOJVAvZ2To4X-x8q19Yw/s2725/IMG_4659.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2467" data-original-width="2725" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_dANIAMb5Swh4ssJoFU-TYiFmCvXnnRNyzcjvLee6MJ8cJdnJXWMmUpeul_dS18VhCba4sloHjUzhrJUEcI4O12tQrfFOxlTE3UHaxRfCcbovjOqbkO2AuMGExtE-9zMvCktIRDavIhEYKtFQ5Z9GTgC5y9BBGbEKPuUWRdOJVAvZ2To4X-x8q19Yw/w400-h363/IMG_4659.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - tulips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the allotment we saw the first signs of blackfly on the broad beans but luckily we also had ladybirds who will help to minimise damage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyF-j-BVRgnS-bTu4wkTOtTdWKd9nIZjQ7J0VCjjhguUs9JuC0OQWMtoboMf_mdsQR-p5F8c-ZOPsFoy7aIAHPO7582kD7KNR1Kbg1i4M5fP7eXNMHXKTRNsVrjNnQj-cIJ5717lAHqXcYDPRIwSoFpF96-HBCn-YkWw6nzr86VZltdhII_d_JFmjgQ/s4032/IMG_4655.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyF-j-BVRgnS-bTu4wkTOtTdWKd9nIZjQ7J0VCjjhguUs9JuC0OQWMtoboMf_mdsQR-p5F8c-ZOPsFoy7aIAHPO7582kD7KNR1Kbg1i4M5fP7eXNMHXKTRNsVrjNnQj-cIJ5717lAHqXcYDPRIwSoFpF96-HBCn-YkWw6nzr86VZltdhII_d_JFmjgQ/w300-h400/IMG_4655.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - broad beans and ladybird</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the tomatoes were looking a bit sad but I felt it was too early to plant them out. They had been kept outside during the day and put in the mini-greenhouse at night.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ARNsV04ssbWk_uuBdNciDHAtA25VoZ13kOkAY2wE8dIDzMmYOCSpjzYNUo38aSzCEa6nZjBxfzFswNkCEmnx9Rn8A5Bg_uDdTDGPNB13j_jVECdPFkPtzYw7UlXgyw1ij1k7anCpbv5Ddbr_KSM2Mxgyu1UJ39ZIZVlzkLgrO8WWrRG2fWx0-a04rw/s4032/IMG_4663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ARNsV04ssbWk_uuBdNciDHAtA25VoZ13kOkAY2wE8dIDzMmYOCSpjzYNUo38aSzCEa6nZjBxfzFswNkCEmnx9Rn8A5Bg_uDdTDGPNB13j_jVECdPFkPtzYw7UlXgyw1ij1k7anCpbv5Ddbr_KSM2Mxgyu1UJ39ZIZVlzkLgrO8WWrRG2fWx0-a04rw/w300-h400/IMG_4663.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - tomato and other seedlings</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the garden there was a prolific flowering of our Snow Bells, sometimes called wild leek. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">They are a member of the <i>Allium </i>family which includes onions, leeks and garlic and all parts of the plant are edible with a taste of mild garlic or spring onion. The green leaves and stems can be used as wild garlic and the flowers, white with distinct green lines, make an attractive garnish or addition to salads.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It is important not to confuse it with white blue bells which like their blue varieties are poisonous. The flower of the snow bell is quite distinctive with green stripes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVIScyiQL3U0CJRfoA6fC--9CZ3XoKjwNnfveTgDQlUAi2ThXHQTUx7ruiNl6PgPIlvnuMdg2wAbCyKFuY7hnhSZDB1PaHIgkoCEngc7pZX9FDgH8BsQEFKeQpnmmCQ2C7bMJtWApmPqJwlGKjATAjki9BApjFnzZHgq-Mg3_VaLyj5WUO8rMjJ541g/s1174/IMG_1363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="882" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVIScyiQL3U0CJRfoA6fC--9CZ3XoKjwNnfveTgDQlUAi2ThXHQTUx7ruiNl6PgPIlvnuMdg2wAbCyKFuY7hnhSZDB1PaHIgkoCEngc7pZX9FDgH8BsQEFKeQpnmmCQ2C7bMJtWApmPqJwlGKjATAjki9BApjFnzZHgq-Mg3_VaLyj5WUO8rMjJ541g/w300-h400/IMG_1363.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Snow bell (<i>allium triquetrum</i>) flower </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Their botanical name is </span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Allium triquetrum, </i>and they are also known as <i>tricorn </i>or three-cornered leek which refers to the triangular shape of the leaves and flower stem in cross-section. In New Zealand it is known as <i>onion weed </i>!</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div><i><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v8nW-HRXUfdZNZ7_6BOA2M5CvqtcMQKxP1KYPsgrM2ghN9RSJwWogP3JIX7324MoH7HyfekEoA0O5FCt-pZjCe5kazMnvSLyNVylMVurbKlLxBHKAvm1J9chrkDJBCqClX3bG8Trglf8MwhOjuOAJNoiCrNawiUju7GexlO2kwiWGYPni5QyR1zO9Q/s4032/IMG_4666.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v8nW-HRXUfdZNZ7_6BOA2M5CvqtcMQKxP1KYPsgrM2ghN9RSJwWogP3JIX7324MoH7HyfekEoA0O5FCt-pZjCe5kazMnvSLyNVylMVurbKlLxBHKAvm1J9chrkDJBCqClX3bG8Trglf8MwhOjuOAJNoiCrNawiUju7GexlO2kwiWGYPni5QyR1zO9Q/w300-h400/IMG_4666.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 May - Snowbells (<i>Allium triquetrum</i>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There were quite a few distractions in the first week. At home we were having roof repairs carried out and I had a pre-op assessment at the Princess Royal for a hand operation to remedy <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dupuytrens-contracture/"><b><i>Dupuytren's contracture</i></b></a> which has been causing me some inconvenience. I have had a minor operation on the left hand to release the tendon with a needle technique but require more complex surgery on the right hand. I also had my Covid booster vaccination, my 6th Covid jab! The first weekend was the Coronation of King Charles and we took off to spend the Bank Holiday with friends in Ramsgate. It wasn't possible to entirely avoid the Coronation as we discovered at a coffee break en route.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3S1q-EnNkM4Um3GR5-QIW1iszVc5vPKc-7NQIu0kPiX_YX7KLbdV7_TnT_NYufSfrm1MriQXELCJGD77B4t_Ubpibw0DrXwrA373wz9mNo-H7zDmC66KTaHXKP5dEhP0-6ZfOQc6NLGvBzCsVFjiMlP-4X3qW7xmjtvR-h2kFRpxFdpmR091ItYVr9J2b/s490/5dac48d3-69ab-4536-a757-2223ddc8fbbc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3S1q-EnNkM4Um3GR5-QIW1iszVc5vPKc-7NQIu0kPiX_YX7KLbdV7_TnT_NYufSfrm1MriQXELCJGD77B4t_Ubpibw0DrXwrA373wz9mNo-H7zDmC66KTaHXKP5dEhP0-6ZfOQc6NLGvBzCsVFjiMlP-4X3qW7xmjtvR-h2kFRpxFdpmR091ItYVr9J2b/w353-h400/5dac48d3-69ab-4536-a757-2223ddc8fbbc.jpg" width="353" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May A coffee stop en route to Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The town was quite lively...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTQGJ7wxHiIdlMXW4LoczMEYOKORcZK4Xrt0IPIBazoGNM2kjlkEcnQHFoSLtyQCxry24Yc7f2Y47HhyIajB8u_bInSaq8BNFccR-H6ofgpD-dWHppDWQ72y4Z0ugPAMPgN5zxs9k-ZVbjiOJ70xc_h_Tq15hTyF5ZBSJ_JMSpsgHKltyYcyy7D79uac6/s4032/IMG_4707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTQGJ7wxHiIdlMXW4LoczMEYOKORcZK4Xrt0IPIBazoGNM2kjlkEcnQHFoSLtyQCxry24Yc7f2Y47HhyIajB8u_bInSaq8BNFccR-H6ofgpD-dWHppDWQ72y4Z0ugPAMPgN5zxs9k-ZVbjiOJ70xc_h_Tq15hTyF5ZBSJ_JMSpsgHKltyYcyy7D79uac6/w300-h400/IMG_4707.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">...but we had a very relaxing weekend... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOfPt5lBpmodu7WOtRRKTrPK4w5CG04GwHVtoCdtVWFAaBGQpdLyfr6LMsp0rOuri5TqrgnR8ZodFJBzG_uCtdO5_HBi5YlxIpK9s9nK-Ahq-8V812HGoE8iVP2K3B9scJGrphu5BGsQlIiOM7VdlE7USupObaA8mKHwoFipPH-vSO180ZTEezrDL_HH1/s3024/IMG_4714%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2727" data-original-width="3024" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOfPt5lBpmodu7WOtRRKTrPK4w5CG04GwHVtoCdtVWFAaBGQpdLyfr6LMsp0rOuri5TqrgnR8ZodFJBzG_uCtdO5_HBi5YlxIpK9s9nK-Ahq-8V812HGoE8iVP2K3B9scJGrphu5BGsQlIiOM7VdlE7USupObaA8mKHwoFipPH-vSO180ZTEezrDL_HH1/w400-h361/IMG_4714%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May - Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG3jlZik1Bpjpgv_IxtpFLe79r_Jytwf1VSOpiyLidQbWIdNQqgU-R9GFL_IoE_UlKhLHSXyAtcjeAwvomfwaTb_gcVX1AZ7rPn4PeNqb9KZRM4WMRZbXaRa77hm130QxUBiu9VseVMy4fDIShZbY1Oe0jaNHuNHXGWXnlNvxoJ77Uj9lkKrYV-3LxPc9/s4032/IMG_4716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG3jlZik1Bpjpgv_IxtpFLe79r_Jytwf1VSOpiyLidQbWIdNQqgU-R9GFL_IoE_UlKhLHSXyAtcjeAwvomfwaTb_gcVX1AZ7rPn4PeNqb9KZRM4WMRZbXaRa77hm130QxUBiu9VseVMy4fDIShZbY1Oe0jaNHuNHXGWXnlNvxoJ77Uj9lkKrYV-3LxPc9/w400-h300/IMG_4716.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">...and some good food, including scallops at <a href="https://www.royalharbourbrasserie.co.uk/"><b><i>The Brasserie</i></b></a> a "shabby chic" restaurant in a converted part of the old harbour control building.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GW8MR7w8tNz7Tn9b70pW_3PhvxiRbyEDvX_xquFIS5NrI4fEorEhbyE1SOOyLY9kqD7IBCAdMTH7QRNqeZNV7cy4jqRqoYV6AuH6HAeY_p640ikztT9R8ADcetvzHG8UKojdJKJCdAKK098d3JvjSX-3Kvu1VW4FHnjAKzCcXdETLEdM36yZEFwzfetF/s4032/IMG_4717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GW8MR7w8tNz7Tn9b70pW_3PhvxiRbyEDvX_xquFIS5NrI4fEorEhbyE1SOOyLY9kqD7IBCAdMTH7QRNqeZNV7cy4jqRqoYV6AuH6HAeY_p640ikztT9R8ADcetvzHG8UKojdJKJCdAKK098d3JvjSX-3Kvu1VW4FHnjAKzCcXdETLEdM36yZEFwzfetF/w480-h640/IMG_4717.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May - Harbour wall/East Pier, Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAnM6Qg_oXGK2WbjUInSLGl0gxQ9IfPUneGWZKfKlhK7HAyfqgC0srMsnWjLWbuOscDNoRy3Ia8pmIstBlATNA_pU6sByLiKnmUWdqcjfVHlei2N2ZiMXifI_9hvXahGAdCsrNFUXJZXCLklFeSDNZIM2DJk7Gfw2r2Y_90MwFFgg12802eYvRj2EvKME/s4032/IMG_4719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAnM6Qg_oXGK2WbjUInSLGl0gxQ9IfPUneGWZKfKlhK7HAyfqgC0srMsnWjLWbuOscDNoRy3Ia8pmIstBlATNA_pU6sByLiKnmUWdqcjfVHlei2N2ZiMXifI_9hvXahGAdCsrNFUXJZXCLklFeSDNZIM2DJk7Gfw2r2Y_90MwFFgg12802eYvRj2EvKME/w480-h640/IMG_4719.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May - The Brasserie, East Pier, Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiHk6Xdezx8XidCZo5ALTAnD5zuEpotisktIFM__uiBhPxrz3QSKGBoY6gA7pncqEgYv7Nlf_tIFFrCE8T-hpTgqFnkGUIqQAiByjzAPqWBvFADhMK8jOJrG2fpFbH7E7gIu4qnjpygrbA1ol0nTncsRBTw-yCTPjuGxG17ooSbIdNMm7Dlb3kOc5Uk77/s2855/IMG_4721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2855" data-original-width="2694" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeiHk6Xdezx8XidCZo5ALTAnD5zuEpotisktIFM__uiBhPxrz3QSKGBoY6gA7pncqEgYv7Nlf_tIFFrCE8T-hpTgqFnkGUIqQAiByjzAPqWBvFADhMK8jOJrG2fpFbH7E7gIu4qnjpygrbA1ol0nTncsRBTw-yCTPjuGxG17ooSbIdNMm7Dlb3kOc5Uk77/w378-h400/IMG_4721.jpg" width="378" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 May - Scallops teryaki at The Brasserie, Ramsgate</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">9-12 May </b></div><div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sylvi was growing some potatoes in a grow-bag at home which need constant watering but are looking good.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYYdXeEdifbHTyoKNFNjAgy8puunpFeHYFCcv9IAAkyhH0UhkV2Zvsn_vh_H3b3RYIXEy0NbGOWHoy6ztRtFpjgNKeEsCOCvobRDIlzCKQl2dKuAWyGmfTm76Fs3p1ZH12qPZudffv1PE_TxgafK3L1xH-_ICOWfJdcMbsFBRyOzOP16yvQ9a8MM54g/s1655/IMG_4762.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="1655" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYYdXeEdifbHTyoKNFNjAgy8puunpFeHYFCcv9IAAkyhH0UhkV2Zvsn_vh_H3b3RYIXEy0NbGOWHoy6ztRtFpjgNKeEsCOCvobRDIlzCKQl2dKuAWyGmfTm76Fs3p1ZH12qPZudffv1PE_TxgafK3L1xH-_ICOWfJdcMbsFBRyOzOP16yvQ9a8MM54g/s320/IMG_4762.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> potatoes at home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And there are still late tulips to enjoy.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEc-IzIG4LoAny33q1D5Ub4BN46BIG40ep6yWKhmpYmZbzGr11tT4gI7RYMYezeMfR-sdje1SffD3fcxiFLFdCLSSyuo1VdpfaDsO2Dswl8GRn8cpf2T9qaduTPi7gyUKXOLpbT3dbe4Ik_jMLjloJ4XpbHUKafKMyMEYFrXV804UhPVV3ZH08IJw7Vw/s1467/IMG_4764.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1467" data-original-width="1467" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEc-IzIG4LoAny33q1D5Ub4BN46BIG40ep6yWKhmpYmZbzGr11tT4gI7RYMYezeMfR-sdje1SffD3fcxiFLFdCLSSyuo1VdpfaDsO2Dswl8GRn8cpf2T9qaduTPi7gyUKXOLpbT3dbe4Ik_jMLjloJ4XpbHUKafKMyMEYFrXV804UhPVV3ZH08IJw7Vw/s320/IMG_4764.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> garden tulip</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The weather is now consistently warm but I still feel it is too early to start planting out, especially as we currently have no water supply on the allotment. A new water sytem was being installed as the old one had acquired a number of leaks. The work was due to have been finished mid-May but due to delays and complications it is unlikely to be ready until June.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUEg0xh_8Y_vvyayCAUV2e5qccjIk0F7SQ6Q7mL-ADT5bqFC55mPcoQnKYdE2wcT89VVWIelMAWCjmDQ6Wvj_qkUton5XL57Jm-fHEqYbW_AA0fJbbBiLOUtdGUriNw8pMyh6O6gcqjG3VEdOWsrEZ1G7kzLpIbreQ0ddOia6eoWMdLk8qcwZ3V2_iw/s3932/IMG_4753.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3932" data-original-width="2859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUEg0xh_8Y_vvyayCAUV2e5qccjIk0F7SQ6Q7mL-ADT5bqFC55mPcoQnKYdE2wcT89VVWIelMAWCjmDQ6Wvj_qkUton5XL57Jm-fHEqYbW_AA0fJbbBiLOUtdGUriNw8pMyh6O6gcqjG3VEdOWsrEZ1G7kzLpIbreQ0ddOia6eoWMdLk8qcwZ3V2_iw/w291-h400/IMG_4753.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 May - apple tree in full bloom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Our shed, which was falling down, has now been cleared and we have acquired a second-hand one from another plot but it may be some time before we can put together a team to take down the old one and erect its replacement. In the meantime, Sylvi has provided a temporary storage area for tools etc in our derelict greenhouse, protected by tarpaulins.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx2Wcpo5g_--ZE-tuoSpgaTJaFT4ql3IiiBCMQ-6W35p_fb08LGU0p-53rPIRuC5cEwq7NsS8tiBWKPrt675TjJHwEA0PWDHgP4HucBB0jZkf0tRMRliGuRNePQSFQk89zHmyhzn-sRCg8Tx9baFjvKoxBISc5HkorEfOSBQ4_Px_svs5IGa_bsEdGQ/s4032/IMG_4767.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLx2Wcpo5g_--ZE-tuoSpgaTJaFT4ql3IiiBCMQ-6W35p_fb08LGU0p-53rPIRuC5cEwq7NsS8tiBWKPrt675TjJHwEA0PWDHgP4HucBB0jZkf0tRMRliGuRNePQSFQk89zHmyhzn-sRCg8Tx9baFjvKoxBISc5HkorEfOSBQ4_Px_svs5IGa_bsEdGQ/w300-h400/IMG_4767.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 May - the old greenhouse, now temporary store</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">13 May</b></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the garden is looking colourful. In addition to the tulips - and the hellebores which are still in flower, the <i>Weigela, mock orange (Philadelphus), Bowles's Mauve (Erysimum) </i>and C<i>eanothus </i> are blooming.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFDObv3lrh0tm5jFPIcjggmhfm_CZkWOqhC8G0YMyKhfrOBUwhJ4Br2J8KinUIho4vIsXgtjTBr3vFOu7mzNeZVxf9z2NHqCKiSlreGTs0rXNH9VZOR-iVZAzpmbcVJgcybWgupp3RgsuOUQ15JXy20jC5M2f07mi-VCbA-BldbZgXuUlrghL4Q50Ww/s2048/070776B9-3F06-4C8E-A0E7-A6EDAF326CA9.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFDObv3lrh0tm5jFPIcjggmhfm_CZkWOqhC8G0YMyKhfrOBUwhJ4Br2J8KinUIho4vIsXgtjTBr3vFOu7mzNeZVxf9z2NHqCKiSlreGTs0rXNH9VZOR-iVZAzpmbcVJgcybWgupp3RgsuOUQ15JXy20jC5M2f07mi-VCbA-BldbZgXuUlrghL4Q50Ww/w400-h400/070776B9-3F06-4C8E-A0E7-A6EDAF326CA9.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weigela, mock orange, Bowles's mauve and ceanothus</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On the plot the blueberries are flowering, but were engulfed with weeds in and around the containers. I hand weeded the pots and topped up with ericacious compost and laid cardboard under and around the pots to be covered with wood chips/cuttings. We will need to provide some netting before the fruit ripens.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-ICfPgoVUFW619htcLGl5xrMGMceAAUc7R1lveVwk0fTJpOic42j4QWuUBiJMBS9i0CvdQCUU0TYDUPtNAbO_vQ30F0jiqW95lTM08ZqmbMTLwKNNoaxB3ZFndWCHoE9kVRbV4tLKJ8XoS7qHXj0KrWe9XL_blZOId31zxBKYuClD5VD89zUq1HyhQ/s2997/IMG_4771.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2997" data-original-width="2736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-ICfPgoVUFW619htcLGl5xrMGMceAAUc7R1lveVwk0fTJpOic42j4QWuUBiJMBS9i0CvdQCUU0TYDUPtNAbO_vQ30F0jiqW95lTM08ZqmbMTLwKNNoaxB3ZFndWCHoE9kVRbV4tLKJ8XoS7qHXj0KrWe9XL_blZOId31zxBKYuClD5VD89zUq1HyhQ/w365-h400/IMG_4771.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blueberries</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The installation of the new water pipes and standpipes now seems complete but we are not yet connected to the supply!</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnR8OEvesCr0ghWE9Ad-2z2LLyeF50gjDjfIdikIZ9G_VQ9Nv0FhZcYRWJRUbPiTHP1i2r6wQ4l5yq0IFqbdXTfKN5a1JwzbNGJwA0Mi9m7QnNHuVi_un5NJDUeZGjbbzvtH_HhNbmy8WlHTaJ-phlzPuYfvIe6nM-lxFmYklCNuwcw0JbWAtiU7NLWA/s2371/IMG_4794.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2371" data-original-width="1862" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnR8OEvesCr0ghWE9Ad-2z2LLyeF50gjDjfIdikIZ9G_VQ9Nv0FhZcYRWJRUbPiTHP1i2r6wQ4l5yq0IFqbdXTfKN5a1JwzbNGJwA0Mi9m7QnNHuVi_un5NJDUeZGjbbzvtH_HhNbmy8WlHTaJ-phlzPuYfvIe6nM-lxFmYklCNuwcw0JbWAtiU7NLWA/w314-h400/IMG_4794.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new standpipe</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>On Saturday 13 the temperature reached 18C and I risked planting out a <i>Marina de Chioggia </i>squash and a tomato plant, <i>Ananas, </i>both grown<i> </i>from seed at home. I hope I don't live to regret it.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>14-16 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Saturday 14 May the organic gardening group had a plant swap and sale so I was able to give away some of my surplus tomato plants, mainly <i>yellow perfection </i>and <i>Marmande. </i>I did buy a rather loveley apricot coloured <i>Geum </i>(sometimes called Avens) which I will try in a container in the front garden.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Over the weekend I bought 3 tomato gro-bags and decided it was time to plant out tomatoes. I have planted some in containers at home and the rest in the gro-bags and some pots on the plot. The varieties planted - all grown at home from seed are <i>Marmande, Rainbow plum, Tres Cantos, Yellow Perfection, Sungold </i>and <i>Corazon,</i></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was also given an allegedly "blight-free" variety by one of the plotholders, Helen, so we will see if that fares any better than mine.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>17 -18 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The time was spent potting up various seedlings but also planting out the butternut squashes. There was a supply of woodchip at the allotment so I collected a couple of barrow loads. I was tempted to pick some broad beans but because of the drought and the irregular watering due to the absence of a water supply I thought I would leave them a little longer in the hope that they might swell.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCxbGZIwFw80z6z6o0djuz13Lw-GVQOGsCcHYqLHI1vpy_bnkHWpfL3W4mIc33vdgtUVwdj32eiw0wjpu-SPbk10XwIApWKT6qrBDGOXyQB7u-w7m2pbLJisLi3B2RILs9j4hrON9qGIFYTuercCziQq2RI24sRkDNGYgZ8pDhJXgu7cplE0_Fke4Qg/s2432/IMG_4796.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="1969" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVCxbGZIwFw80z6z6o0djuz13Lw-GVQOGsCcHYqLHI1vpy_bnkHWpfL3W4mIc33vdgtUVwdj32eiw0wjpu-SPbk10XwIApWKT6qrBDGOXyQB7u-w7m2pbLJisLi3B2RILs9j4hrON9qGIFYTuercCziQq2RI24sRkDNGYgZ8pDhJXgu7cplE0_Fke4Qg/w324-h400/IMG_4796.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>19-22 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The plot took a back seat for a few days due to London Marathon meetings followed by a visit for the weekend by relatives, my sister-in-law and nephew, Siew and Gregory, which of course meant a trip to <a href="https://www.marroccos.co.uk/"><b><i>Marrocco's</i></b></a></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENu_2M6roBlqLxzLmJ0glVPD84MJxtjKFUEyrC1EGO8FR6qj0WhufBs03NOHmz9UTUjktW46RVyYDUN8CeDlK4TFpVxOhKUN109W-JDB124GMGweYrU_LcjE6YaJ3GS4OI56X2TkD90LnLRh25WMLbfDRJ-ZQLFJZIfOLcKrHIAa4YiXDwQ0Ksr2fjg/s4032/IMG_4804.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgENu_2M6roBlqLxzLmJ0glVPD84MJxtjKFUEyrC1EGO8FR6qj0WhufBs03NOHmz9UTUjktW46RVyYDUN8CeDlK4TFpVxOhKUN109W-JDB124GMGweYrU_LcjE6YaJ3GS4OI56X2TkD90LnLRh25WMLbfDRJ-ZQLFJZIfOLcKrHIAa4YiXDwQ0Ksr2fjg/w300-h400/IMG_4804.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siew & Greg outside Marrocco's</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was also good to get down to actually see the sea.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6yS-dS2oU5DqFPR3OIApmhFfOop2dLBUf6IeWLC9p8F0y--Jk1I82RMepDiI4Am9zjl-Rs1IZTnnkoyptu-y5keYEOZLyVbWX9voKXlJmErpnsfs2agXN3dULUSiIvj3dyzIJauVNJ3p5XGC8lL62P4qQmSXcu7TfUaSNFNntn0XqvATw_QG3gSeRQ/s1891/IMG_4808.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1891" data-original-width="1846" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6yS-dS2oU5DqFPR3OIApmhFfOop2dLBUf6IeWLC9p8F0y--Jk1I82RMepDiI4Am9zjl-Rs1IZTnnkoyptu-y5keYEOZLyVbWX9voKXlJmErpnsfs2agXN3dULUSiIvj3dyzIJauVNJ3p5XGC8lL62P4qQmSXcu7TfUaSNFNntn0XqvATw_QG3gSeRQ/w390-h400/IMG_4808.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hove, actually!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>21 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home interesting things were happening. Our cactus which was suffering erectile dysfunction, was flowering but had also developed interesting appendages!</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnrKOti3NIr7Ao-fx-PJyofavuhw9rH_R1LdomsMvKqIifqwm6KEjqHBmznBCfj2JLit6o3RAcO_4uUmVZOOwAkEaKgrKF8JrstnG5njDyRC9diQadj3wXGZFH6sBvMsL3Ns1lmD9tnVRNLuAFsBFtI1Ei0P-BGHId0mbUVdTyfy2kzzFYRtrx8i6_Q/s4032/IMG_4809.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjnrKOti3NIr7Ao-fx-PJyofavuhw9rH_R1LdomsMvKqIifqwm6KEjqHBmznBCfj2JLit6o3RAcO_4uUmVZOOwAkEaKgrKF8JrstnG5njDyRC9diQadj3wXGZFH6sBvMsL3Ns1lmD9tnVRNLuAFsBFtI1Ei0P-BGHId0mbUVdTyfy2kzzFYRtrx8i6_Q/w300-h400/IMG_4809.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus - new developments!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dLTjYWBW1enVlZE-9h33fC9sBmnqv1kTeJl4_g7AA5hon7Am2oguUYfoD6A4F9sOvQic-fSCcI3Y1Lt9LJYWttICb6lsGhNztyFyCJY2LmRADajf5V3jPhgYBpYyQqaVNODakpsAKTAqSJD-AJWTsdPpEZ8-lA-QOaNPvzDbR4hiJ-IVZoYP5_iGNQ/s1351/IMG_4810.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1351" data-original-width="1320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-dLTjYWBW1enVlZE-9h33fC9sBmnqv1kTeJl4_g7AA5hon7Am2oguUYfoD6A4F9sOvQic-fSCcI3Y1Lt9LJYWttICb6lsGhNztyFyCJY2LmRADajf5V3jPhgYBpYyQqaVNODakpsAKTAqSJD-AJWTsdPpEZ8-lA-QOaNPvzDbR4hiJ-IVZoYP5_iGNQ/s320/IMG_4810.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cactus in flower</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>22 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Having acquired more woodchip, I began putting a layer of cardboard around the apple tree and covering it with the chippings whilst preparing the adjacent area for another "no-dig" bed</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ov5P9CNiBXg5NxxCzGDWJX6R1evvWe88xQfFGyONn1Pm3K_03nUJuuav39BT81q0hvVQuHJPkun2KMfzyqb86s5k18uMOGrvmnCqQM5C2yutLpGIDikbj_BfR0W8qCp3ojqL1gbP5SaO4uBmis9M9Pn3U05KecWF8ARE7rR2UnRrIBsnwvz1rrqRWg/s4032/IMG_4820.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ov5P9CNiBXg5NxxCzGDWJX6R1evvWe88xQfFGyONn1Pm3K_03nUJuuav39BT81q0hvVQuHJPkun2KMfzyqb86s5k18uMOGrvmnCqQM5C2yutLpGIDikbj_BfR0W8qCp3ojqL1gbP5SaO4uBmis9M9Pn3U05KecWF8ARE7rR2UnRrIBsnwvz1rrqRWg/w300-h400/IMG_4820.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 May - "No-dig" work in progress</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I couldn't resist the temptation to pick a few broad beans - absolutely delicious - but decided to wait a few days before carrying out a major harvest.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9W66VzDxjpvhpUUriz7gDLwhfY8Z3XAsYIAZzJCdvgG-9ufyp70ecFF7dNj--DK8oYGm51cSeP-8DBX_u6eL2ROu6CHlJWcwyk_AtDIMOeRKJ23C6pX-jy3chD_UYOupz7zY9QA-mL5pO55wZv_ru6HbFD3yx4TeSj8jFdoWWzq_QXZHGUNcKu_X9Q/s2022/IMG_4821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1835" data-original-width="2022" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9W66VzDxjpvhpUUriz7gDLwhfY8Z3XAsYIAZzJCdvgG-9ufyp70ecFF7dNj--DK8oYGm51cSeP-8DBX_u6eL2ROu6CHlJWcwyk_AtDIMOeRKJ23C6pX-jy3chD_UYOupz7zY9QA-mL5pO55wZv_ru6HbFD3yx4TeSj8jFdoWWzq_QXZHGUNcKu_X9Q/w400-h363/IMG_4821.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 May - a few broad beans to sample</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>25 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Most days the temperature had been in the mid-twenties but today it rose to only 17C with a chilly wind which made it feel much colder. I decided it was time to pick some broad beans.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRwSGR5AtImYXkw1rRLPCndtaA5VZP87qE5dSBrPMszlihtjqO4duNy5m0WTJTokX3C8xRVIhvLH1frm_2P2gp9lOEIR7wEW5h_OQ5JahteaNv-ZIT65-QcrSDDge8oshVe8dGYF2vE6lKZgLeoODpRNdtV3DdEodhjUSLyjfVItW4V_Gi22ROVLE3g/s4032/IMG_4829.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRwSGR5AtImYXkw1rRLPCndtaA5VZP87qE5dSBrPMszlihtjqO4duNy5m0WTJTokX3C8xRVIhvLH1frm_2P2gp9lOEIR7wEW5h_OQ5JahteaNv-ZIT65-QcrSDDge8oshVe8dGYF2vE6lKZgLeoODpRNdtV3DdEodhjUSLyjfVItW4V_Gi22ROVLE3g/w300-h400/IMG_4829.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 May - Broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In clearing the old shed we removed a storage unit, an old kitchen dresser, and behind found a pile of plum stones, all with a hole where the kernel would have been removed - I'm assuming the shells would have been too tough for mice so perhaps it was rats or squirrels!</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aU1NYFK7wUrrotWxmeOpbu2x3hMoHKjvjiNIvYpdXrsqhYJOLwqSX0M4ZBduvaR4QSU8aQYvfygc7AH07z6Nv_xmGoGHUd2xEmWfT6aJsNFuxnCf2JO6V5KPQoTeHaGWkjcjgFdH6ViMawbjeMa4qXVh82ffdGpg0wHYEAv5FIaIgLZJiJobwG5IIg/s1454/IMG_4830.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aU1NYFK7wUrrotWxmeOpbu2x3hMoHKjvjiNIvYpdXrsqhYJOLwqSX0M4ZBduvaR4QSU8aQYvfygc7AH07z6Nv_xmGoGHUd2xEmWfT6aJsNFuxnCf2JO6V5KPQoTeHaGWkjcjgFdH6ViMawbjeMa4qXVh82ffdGpg0wHYEAv5FIaIgLZJiJobwG5IIg/w373-h400/IMG_4830.jpg" width="373" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 May - plum stones</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>27 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The weather improved and there was a temptation to just sit back, relax and enjoy the ox-eye daisies.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg4aNaWKTr4PVdfejZgo2vzZggRdWs_QIsFX58HVoC19wAShVuXW2JU6TArS1t-ZY-SKWZsuUQwmMzE5qErEqtIHJ4WsxqL3NVtVsxszwReIDwgwlRnjPKCqHWXqPBDgp8fFLNmrqfWgjI-mK1vda1CW8t56htXuAfIufqDG-zZM2CSbXKY8T_nTy4w/s4032/IMG_4836.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg4aNaWKTr4PVdfejZgo2vzZggRdWs_QIsFX58HVoC19wAShVuXW2JU6TArS1t-ZY-SKWZsuUQwmMzE5qErEqtIHJ4WsxqL3NVtVsxszwReIDwgwlRnjPKCqHWXqPBDgp8fFLNmrqfWgjI-mK1vda1CW8t56htXuAfIufqDG-zZM2CSbXKY8T_nTy4w/w300-h400/IMG_4836.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 May - Ox-eye daisies</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But there was work to be done - not least removing some of the bindweed which was choking the raspberries, just as they were beginning to flower.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ThQHyiJYt-KUvNiFe02dBif4PgAuvE3JgS_AOlGgEovVz-JZUDtdqYp6Aj9izMGuBGjcuMogyA6wweva-__tT87J_JDmBHXgDq5zAQtTMf3s5re3SmLUqidsyTdxMHrlmipUJ0FGQFw4czCCYb5fAz8HJTbxym7aif65ONZM692Ot083eq-ylFFEZw/s4032/IMG_4837.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ThQHyiJYt-KUvNiFe02dBif4PgAuvE3JgS_AOlGgEovVz-JZUDtdqYp6Aj9izMGuBGjcuMogyA6wweva-__tT87J_JDmBHXgDq5zAQtTMf3s5re3SmLUqidsyTdxMHrlmipUJ0FGQFw4czCCYb5fAz8HJTbxym7aif65ONZM692Ot083eq-ylFFEZw/w300-h400/IMG_4837.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberries choked with bindweed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was also work to be done finishing the new "no-dig" bed by covering the cardboard, which I had laid previously, with stable manure.<br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikygmHYvRbrEp4gnbmbLSuDHJOf08xu5DhS_bsglYEDCmcLx7gq5g2UWHMJzDtpzZuf_V30H1gq5UpxdcnWqcoqkOiu-Tkl1pmqnj3UG8LbtOcZKYTOSKgxaRiUS0z10i5pau9er1ySlabPBncJPbFcpxAs71QabtO6RNEO7bWFUaJPawbbqwFb3j4ZQ/s4032/IMG_4838.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikygmHYvRbrEp4gnbmbLSuDHJOf08xu5DhS_bsglYEDCmcLx7gq5g2UWHMJzDtpzZuf_V30H1gq5UpxdcnWqcoqkOiu-Tkl1pmqnj3UG8LbtOcZKYTOSKgxaRiUS0z10i5pau9er1ySlabPBncJPbFcpxAs71QabtO6RNEO7bWFUaJPawbbqwFb3j4ZQ/w300-h400/IMG_4838.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"No-dig" in progress</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And with the spare wood chippings I continued to restore the footpath.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg1arIj0koADFBEC-HuXWq023fycnUFGATA84I-O27NXT9KdDcLTcdBR-lh0GmkkCLErNgT7F9sWhvYAasXYOcIMNVLWcAnTkCv1mzzRPLj1AZQie2HNaVK7nyrEksdVghCNkVkAbaZtmAGsgMtVXTpKPBE3Fr3UxFUHxZ_xXciqCA8DMg5YNpjKDNA/s3662/IMG_4839.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3662" data-original-width="2819" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg1arIj0koADFBEC-HuXWq023fycnUFGATA84I-O27NXT9KdDcLTcdBR-lh0GmkkCLErNgT7F9sWhvYAasXYOcIMNVLWcAnTkCv1mzzRPLj1AZQie2HNaVK7nyrEksdVghCNkVkAbaZtmAGsgMtVXTpKPBE3Fr3UxFUHxZ_xXciqCA8DMg5YNpjKDNA/w308-h400/IMG_4839.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 May - renewing the footpath</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>28 - 30 May</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, the <i>Weigela </i>and <i>Philadelphus </i>were now in full flower and probably at their best</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkatmA9BkphZtNtLnDi0Gr33Xi-a3KLljUFWAApAO_UuHjS26iXhK1fx_U6ZF4LYVD44vFcbcIsqJ6pDv_87KEV5WPa3YEQ0NHISznb2qdUYYbjH_Edc1GK7zhafDqBdNlOyKCWpHtV9Ct6O-X1lpVX9tgOl-baU0tMZvDg4N9t4sAnpmcFKr6kn7iw/s4032/IMG_4843.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkatmA9BkphZtNtLnDi0Gr33Xi-a3KLljUFWAApAO_UuHjS26iXhK1fx_U6ZF4LYVD44vFcbcIsqJ6pDv_87KEV5WPa3YEQ0NHISznb2qdUYYbjH_Edc1GK7zhafDqBdNlOyKCWpHtV9Ct6O-X1lpVX9tgOl-baU0tMZvDg4N9t4sAnpmcFKr6kn7iw/w400-h300/IMG_4843.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 May <i>Weigela </i>and <i>Philadelphus</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-TnbK_salJGnVWI39MOoCaLztCQtMf1lY3nv9L-wIXgOCohqKD0--_MCfSK7v-7Ar8qev3FXvLTnH51a8QI_1x7bXBEQXaxmnndh3NVo5w8J62dVI-G-gd6iammv0a9ReF2AbJX0p9YLewnmcRrnjPQhrlzuWswWqbosaAdp08Y9cZWpn1kiBDNYAA/s3361/IMG_4844.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3361" data-original-width="2738" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-TnbK_salJGnVWI39MOoCaLztCQtMf1lY3nv9L-wIXgOCohqKD0--_MCfSK7v-7Ar8qev3FXvLTnH51a8QI_1x7bXBEQXaxmnndh3NVo5w8J62dVI-G-gd6iammv0a9ReF2AbJX0p9YLewnmcRrnjPQhrlzuWswWqbosaAdp08Y9cZWpn1kiBDNYAA/w326-h400/IMG_4844.jpg" width="326" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 May - <i>Weigela</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tgr0Wok2OiJmjFn8o8IpZwuSHqfQqP1QpgjGEYnNaMZZcg4LkLCw4-7tESVD7Xl-tRy-2EShvTvNBtFqu1r8tY0dSLqwYsKHkBW65IiuYSZMr5HaAVL5WRHs2wIWvgjZFqTpNXUAMQRRLyhveAL0DINw_iQ05XvIFK_0KQBlHJyfe2eWOjzPWRdF8w/s4032/IMG_4845.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tgr0Wok2OiJmjFn8o8IpZwuSHqfQqP1QpgjGEYnNaMZZcg4LkLCw4-7tESVD7Xl-tRy-2EShvTvNBtFqu1r8tY0dSLqwYsKHkBW65IiuYSZMr5HaAVL5WRHs2wIWvgjZFqTpNXUAMQRRLyhveAL0DINw_iQ05XvIFK_0KQBlHJyfe2eWOjzPWRdF8w/w300-h400/IMG_4845.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 May - <i>Philadelphus</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I'm afraid there were more distractions over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, Sylvi's sister, Janet, coming to stay; the <a href="https://www.ridelondon.co.uk/"><b><i>Ride London</i></b></a> cycling festival in London - its 10th anniversary; a family 80th birthday party - and then Sylvi and Janet were off to Wembley for a momentous and historic, astonishing League 1 play off between Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley which saw The Owls (Wednesday) promoted to the Championship.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5DH9ZLWsIEfOVrVAcqoMwXeuuV5EPFPnwuQFaKt94hWuELtEtvxadYUSiM20eZ9j345f0wyjSUoj1sjpCiVRqpwwGJsb9wtNgUSnUfjQS1on0VPbsFLMtnM4kifxlJaSnT0PWfSetVxlwTbJdNeYwWLAfLi6hNge0jT76qskz7xkwpgd8Xji30RCsw/s878/View%20recent%20photos.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5DH9ZLWsIEfOVrVAcqoMwXeuuV5EPFPnwuQFaKt94hWuELtEtvxadYUSiM20eZ9j345f0wyjSUoj1sjpCiVRqpwwGJsb9wtNgUSnUfjQS1on0VPbsFLMtnM4kifxlJaSnT0PWfSetVxlwTbJdNeYwWLAfLi6hNge0jT76qskz7xkwpgd8Xji30RCsw/w343-h400/View%20recent%20photos.png" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 May - Ride London - the women's <i>Classique</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst Sylvi was at Wembley, I did manage a visit to the garden centre up by the racecourse. </span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sCtU1ydGD6Lt_GsgtKtOBVwlFpjjVfAG0AQXrw8aFuVHAkH_cVIuxszZcAQaH-UFEgC_gBw4uBMvvofZ5mhMYniDGBPkGdKIINF583w6bXKyq7KTQe3NUMqkesSIZojq1Fwvq-UvpFxgVyRGfoiRn5Z8luRewKmar8gU5WT2HQ5b6jhGQZiKcQ-tFved/s3840/56370FC3-75F3-463D-A334-C6BAD1A8DBFD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sCtU1ydGD6Lt_GsgtKtOBVwlFpjjVfAG0AQXrw8aFuVHAkH_cVIuxszZcAQaH-UFEgC_gBw4uBMvvofZ5mhMYniDGBPkGdKIINF583w6bXKyq7KTQe3NUMqkesSIZojq1Fwvq-UvpFxgVyRGfoiRn5Z8luRewKmar8gU5WT2HQ5b6jhGQZiKcQ-tFved/w225-h400/56370FC3-75F3-463D-A334-C6BAD1A8DBFD.JPG" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's the garden centre of course!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I bought six <i>purple tepee French bean </i>plants to supplement the directly sown ones which had not yet made an appearance and some sugar snap peas and then planted these out. I also bought some <i>purple sprouting broccoli, cavolo nero </i>and <i>purple brussels sprouts </i>plants<i>. </i>I had some seedlings at home which were not looking too good and all of the brassicas directly sown in the outdoor seedbed, that I had painstakenly created, had been eaten by slugs and snails, so these were replacements. I didn't want to risk planting these out yet, so re-potted them in larger pots ready to be planted out next month.</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">None of my earlier sown courgettes had survived, so on the last day of May I sowed some more. There had still been no rain since the beginning of the month and there were further delays in connecting the new water supply and the only way of watering was carrying watering cans from a 1000 litre tank that had been installed by the Council as a temporary measure about 150m from our plot. We are desperately hoping for rain and/or for the water to be connected, otherwise a lot of crops will be ruined as my arms have had it!</span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">John Austin</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, May 2023</span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h2><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h2><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-66194474601066361092023-05-25T02:15:00.001-07:002023-05-25T02:15:53.142-07:00Life on The Weald - April 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - April 2023</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">- and in the garden and the kitchen (and out and about in Brighton, Dieppe and London!)</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1 - 2 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had not been to the plot for the last few days of March and there were yet more distractions at the beginning of April with the <i><a href="https://www.brightonmarathonweekend.co.uk/"><b>Brighton Marathon Weekend</b></a>. </i>As a Trustee of the <a href="https://www.londonmarathongroup.org/" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">London Marathon Foundation</a><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>I was in Preston Park on the Saturdayto start some of the waves in the Mini Mile involving over 1,000 young people and on Sunday at the Finish line for the Marathon to present the medals to the winners in the men's and women's races.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtITS7LHZ_CHT-HLH55OZAiukwtPxjGMy7AemIiW9urr_dVmHl1unM_4bY5IzkS0-4ml_-hL-oFab3mC9zhpBmGe3U2xw4nTpl_Too-a5wLnOcub3xDab5iMp9SdLiiDBTxD7EwFEOJPQak-mHr15kv8dNNbUQLZLVlwSnVhi7TJt9DGNVARa0ycKmw/s395/9e5df37e-c070-4e7e-b421-44d613b81b8c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="356" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtITS7LHZ_CHT-HLH55OZAiukwtPxjGMy7AemIiW9urr_dVmHl1unM_4bY5IzkS0-4ml_-hL-oFab3mC9zhpBmGe3U2xw4nTpl_Too-a5wLnOcub3xDab5iMp9SdLiiDBTxD7EwFEOJPQak-mHr15kv8dNNbUQLZLVlwSnVhi7TJt9DGNVARa0ycKmw/w360-h400/9e5df37e-c070-4e7e-b421-44d613b81b8c.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 April - Hove Lawns</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06W71nJZw8CITWm0dxggYKtglIoOjJVtEgqDq4_HKbMtj5Tk9RrCMLL8UUSl3pOTNu5bPk48UwEc6V8kuOs0jSb0rgQT3JyjUWdLZP6gm5Sw0OyIfx4N--_ILQM6Jhnb2KbuSPSGBNY-ON1NSQFWQzNHA6_AspT9KKrDjT4q918KpMee3nL4jgrEbcA/s377/396491fc-67e6-4c09-888d-688d4ad014b6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh06W71nJZw8CITWm0dxggYKtglIoOjJVtEgqDq4_HKbMtj5Tk9RrCMLL8UUSl3pOTNu5bPk48UwEc6V8kuOs0jSb0rgQT3JyjUWdLZP6gm5Sw0OyIfx4N--_ILQM6Jhnb2KbuSPSGBNY-ON1NSQFWQzNHA6_AspT9KKrDjT4q918KpMee3nL4jgrEbcA/w388-h400/396491fc-67e6-4c09-888d-688d4ad014b6.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 April - Hove Lawns</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, the <i>Basket of Fire </i>chilli, which had been kept going for three years, was in full flower and the <span style="color: #222222;">Patty pan seedlings and parsley also appeared.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9dbq_Jky9n-IivAepWS_AzzlkKcENnlWXfh916XCVnhMOb9xeR_KbLCVZA8zS-6Vxv-fPGrK0bbIx3XbAZ22cu0ndA5-TF6XID9xYOHIfSjanKIUIKjgrjDHZdMyBI3ivMggWbrZjFVKgA1Zqmc6PPltL55grHSvD5VkK5IFQVjJtKARm3sWt4XQbg/s2853/IMG_4348.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2595" data-original-width="2853" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9dbq_Jky9n-IivAepWS_AzzlkKcENnlWXfh916XCVnhMOb9xeR_KbLCVZA8zS-6Vxv-fPGrK0bbIx3XbAZ22cu0ndA5-TF6XID9xYOHIfSjanKIUIKjgrjDHZdMyBI3ivMggWbrZjFVKgA1Zqmc6PPltL55grHSvD5VkK5IFQVjJtKARm3sWt4XQbg/w400-h364/IMG_4348.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 April <i>Bsaket of Fire</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">On Tuesday the temperature rose to 10C but it was very sunny with no wind and it felt much warmer. </span>On the plot, I removed the fleece from the new seed bed and all the brassica seeds </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">that I had sown in the new seed bed,</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> red cabbage, broccoli and kalettes, had germinated except the Brussels sprouts, of which there was no sign.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbcpYE080kz9HyBM6LizudoVkSpkN2LMAv1ObfQm0t2WIH1ZkScDEsD-4S2VJqsNSIFWO26iqVtR9zKr7x0amwfwcPnFzlZdeNpgMrNZLAvuxCNP6g2iTljistT-0AAEqsPJNanGT0Xpnbmtf0a6WfX2HCkJHRVQmSwasuCKNxJjS8XFjavbrZsIQbQ/s4032/IMG_4350.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbcpYE080kz9HyBM6LizudoVkSpkN2LMAv1ObfQm0t2WIH1ZkScDEsD-4S2VJqsNSIFWO26iqVtR9zKr7x0amwfwcPnFzlZdeNpgMrNZLAvuxCNP6g2iTljistT-0AAEqsPJNanGT0Xpnbmtf0a6WfX2HCkJHRVQmSwasuCKNxJjS8XFjavbrZsIQbQ/w300-h400/IMG_4350.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 April - brassica seed bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The autumn sown broad beans were in full flower - fingers crossed that we don't have a hard frost.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2khZDSiISK0_0-amIHExb_PvuhpstB1sVQ7eVq8rmSrsv1B3falaGSrpJFFWjE8xXMBLo2hLUqUK3s-iIjlWSc65Hr70StdInz6JSK3IzWWG_38wYC-6X4_tiYl86GNkbs73XwlfPFYdus1uoFYc_vt8urtVJNM_I2Xcs8iX7DKP7936rq7GyH5MI-g/s1870/IMG_4354.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1870" data-original-width="1666" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2khZDSiISK0_0-amIHExb_PvuhpstB1sVQ7eVq8rmSrsv1B3falaGSrpJFFWjE8xXMBLo2hLUqUK3s-iIjlWSc65Hr70StdInz6JSK3IzWWG_38wYC-6X4_tiYl86GNkbs73XwlfPFYdus1uoFYc_vt8urtVJNM_I2Xcs8iX7DKP7936rq7GyH5MI-g/w356-h400/IMG_4354.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 April - Broad beans in flower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was probably too early, but I decided to sow<span> some <i>Cobra </i>climbing French beans </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">outdoors</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. I picked some kalettes and purple sprouting broccoli.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Just before we left, Sylvi spotted a patch of Wood Sorrell on the haulageway</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9OCCzMF8xVFBZxlkKsKuvCfRGPT4BHSovDYOjUNIN4_PRMb6R2CNPAXfe_jhDQ71ad7EUyElEUdzUN0RulDqkRtjR-7Tv_8lf5cjpZZ7_okIL-zA10Ns_41NAfq06U71oXGh9WYJJt78F4nrdVTIs2p4Z5rh2pBKAqLc3uQFkWucy2m71DrtO8Ljig/s4032/IMG_4357.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9OCCzMF8xVFBZxlkKsKuvCfRGPT4BHSovDYOjUNIN4_PRMb6R2CNPAXfe_jhDQ71ad7EUyElEUdzUN0RulDqkRtjR-7Tv_8lf5cjpZZ7_okIL-zA10Ns_41NAfq06U71oXGh9WYJJt78F4nrdVTIs2p4Z5rh2pBKAqLc3uQFkWucy2m71DrtO8Ljig/w300-h400/IMG_4357.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 April - Wood sorrell<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Back Home I potted up some seedlings of red cabbage, kalettes and chervil. </span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Tres Cantos</i> tomatoes were looking very leggy and unhappy so I decided to put them outside in the sunshine for a few hours and then in the mini-greenhouse in the garden. They're a heritage variety from the Canary Islands so might not be too happy with our climate.</span></div><div><div class="nH aHU" style="color: #202124; position: relative;"><div class="nH hx" style="color: #222222; min-width: 502px; padding: 0px;"><div class="nH" jslog="20686; u014N:xr6bB; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWY6MTc2NDc4NzAyNDAwMjEwMjUyOSIsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsW11d" role="list"><div aria-expanded="true" class="h7 ie nH oy8Mbf" role="listitem" style="clear: both; max-width: 100000px; outline: none; padding-bottom: 0px;" tabindex="-1"><div class="Bk" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-radius: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 0px; float: left; margin-bottom: 0px; position: relative; width: 1246px;"><div class="G3 G2" style="border-bottom: 0px rgba(100, 121, 143, 0.12); border-image: initial; border-left: 0px; border-radius: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div id=":ez"><div class="gA gt acV" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-bottom-left-radius: 0px; border-bottom-right-radius: 0px; border-top: none; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.875rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: auto;"><div class="gB xu" style="border-top: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="ip iq" style="border-top: none; clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 16px 0px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="nH" style="font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></div><div class="nH" style="font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></div></div></div><div class="nH" style="color: #202124; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWkMqbFRlHm2jeRsT0KSIMBPwFXVuY5QD2VVnuxN1Efx6ls4aoAAWb-6JQpOarfRpeQaIKc88nHKR6-R0c0s2dccFrS7HQnvWdVsMsBNAdbw1lub6JgM4oU5AS88_g3XWcrYdnxo3MzF9ppOmdpgMzv6au4Y_SJO9mIM9epz-qK5T586OkR_-NRpPBw/s2563/IMG_4358.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2563" data-original-width="2306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWkMqbFRlHm2jeRsT0KSIMBPwFXVuY5QD2VVnuxN1Efx6ls4aoAAWb-6JQpOarfRpeQaIKc88nHKR6-R0c0s2dccFrS7HQnvWdVsMsBNAdbw1lub6JgM4oU5AS88_g3XWcrYdnxo3MzF9ppOmdpgMzv6au4Y_SJO9mIM9epz-qK5T586OkR_-NRpPBw/w360-h400/IMG_4358.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 April - <i>Tres Cantos </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>5 April</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The temperature reached 11C. The First early <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes were emerging so I earthed them up.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJKtnZrAB8IrUjaZ2I2vWEW4ZfPqLCQ8mvK3S4cDmddfU98ET7OR0nwk37QAaiRINaXpTxCs-f9Ka_qndzYAoRAspSL8dMXEPu6nG7Sl3gLTf7FrM0LCVlUYUCdyztN2Zc2nuJgkZUmZxTmfE5G347mR3gib7GuVf-lqX3p8NDwhmOiglD8qR_tVSBw/s2208/IMG_4360.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="1656" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJKtnZrAB8IrUjaZ2I2vWEW4ZfPqLCQ8mvK3S4cDmddfU98ET7OR0nwk37QAaiRINaXpTxCs-f9Ka_qndzYAoRAspSL8dMXEPu6nG7Sl3gLTf7FrM0LCVlUYUCdyztN2Zc2nuJgkZUmZxTmfE5G347mR3gib7GuVf-lqX3p8NDwhmOiglD8qR_tVSBw/w300-h400/IMG_4360.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 April - 1st early potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also directly sowed some <i>Alderman peas </i>two inches apart in rows 9 inches apart in what is to be the brassica bed and hopefully they will have finished producing by the time I need to plant out the kale and broccoli.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>6 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I sowed some squashes indoors, <i>Crown Prince, Tromboncino </i>and some <i>Custard White Patty Pan.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>7 -12 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Easter break is usually a busy time on the allotment with much needing to be done but we neglected our duty and went off to France for a break.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5Ip6S2eH7leX7C5ThE2VehOcHIUcchRPs7eUl7pHSR21VbCPRUIJbYTNgKhIQIMZ1ZG5XWt3apT-4JgPlmcwUzPD2WMiHjlDCBcJCSDxXjmUjuOMQM0Bql_VF9w5jx_Bg0IeYhyJjXBVXXWI6x7KtTwy_qRuTqy8bfg-KUIaIe43BBcj0jJPgus9YA/s3230/IMG_4371.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3230" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5Ip6S2eH7leX7C5ThE2VehOcHIUcchRPs7eUl7pHSR21VbCPRUIJbYTNgKhIQIMZ1ZG5XWt3apT-4JgPlmcwUzPD2WMiHjlDCBcJCSDxXjmUjuOMQM0Bql_VF9w5jx_Bg0IeYhyJjXBVXXWI6x7KtTwy_qRuTqy8bfg-KUIaIe43BBcj0jJPgus9YA/w375-h400/IMG_4371.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 April - leaving Newhaven</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Having left Newhaven we found ourselves in an Airbnb in Dieppe with little over 20miles on the car mileometer. Had we been at home <a href="https://www.brighton-fish-sales.co.uk/brighton-and-newhaven-fish-sales-shop/"><b><i>Fish</i></b></a> would have had our custom but we had the Dieppe fishmarket on our doorstep and enjoyed some locally caught Gurnard (or might it have been caught offshore in Brighton?)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaYQwEFNrb2KAd73vO1Sg3dfMvWk1pVuoyy17te7FE8xh90Br1muB1sGvnA9P9aCGILsYVP3_TIGnRmoWngU26cikUR2ln8H5ArNORqmyHgJxjGhmnEnDsF43-gmHU6eK4SCqQRdjUbLatTXtSGvkgX2z_fgjMETbSbq_7_WRKocFrPdUEZTqqJI7kQ/s4032/IMG_4415.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="4032" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaYQwEFNrb2KAd73vO1Sg3dfMvWk1pVuoyy17te7FE8xh90Br1muB1sGvnA9P9aCGILsYVP3_TIGnRmoWngU26cikUR2ln8H5ArNORqmyHgJxjGhmnEnDsF43-gmHU6eK4SCqQRdjUbLatTXtSGvkgX2z_fgjMETbSbq_7_WRKocFrPdUEZTqqJI7kQ/w400-h291/IMG_4415.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 April - oven ready Gurnard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxjviw6BmoXjOgmctCmE0G-N9f1m8cWEZAcUQJ0RToeH1HZ5Uv9VWO4T3wlVTz_pBAeur0aNphgBEd2qrsVqAefrGfw1DI0-0yncu1zyPED3jvbT55zmpYLypBY2d6BHrxDoQBrF96LX1ztqWu4RhnfSlIA9yQXYJCUbbTNHOzKn5mGv6CFy4Gug3aA/s4032/IMG_4418.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxjviw6BmoXjOgmctCmE0G-N9f1m8cWEZAcUQJ0RToeH1HZ5Uv9VWO4T3wlVTz_pBAeur0aNphgBEd2qrsVqAefrGfw1DI0-0yncu1zyPED3jvbT55zmpYLypBY2d6BHrxDoQBrF96LX1ztqWu4RhnfSlIA9yQXYJCUbbTNHOzKn5mGv6CFy4Gug3aA/w400-h300/IMG_4418.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 April - 2 whole roast Gurnard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whilst there's a lot to be said for home cooking, we just had to venture out to one of the many quayside restaurants for a <i>plateau de fruits de mer.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNApTkcpMum-eF5rAbVgqamEV0aDNUjSecM65qIhp709AZf2ax7HEArkUpAleDm7pqEv2rsha_1sJOztC2tzp6sud4DdY4GiVztNhaiTnpaJO-__3qbu9kF0kxyVWRms50p8j1d7uWHXR50MIULQHVK83kVGdZg3Sw9pZYrwQLXCiT480ayVZosACthw/s3584/IMG_4497.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3584" data-original-width="3012" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNApTkcpMum-eF5rAbVgqamEV0aDNUjSecM65qIhp709AZf2ax7HEArkUpAleDm7pqEv2rsha_1sJOztC2tzp6sud4DdY4GiVztNhaiTnpaJO-__3qbu9kF0kxyVWRms50p8j1d7uWHXR50MIULQHVK83kVGdZg3Sw9pZYrwQLXCiT480ayVZosACthw/w336-h400/IMG_4497.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 April - my main course</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmJiXTIehMzR3TA_5N-yfWZ2fpfMimK90GQ_RPD7grIKJhHgogVJ1BdE1oHL-uTUTWw9ArtTdphE8EuSUXq0ivBC1Ug7HhT5PVmTXNFMFgf2T0hBfKez_SH-PuU51rKCwxVsRBykVO4ezIUwSO94Yw8sNOoSF8TZZVx22LGMZC-9scwbn1s5CD-vCKg/s2049/IMG_9834.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmJiXTIehMzR3TA_5N-yfWZ2fpfMimK90GQ_RPD7grIKJhHgogVJ1BdE1oHL-uTUTWw9ArtTdphE8EuSUXq0ivBC1Ug7HhT5PVmTXNFMFgf2T0hBfKez_SH-PuU51rKCwxVsRBykVO4ezIUwSO94Yw8sNOoSF8TZZVx22LGMZC-9scwbn1s5CD-vCKg/w300-h400/IMG_9834.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 April<br />my daughter-in-law's and grandson's shared starter</span></td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apart from an occasional shower the weather in France had been very good and so easy to get there from Hove - a short drive to Newhaven a leisurely lunch on the ferry and an Airbnb on the doorstep of the quayside and bustling town centre.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Unfortunately the journey home was not so simple - storm force winds in the channel caused our ferry to be cancelled which necessitated a 2¼ hour drive to Calais and a further 2½ hour drive from Dover to home! 😞</span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">13 April</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Back on the plot, the shed had taken a battering and the doors were off again! The crops, however, fared better. The first early <i>Duke of York </i> potatoes had put on some more growth and I gently earthed them up a little, and I picked some rhubarb.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xf1gkNyF2j07hUQNsadvXTo0LQBMtlLRUFwTQarBY9Ocr8rPItOuWtcCuiJNglet7rbHfDqt_K_KecFFGMQxi1aFFzLC2L8CcVu24jiDvqAV7jd2iaSs0xWwiU0c65AVNgoNMH72YO32qC-VuXExgfNfjec71ZVFAdnDlAXGRyTF1Y5KkwnVCHE7fg/s3710/IMG_4505.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3710" data-original-width="2637" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xf1gkNyF2j07hUQNsadvXTo0LQBMtlLRUFwTQarBY9Ocr8rPItOuWtcCuiJNglet7rbHfDqt_K_KecFFGMQxi1aFFzLC2L8CcVu24jiDvqAV7jd2iaSs0xWwiU0c65AVNgoNMH72YO32qC-VuXExgfNfjec71ZVFAdnDlAXGRyTF1Y5KkwnVCHE7fg/w284-h400/IMG_4505.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 April - 1st early Duke of York</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-ck0lQuMXunjGT0q-Qb7tuja1LiZWGI1vVHccEPZNqjzecg_IuVxAz2tNMMjLRxpqMS1vLAtaAjv25gUmyjyvX6obvrtLipHyv1E_VtL_ck1SUWOeNkyAiUdQjKz74uMFMaGCbJK7UA71qVRTBlVA-UnnXIprqOLTl9MxfEgB85-gOnlzi2nY-elfw/s3015/IMG_4506.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3015" data-original-width="2502" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-ck0lQuMXunjGT0q-Qb7tuja1LiZWGI1vVHccEPZNqjzecg_IuVxAz2tNMMjLRxpqMS1vLAtaAjv25gUmyjyvX6obvrtLipHyv1E_VtL_ck1SUWOeNkyAiUdQjKz74uMFMaGCbJK7UA71qVRTBlVA-UnnXIprqOLTl9MxfEgB85-gOnlzi2nY-elfw/w333-h400/IMG_4506.jpg" width="333" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 April Rhubarb</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I moved the frame from where the kalettes had been and laid down some cardboard, ready to prepare a new "no-dig" bed for the squashes. There were intermittent showers and strong blustery winds, which continued throughout the following day.<br /><br /><b>15 - 16 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Saturday, the winds had subsided and my step-son kindly collected a few barrow loads of stable manure for the new bed, and Sylvi and I concentrated on the climbing bean frame.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_xhGRxCHHjwcAQpoP50CTBl7PjawyAE7o4n1coTWCKIPqvLTq6v1WX2wsYSTWlkhkoP6-IRYYLZohOmQoBnzgrrLCK42y_fVxT57CxzZpeu-4mtnOgI8dZKZIRTi5LvBXeY6sF-EAnccI49tHjA_ocnvnIG1-Y0WFG7Nkj2ou1p6efQn6B2M4LiOCA/s4032/IMG_4508.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_xhGRxCHHjwcAQpoP50CTBl7PjawyAE7o4n1coTWCKIPqvLTq6v1WX2wsYSTWlkhkoP6-IRYYLZohOmQoBnzgrrLCK42y_fVxT57CxzZpeu-4mtnOgI8dZKZIRTi5LvBXeY6sF-EAnccI49tHjA_ocnvnIG1-Y0WFG7Nkj2ou1p6efQn6B2M4LiOCA/w300-h400/IMG_4508.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a new no-dig bed for the squashes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcg9uafiixcdqpgZSI9F8vh7bVGA7jIdjJlaXcIK0r2lpCtn7n0db42sjFR2xf3tNReSqB5lKZqLChC0FgNfI6DSa30u5dehyJEf1ltswesD4YAzXGonaXuQ92MmWuQTZr7etU2m_TMclzKaJ4Ty6xJYm3S-eB4Ryszfop_1uPvUjsEbigpt1765IoA/s4032/IMG_4509.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcg9uafiixcdqpgZSI9F8vh7bVGA7jIdjJlaXcIK0r2lpCtn7n0db42sjFR2xf3tNReSqB5lKZqLChC0FgNfI6DSa30u5dehyJEf1ltswesD4YAzXGonaXuQ92MmWuQTZr7etU2m_TMclzKaJ4Ty6xJYm3S-eB4Ryszfop_1uPvUjsEbigpt1765IoA/w300-h400/IMG_4509.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more no-dig where brassicas will go</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>15 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The local fishing crews had been out and returned with a successful catch of Black B</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ream, so it was down to <a href="https://www.brighton-fish-sales.co.uk/brighton-and-newhaven-fish-sales-shop/"><b><i>FISH</i></b></a> in the morning.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX20jYxZTnZMVu3xm1WOlweT1TGXFO0fTTkCeMnZt7Jb6gm-OvvO71OlPP2QHQx4rXwVEpFz6yfdmoNmSp7yc87k2Lj6O-1-suerIkLEb9WCnXNIr9QlMpfugZpyTXMq_D4EdRB7XOqbtSDeIj_TWj41mUu6UW2aIjNktAy1epzYXYrSkFEM_B3YV8Ww/s3792/IMG_4516.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2374" data-original-width="3792" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX20jYxZTnZMVu3xm1WOlweT1TGXFO0fTTkCeMnZt7Jb6gm-OvvO71OlPP2QHQx4rXwVEpFz6yfdmoNmSp7yc87k2Lj6O-1-suerIkLEb9WCnXNIr9QlMpfugZpyTXMq_D4EdRB7XOqbtSDeIj_TWj41mUu6UW2aIjNktAy1epzYXYrSkFEM_B3YV8Ww/w400-h250/IMG_4516.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Black bream - fresh from the Channel</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd4YaCdQA_rEvsSa5yzQfXpNtAt82COvl7WvRuYd5LNCTpKnq0PtzG2VUZRKGWX8kY2r8iWiUNZJ5EA3REY5xo11ID_AUumEeeAU57s_7izO57Jtma5Vnc9XmDGwIhs0G4lx2ziJyXbp38PStnC1zv7dRsLLr89wzGW2tanX6_AzAQAWJeILjgtJWOA/s4032/IMG_4517%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHd4YaCdQA_rEvsSa5yzQfXpNtAt82COvl7WvRuYd5LNCTpKnq0PtzG2VUZRKGWX8kY2r8iWiUNZJ5EA3REY5xo11ID_AUumEeeAU57s_7izO57Jtma5Vnc9XmDGwIhs0G4lx2ziJyXbp38PStnC1zv7dRsLLr89wzGW2tanX6_AzAQAWJeILjgtJWOA/w400-h300/IMG_4517%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Black bream - ready for the oven</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>16 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a lot of uncultivated ground close to the apple tree and I thought this had room for another no-dig bed. I think true "no-diggers" would have just laid cardboard over the weeds but I decided to try to remove as much of the couch grass and bindweeds as possible.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbH9VKpQ35HTR4wybm1P0zul1TNdWZX-lKK_WhDpPdN0e-nCnn4u1QDnG9LBqFe-Xs5xposOJsBrZghImAH4b7s8rXP1O8HXfB9shAl2jc12ZGSI4VvgwW3S5CWZfxWkIw-drOzMwRdRHDM1iGG3D7BufpAQSea9mn8Y6DGHkdf0IBUjNFLqTvj8ycg/s4032/IMG_4521.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbH9VKpQ35HTR4wybm1P0zul1TNdWZX-lKK_WhDpPdN0e-nCnn4u1QDnG9LBqFe-Xs5xposOJsBrZghImAH4b7s8rXP1O8HXfB9shAl2jc12ZGSI4VvgwW3S5CWZfxWkIw-drOzMwRdRHDM1iGG3D7BufpAQSea9mn8Y6DGHkdf0IBUjNFLqTvj8ycg/w300-h400/IMG_4521.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 April - overgrown with couch grass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM9ewkpN-s02SqQrklYhAMpOi-EzjSmSylDepTv_UBMpdtJEfM391hG8jtxX797Q05bi27uuQlZ68M40i3dxkixm08wNO5HW2_O6oMntIZaVTsNpQkspPxlaKcBTDxpsYpscyg35TR1VVZp3Y5sMZCb4RIkf2CiYPc4oEltwtaSmY0FECeBtiAB0nRQ/s4032/IMG_4522.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPM9ewkpN-s02SqQrklYhAMpOi-EzjSmSylDepTv_UBMpdtJEfM391hG8jtxX797Q05bi27uuQlZ68M40i3dxkixm08wNO5HW2_O6oMntIZaVTsNpQkspPxlaKcBTDxpsYpscyg35TR1VVZp3Y5sMZCb4RIkf2CiYPc4oEltwtaSmY0FECeBtiAB0nRQ/w300-h400/IMG_4522.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 April - couch grass mostly removed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also made a start on levelling out the new no-dig bed for the courgettes and squashes and put the final touches to the climbing bean frame.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4iDyiAUt_4S2ZfGWTDNsP_SZNMp3IFQNgXOgyOhY17P76kgSJdS3PPxsuT2NvK9QRE_KGj4bCCk2LiFQIOG0c20nShdsAFK3mvnS70-NLkr6mdbthW9VIEsoVbK6bpYslvqZEltNJLAM0GfVVQAXWEdUuefvElxXpUwIHuKWJKQmxHJnBayR5bQQSQ/s4032/IMG_4523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4iDyiAUt_4S2ZfGWTDNsP_SZNMp3IFQNgXOgyOhY17P76kgSJdS3PPxsuT2NvK9QRE_KGj4bCCk2LiFQIOG0c20nShdsAFK3mvnS70-NLkr6mdbthW9VIEsoVbK6bpYslvqZEltNJLAM0GfVVQAXWEdUuefvElxXpUwIHuKWJKQmxHJnBayR5bQQSQ/w300-h400/IMG_4523.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 April - preparing the squash bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURiZWSDIxezP6TJkTNELc8tRtWHJYdXtZMIzOG9K7yIiv1vvJzu3DGrTgzkoTAngWU5TleS2R4dCrw5Vn-VbpQ4Qurk0WWYZ6WXWBl2J9W_L9ZcB5nnCWAcY1sNC_OvEVP6d8yzwI5qiKa9AxKQynhXltmVaO-1X010q1460sslSwH1_3pWpNGzR1hw/s4032/IMG_4524.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURiZWSDIxezP6TJkTNELc8tRtWHJYdXtZMIzOG9K7yIiv1vvJzu3DGrTgzkoTAngWU5TleS2R4dCrw5Vn-VbpQ4Qurk0WWYZ6WXWBl2J9W_L9ZcB5nnCWAcY1sNC_OvEVP6d8yzwI5qiKa9AxKQynhXltmVaO-1X010q1460sslSwH1_3pWpNGzR1hw/w300-h400/IMG_4524.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 April - climbing bean frame</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At home, I sowed some Spanish cucumber (Pepino), <i>Marketer </i>and <i>Ashley </i>varieties, and some climbing French beans (<i>Cobra</i>), Borlotti beans (<i>Lingua di Fuoco - Firetongue), </i>courgettes and <i>Hungarian Blue </i>squash (from some seeds bought in Dieppe).</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjsdH98SINsKMKoKHtdiQzfAQhGZSqdJQqLCagSQVcOMNlDSMJucewgNperWL6QOW7vRlhr3UoLbHg2QGGnNcMrjaRnQ79DpvhohH5xtu9xvbqgeM4eaQ6_fx6zISDv4Iia4hPSbZhTCnpgEdFu_R1pGcHdKLUkNsBgst8_6zpze3-vOOuWGS0_a_ag/s4032/IMG_4534.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjsdH98SINsKMKoKHtdiQzfAQhGZSqdJQqLCagSQVcOMNlDSMJucewgNperWL6QOW7vRlhr3UoLbHg2QGGnNcMrjaRnQ79DpvhohH5xtu9xvbqgeM4eaQ6_fx6zISDv4Iia4hPSbZhTCnpgEdFu_R1pGcHdKLUkNsBgst8_6zpze3-vOOuWGS0_a_ag/s320/IMG_4534.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We began preparations for making some rhubarb gin by chopping the rhubarb, dusting with sugar and leaving covered in a bowl overnight, ready to be immersed in gin the following day and hopefully ready for filtering and drinking in about 4 weeks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-Gdi-gGMvq4mSC0gUPfBSS99oHsoBpavcAqlxCx7PIz4-7uhj3-xi9Abp8yDBbD2CwNHpX_JULa3c6cvb2RYqEqP8BYD0eVUU-LYC8nKzp3oRWmRt0buzY6UJQILpduLYkpbbF9IDrZuYyba__n4ffF42TKNDvRB-vRuEVMnyIT9iuDTV8_KpXpgYQ/s4032/IMG_4526.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-Gdi-gGMvq4mSC0gUPfBSS99oHsoBpavcAqlxCx7PIz4-7uhj3-xi9Abp8yDBbD2CwNHpX_JULa3c6cvb2RYqEqP8BYD0eVUU-LYC8nKzp3oRWmRt0buzY6UJQILpduLYkpbbF9IDrZuYyba__n4ffF42TKNDvRB-vRuEVMnyIT9iuDTV8_KpXpgYQ/s320/IMG_4526.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">rhubarb dusted with sugar</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>18 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I continued preparatory work for the new no-dig bed near the apple tree. It was a glorious sunny day and the plum trees were in full blossom.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZVzSGlXzIjb9C9F9WeVA5YYgrNQeSkNdgL5a4huhwbZQx645lgr30dIcEm-J7xb68D5O8vgk5V8QSYfDunCwmynuhJtDc5mh3PZ4h0rTh41JL8B_2MZw_UCc4Q5yA21dM4FdfQE01ahPUu5P2ehr4KlUrA2N-PXSkigqc21IUVwdNXYrGP5BC1SP3Q/s4032/IMG_4540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZVzSGlXzIjb9C9F9WeVA5YYgrNQeSkNdgL5a4huhwbZQx645lgr30dIcEm-J7xb68D5O8vgk5V8QSYfDunCwmynuhJtDc5mh3PZ4h0rTh41JL8B_2MZw_UCc4Q5yA21dM4FdfQE01ahPUu5P2ehr4KlUrA2N-PXSkigqc21IUVwdNXYrGP5BC1SP3Q/w300-h400/IMG_4540.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 April - preparations for a new bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>19 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Work continued with the no-dig beds. Thanks to help from my stepson, Luke, and fellow plotholder, Steve, I had a plentiful supply of stable manure as they had transported several barrow loads. The bed, intended for squashes (where last year's kalettes had been grown) was nearing completion. The frame beyond still had some purple sprouting broccoli and would be the next target for a no-dig bed.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QxLipLKj4uvtRlExXZHdjCu0GUoG_pgVdDvkfdJLLu_GEgqyOSaLK97pSxHgMmngwryIQt91JR21dPGgljrDLk7KU2RmNSNQCz9k_cajaSugVH0jZqsApRUxlC1skZmp2YL4qzgAQUlmoX6Yx68lcNSBP2vNprPJNEP89I14V8dMKdVvf2DfInMNyg/s4032/IMG_4544.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QxLipLKj4uvtRlExXZHdjCu0GUoG_pgVdDvkfdJLLu_GEgqyOSaLK97pSxHgMmngwryIQt91JR21dPGgljrDLk7KU2RmNSNQCz9k_cajaSugVH0jZqsApRUxlC1skZmp2YL4qzgAQUlmoX6Yx68lcNSBP2vNprPJNEP89I14V8dMKdVvf2DfInMNyg/w300-h400/IMG_4544.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 April - first bed for squashes completed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The area by the apple tree was ready for a layer of compost.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYsYoGnrZ1-Z_i3uPcAI3AlbRSDurAOFx0Udo8d7SH33Qo8dD3Km4vvHGE5TTAyDKY5n3sTp-962YToPDkvwa9YrewyQQ3BpQ90Olo4MpJ0fbXDOiRkZrYel1WJ3mlvrH1rSwBFsuXbE2xlXAB1XxDazfVgGmGefbzlQurydnsn_B6VKnWQH95AG8Sw/s3445/IMG_4545.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3445" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYsYoGnrZ1-Z_i3uPcAI3AlbRSDurAOFx0Udo8d7SH33Qo8dD3Km4vvHGE5TTAyDKY5n3sTp-962YToPDkvwa9YrewyQQ3BpQ90Olo4MpJ0fbXDOiRkZrYel1WJ3mlvrH1rSwBFsuXbE2xlXAB1XxDazfVgGmGefbzlQurydnsn_B6VKnWQH95AG8Sw/w351-h400/IMG_4545.jpg" width="351" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 April - progress near the apple tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also planted out some of the perpetual spinach plants which I had grown from seed at home and tackled the wilderness where the collapsed greenhouse had been.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After a lot of heavy work, I deserved a rest,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIsNbMzVjTHhSXAbPZBd4BRWhb_jafnKg8zKbjAIEm0HbIYPbMTVBeQs93IZlMtRom8i9cW9Lo8zWLS99KLlaig2HOK0P2FvbnWxC7Rys81AHXfzFBBdyo691Do_Gl8-nOZr00OWEssKm7nKc38Ilt793DE_Irc7MMpXp64PFF19bt7uox1kH4oOr5w/s4032/IMG_4550.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLIsNbMzVjTHhSXAbPZBd4BRWhb_jafnKg8zKbjAIEm0HbIYPbMTVBeQs93IZlMtRom8i9cW9Lo8zWLS99KLlaig2HOK0P2FvbnWxC7Rys81AHXfzFBBdyo691Do_Gl8-nOZr00OWEssKm7nKc38Ilt793DE_Irc7MMpXp64PFF19bt7uox1kH4oOr5w/w300-h400/IMG_4550.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 April - relaxation time<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>20 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At home the tulips were in full flower and I always marvel at the beautiful, intricate patterns.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhom4F6GUgJK2qNjpQh3HOEx7a3Od7fR9G2FLcjP1tU_dSInLTrwHUijPFT4bm6gh7MbrdJ2tK465hzmjK33p1NExCmWheM_V5yeOj2cZ2AgsOH4lQh_v_-NMC92tNCX_Pt4dhArItcNIhd0jDUQiTWMAaFAcp-BHhEFNeMOWU4SRmYi90q4vO4UV2wMw/s2048/9CA460BD-3534-4DE0-A800-D9F65DEF6EF6.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhom4F6GUgJK2qNjpQh3HOEx7a3Od7fR9G2FLcjP1tU_dSInLTrwHUijPFT4bm6gh7MbrdJ2tK465hzmjK33p1NExCmWheM_V5yeOj2cZ2AgsOH4lQh_v_-NMC92tNCX_Pt4dhArItcNIhd0jDUQiTWMAaFAcp-BHhEFNeMOWU4SRmYi90q4vO4UV2wMw/w400-h400/9CA460BD-3534-4DE0-A800-D9F65DEF6EF6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 April - tulips</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>21-23 April</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another weekend of neglect for the plot as the London Marathon beckoned. The reception for elite runners was held on Friday at Tower Bridge. Despite having lived in London for seventy years, I had never before been inside the bridge or on the upper walkway. It was a remarkable experience with great views and an amazing glass floor!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xF8ykrcsdakIgV4Mw9Arp5Euj_dE3gOHsRUnMBuYBco-Nq5R1zrvsptL6sgYjVK1TiRKvaSPDIeoAuvvU-9IYmG-17iEapB-26tgr4PdOzs0qsBRMG161j81DuIZ0o55atCrrfC_JZu9z252DKVwpGAro5jomrvGsQ5BuaqFQw65uQqQLczy_3TNbg/s3299/IMG_4570.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3299" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xF8ykrcsdakIgV4Mw9Arp5Euj_dE3gOHsRUnMBuYBco-Nq5R1zrvsptL6sgYjVK1TiRKvaSPDIeoAuvvU-9IYmG-17iEapB-26tgr4PdOzs0qsBRMG161j81DuIZ0o55atCrrfC_JZu9z252DKVwpGAro5jomrvGsQ5BuaqFQw65uQqQLczy_3TNbg/w586-h640/IMG_4570.jpg" width="586" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 April - sunset from Tower Bridge</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7oumclI5X01PaiDQIe3Xv2ZTjV6HSj0E-0nxtxsQNyH5U9OlfZSeLz2GL5rxA4cRC9if9ouMPLxOOx5XOrlYQTWbG5UXy0bQLcH8aIJIYdbbt6WxSLed9_gm2c-1PFakCVMiH-ynmS93rZxdSWqrQz4wdTET8fSo00aNt0We32LzSTMFJGU9mVs0bA/s4032/IMG_4571.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7oumclI5X01PaiDQIe3Xv2ZTjV6HSj0E-0nxtxsQNyH5U9OlfZSeLz2GL5rxA4cRC9if9ouMPLxOOx5XOrlYQTWbG5UXy0bQLcH8aIJIYdbbt6WxSLed9_gm2c-1PFakCVMiH-ynmS93rZxdSWqrQz4wdTET8fSo00aNt0We32LzSTMFJGU9mVs0bA/w480-h640/IMG_4571.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 April - standing on the glass floor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDQK8jyxjWlx9k9xOJIQUAEDo3QBSb5D9YswmEWk3nsaOz4Nt0yQeAPrg9xq-QkGnO1zeKkXowQ2eq69g7iy6ddOdc6auWZ2YveXkQ8WsFuI4e5ISsMmOTbSoS5bsjDNjpR-rKIyvetL9duy2vRFRPdFtKW2BhH-ZvjHXGk80LYSRnt1_Rny4JMhHFw/s4032/IMG_4580.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZDQK8jyxjWlx9k9xOJIQUAEDo3QBSb5D9YswmEWk3nsaOz4Nt0yQeAPrg9xq-QkGnO1zeKkXowQ2eq69g7iy6ddOdc6auWZ2YveXkQ8WsFuI4e5ISsMmOTbSoS5bsjDNjpR-rKIyvetL9duy2vRFRPdFtKW2BhH-ZvjHXGk80LYSRnt1_Rny4JMhHFw/w480-h640/IMG_4580.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 April - Tower Bridge<br />The glass floor viewed from below</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Saturday was a busy day as I was one of the official starters for the Mini-Marathon when 10,000 young people ran either 1 mile or 2.6km from Horseguards Parade finishing past Buckingham Palace in The Mall.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv6PqxxfYwJ1zvJTKCnDkhS11iqZUHWDNJrjtpo5vWm6Fy2SGdFoNy3dpuZWPnQ80HE4bYhxyP4l7jSgOW_mp28voEVue5CRu5xbxNzDN6CEHt0bOKmTZghimrc0hnDCK4Pl7ef5sExwybuMVI1RURtGntZoSFfflZ0XSjALl9dpOEDV-dy-8ndFSLg/s1600/39f33e2f-99ce-4c5e-90f5-033ac6f9459a.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdv6PqxxfYwJ1zvJTKCnDkhS11iqZUHWDNJrjtpo5vWm6Fy2SGdFoNy3dpuZWPnQ80HE4bYhxyP4l7jSgOW_mp28voEVue5CRu5xbxNzDN6CEHt0bOKmTZghimrc0hnDCK4Pl7ef5sExwybuMVI1RURtGntZoSFfflZ0XSjALl9dpOEDV-dy-8ndFSLg/w300-h400/39f33e2f-99ce-4c5e-90f5-033ac6f9459a.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 April - ready for the next wave</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bRjJph6cnHD5CVZlTUA42RhCvLsCC2jXOhdEm2sCH4XqAnUgJfEmRiozagPvFpbvQpNxctkZycMI3BS0srCrVQweQ8x6Y_XB19RcwTa5rUaJr2Re7pkqTVYNYRcQm1b622TdSg-h8nqj3dTl1taD7YUFAh7wUmatSKZCNn7c42uBb0wL4bwTxnXy5g/s4032/IMG_4584.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bRjJph6cnHD5CVZlTUA42RhCvLsCC2jXOhdEm2sCH4XqAnUgJfEmRiozagPvFpbvQpNxctkZycMI3BS0srCrVQweQ8x6Y_XB19RcwTa5rUaJr2Re7pkqTVYNYRcQm1b622TdSg-h8nqj3dTl1taD7YUFAh7wUmatSKZCNn7c42uBb0wL4bwTxnXy5g/s320/IMG_4584.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 April - some of the 10,000 runners</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The actual Marathon on the Sunday was breathtaking with several records tumbling. It was amazing to get a bird's eye view of the finish line.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oVsLTa9O_Q0" width="320" youtube-src-id="oVsLTa9O_Q0"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">25 April</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Back on the plot, the plum trees had been in full blossom for some days but now the apple tree's flowers were beginning to open.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYthQeMFK36IebXCQgWPOSd2SsRV_6RIysffGztR8Jt5OEfRfcMwhsk27COl3Hspmjcp8VsTvMmlELxx1Ib1wMRsMUmZq0yd_sqVR2NGBKlQm2HmJXBpY3K1_qQ01qaqLpK8pfXS4B7vejJD1DHDZ3l2ZRf2KPC2NvfD4Z1Ld7C7IAXZKcdjcJ31-K9A/s2265/IMG_4606.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2265" data-original-width="1699" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYthQeMFK36IebXCQgWPOSd2SsRV_6RIysffGztR8Jt5OEfRfcMwhsk27COl3Hspmjcp8VsTvMmlELxx1Ib1wMRsMUmZq0yd_sqVR2NGBKlQm2HmJXBpY3K1_qQ01qaqLpK8pfXS4B7vejJD1DHDZ3l2ZRf2KPC2NvfD4Z1Ld7C7IAXZKcdjcJ31-K9A/w300-h400/IMG_4606.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 April - Apple blossom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg57t4vEY5yy708EbNWDAaZOmX8NKo1wLB5v4RLpEHO03m_ZXWeD0j-tybF7pnlOohqd99JtFBAqlrvio5HasBmY3gqFk8euO4ilunXq12ZIsesOymgKc4fvFI081g1ZHTzMGrAvkaGJJXmkSXYAHzOY2K5GHlQXdewx40CrbfoSdh0mV8xbEiMWPybQ/s4032/IMG_4607.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg57t4vEY5yy708EbNWDAaZOmX8NKo1wLB5v4RLpEHO03m_ZXWeD0j-tybF7pnlOohqd99JtFBAqlrvio5HasBmY3gqFk8euO4ilunXq12ZIsesOymgKc4fvFI081g1ZHTzMGrAvkaGJJXmkSXYAHzOY2K5GHlQXdewx40CrbfoSdh0mV8xbEiMWPybQ/w300-h400/IMG_4607.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 April - Plum blossom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>29 April</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I finally cleared the area where the broccoli had been growing and moved the netted cage, laid some cardboard and covered with manure and compost. This would be the second squash bed this year. There were still some spinach andchard plants that had survived the winter, so I left them in situ.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRPVtiFaxdMn1YKJnIS4eVfXxJStU_xkj62Oe2DdUWCA7s-Qhwsl0ETPCRBckp96Cm-fRTNrd74vCCDzGdk0MLhDd6W7N2wDYr9AERMFzCDfP32somlUPeQbkg-zzMDzsZp1vT-kOYSPbP9W-vTGhkrG4w9SCFAetipS46Ntv9z-5AA0tGNUrvpganA/s4032/IMG_4632.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWRPVtiFaxdMn1YKJnIS4eVfXxJStU_xkj62Oe2DdUWCA7s-Qhwsl0ETPCRBckp96Cm-fRTNrd74vCCDzGdk0MLhDd6W7N2wDYr9AERMFzCDfP32somlUPeQbkg-zzMDzsZp1vT-kOYSPbP9W-vTGhkrG4w9SCFAetipS46Ntv9z-5AA0tGNUrvpganA/w480-h640/IMG_4632.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">29 April - the first squash bed with the second one behind</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We were now fairly prepared for the planting out that would be done in May and June.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h1><div><span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hove (and a few other places) April 2023</b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-28773265411010535692023-04-06T10:50:00.000-07:002023-04-06T10:50:04.483-07:00Life on The Weald - March 2023<p> </p><h1><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on the Weald - March 2023</span></h1><h2><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and at home in the kitchen and the garden</span></h2><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALmbxngkvov-DfwKBg8Ib1NvZKeYVrtQrz7jXcsOwrBrs5CeJ0okbKe2lWOZ8pYCh1glJLfZR4lrFJ1BlQDJPt98GB6w3w6ylXmpbTUcJTEY43aCyalALF1wOy4PmOAgX-b3YSMSz4R8mXpdUuk7nTLAS_u6i3RlK8NU1BgpGPMC-iCZDzrUWvwTmEQ/s2952/IMG_4144.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2952" data-original-width="2487" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALmbxngkvov-DfwKBg8Ib1NvZKeYVrtQrz7jXcsOwrBrs5CeJ0okbKe2lWOZ8pYCh1glJLfZR4lrFJ1BlQDJPt98GB6w3w6ylXmpbTUcJTEY43aCyalALF1wOy4PmOAgX-b3YSMSz4R8mXpdUuk7nTLAS_u6i3RlK8NU1BgpGPMC-iCZDzrUWvwTmEQ/w540-h640/IMG_4144.jpg" width="540" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 March - Hellebores in the front garden</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Wednesday 1 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the first day of March, the Hellebores in the front garden were in full flower, as well as one of the Camellias. The daffodils are just beginning to bloom, a week or two behind the primroses, and the celandines are just beginning to show their faces. And indoors, some of the recently sown seeds were sprouting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W3nSCtQ3GtePaHZqPVm22IYCOdzQZfwSSW8VMsoM43q3sRvrLYbX79hVihYaipw55Rd4-wZWk8WUbollWno9-s3S46DQxg6ExEdlRzzob4KoLDvMYPrtmN_i1J7Qt5PBpVE-rOqP75vhZocWe3xCsoVBCkk9XeN9OUVVz5cGyrRUWpUklcDUXBqN1A/s715/IMG_4145.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="661" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W3nSCtQ3GtePaHZqPVm22IYCOdzQZfwSSW8VMsoM43q3sRvrLYbX79hVihYaipw55Rd4-wZWk8WUbollWno9-s3S46DQxg6ExEdlRzzob4KoLDvMYPrtmN_i1J7Qt5PBpVE-rOqP75vhZocWe3xCsoVBCkk9XeN9OUVVz5cGyrRUWpUklcDUXBqN1A/w370-h400/IMG_4145.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 March - Kalettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxQOpQtWoUq9zq8KQd2E9ysf-hxuwKpcdXSD27StaOLByDGWxaudFCpbAnWY5qdEi5g5PWMvWg3Cu-EIwjkzlAjFG0p1Rni8bF50vh1br8k258jmokQZlqLD7YJt8S4vYWspjk5US7Q1PF7SCCagHcEawar4gWKX_ZmbQy5FupU_JadsMKSYNYAz0NQ/s1821/IMG_4146.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="1821" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxQOpQtWoUq9zq8KQd2E9ysf-hxuwKpcdXSD27StaOLByDGWxaudFCpbAnWY5qdEi5g5PWMvWg3Cu-EIwjkzlAjFG0p1Rni8bF50vh1br8k258jmokQZlqLD7YJt8S4vYWspjk5US7Q1PF7SCCagHcEawar4gWKX_ZmbQy5FupU_JadsMKSYNYAz0NQ/s320/IMG_4146.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 March - Red Cabbage - <i>Drumhead</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ77NBqdw-wA8Qklx8DYKDBPGB3c2M0yYgjYxgBy51pe1yBKGv_YyjsUG7uTm8wOtA9yHN2F4-OPj7bpCNBlWa11zWZXMAWkdljmtXWenzZKp5EHn4uhZegxhdv_xv4qUp9hUqiAZ4fCNqbafb57yCnAPRFoE8N2lIUDFabmzRc0NLC6f5ZCaBDHpXeA/s2486/IMG_4147.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="2486" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ77NBqdw-wA8Qklx8DYKDBPGB3c2M0yYgjYxgBy51pe1yBKGv_YyjsUG7uTm8wOtA9yHN2F4-OPj7bpCNBlWa11zWZXMAWkdljmtXWenzZKp5EHn4uhZegxhdv_xv4qUp9hUqiAZ4fCNqbafb57yCnAPRFoE8N2lIUDFabmzRc0NLC6f5ZCaBDHpXeA/s320/IMG_4147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 March -Spinach beet<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Thursday 2 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was another bright sunny day, with the temperature reaching 10C in the afternoon providing an opportunity for more tidying up.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAsHV6ZSi7XPxDIwUo6Ol85xg60ciXVsMuzb805hU0cDNd63VE2D5mIWbfkBM6kdH4ErUFMBqGOv74vpUIeAwUlzow4AWgbqbXriRe1QSpJ-Tc92VNKg4mZDj6wthPyQwjaM70R5-tL6F5sLhw8lIMlbOtOkZEyys_FYUn-5KisMWQ4X4SCHr5s-oIg/s4032/IMG_4149.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAsHV6ZSi7XPxDIwUo6Ol85xg60ciXVsMuzb805hU0cDNd63VE2D5mIWbfkBM6kdH4ErUFMBqGOv74vpUIeAwUlzow4AWgbqbXriRe1QSpJ-Tc92VNKg4mZDj6wthPyQwjaM70R5-tL6F5sLhw8lIMlbOtOkZEyys_FYUn-5KisMWQ4X4SCHr5s-oIg/w300-h400/IMG_4149.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 March - Plot 247 looking west</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7JEqWLtYR4az8KGJBR46llLQlf01X-4CePnYOFA451-SurSY0o1qpCeK1IHGlhnkvVB9PY6UE8f8LfjuZD-Am9n1gep8aj-BY1x6YIioG8zW65yDTntnqZ0m7iy4Lm_fPnBa4pt5YIAcDbCpmNa_6JpAEM9AUIni5hLTEpvADIQN1kQhjbToMIL5fw/s4032/IMG_4150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7JEqWLtYR4az8KGJBR46llLQlf01X-4CePnYOFA451-SurSY0o1qpCeK1IHGlhnkvVB9PY6UE8f8LfjuZD-Am9n1gep8aj-BY1x6YIioG8zW65yDTntnqZ0m7iy4Lm_fPnBa4pt5YIAcDbCpmNa_6JpAEM9AUIni5hLTEpvADIQN1kQhjbToMIL5fw/w300-h400/IMG_4150.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 March - plot 247 looking east</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Saturday 4 March</span></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">More cardboard has been acquired, but more is needed if we are to complete the no-dig beds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNR_EkwzyHu8NzJGR4Y06-HtvvieifKpGNBs-kVlBbTDk3GLw6p9pryEh7H0q9dBLLSDRG7dfxez3eQNn_YiMFRC9-HW-QV2TrcIFEZCUr6uJejoG1ugoPaIG0kp_kkP--_SpSrd6mW662Wtn2hRWbMZwtR2D1K5tTTLuoYknhYFgbIqZ7udRwETOrw/s3322/IMG_4158.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3322" data-original-width="2959" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNR_EkwzyHu8NzJGR4Y06-HtvvieifKpGNBs-kVlBbTDk3GLw6p9pryEh7H0q9dBLLSDRG7dfxez3eQNn_YiMFRC9-HW-QV2TrcIFEZCUr6uJejoG1ugoPaIG0kp_kkP--_SpSrd6mW662Wtn2hRWbMZwtR2D1K5tTTLuoYknhYFgbIqZ7udRwETOrw/w356-h400/IMG_4158.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 March -more cardboard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was another fine day and I took the opportunity to plant a half row of <i>Nicola 2nd Early </i>potatoes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In the newly created no-dig bed I sowed dome </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kelvedon Wonder </i><span style="font-family: arial;">peas, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Boltardy </i><span style="font-family: arial;">beetroot, and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Rainbow mix </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> beetroot. We were also able to harvest some more Kalettes.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The first few days of March have been very mild with daytime temperatures well above 10C</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Sunday 5 March - Wednesday 8 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>It was perhaps too good to last. Sunday started at a chilly 3C and rose to only 6C in the afternoon and the forecast was that even colder weather was on the way. On Monday morning I travelled to Yorkshire for a funeral, where it was cold but sunny and bright, whereas Hove </span>it was very wet and remained so until Wednesday. Much of Sussex had snow on Wednesday but we escaped it on the coast.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Thursday 9 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the <i>Yellow Perfection </i>tomatoes sown in February were sprouting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOzcI7SpwtXFBU0Z0YblTgQzB5f4ZiXSvOBUBO0u8bVfBwUOCdyS4ikCDBvbfShD2PNsnLu9OSK6Cdl2Aqnilgi6XVQ6zjpsmiDV46shIHDAJgt1HkxRjSIA3gS9YElaVnQ1eT4h2p_cvf7jUCqA0ks8HyRAR888TNarcRBlt4_uXvyTPH1HleZqaOA/s2978/IMG_4194.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2978" data-original-width="2494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOzcI7SpwtXFBU0Z0YblTgQzB5f4ZiXSvOBUBO0u8bVfBwUOCdyS4ikCDBvbfShD2PNsnLu9OSK6Cdl2Aqnilgi6XVQ6zjpsmiDV46shIHDAJgt1HkxRjSIA3gS9YElaVnQ1eT4h2p_cvf7jUCqA0ks8HyRAR888TNarcRBlt4_uXvyTPH1HleZqaOA/s320/IMG_4194.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 March - Y<i>ellow Perfection </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Saturday 11 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">During the week, work had started at the allotment to install a new water supply as the old one was prone to leaks. This is good news, except the council failed to tell plotholders and I could only reach mine with difficulty and some of my near neighbours couldn't get to theirs at all.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI5QzXPp4ySURRRfV5feeufKGtuMwtXOrst8ad3EMmEx5oJdkue4fK-pnby9ho4iRT6NulZRMgg3m1oTlVhdFSLMEG1GYq_NqpaGCi0VOI98dthd70rY4Z60LW1ium2k_CaB1c9eWPst_B5NZhZT8slmavrferoFLRFsJBygbAR3xS7RY__cQEUH6mw/s4032/IMG_4201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkI5QzXPp4ySURRRfV5feeufKGtuMwtXOrst8ad3EMmEx5oJdkue4fK-pnby9ho4iRT6NulZRMgg3m1oTlVhdFSLMEG1GYq_NqpaGCi0VOI98dthd70rY4Z60LW1ium2k_CaB1c9eWPst_B5NZhZT8slmavrferoFLRFsJBygbAR3xS7RY__cQEUH6mw/w300-h400/IMG_4201.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new water supply - works in progress</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifURqmX7G1DwXEW6FDSSWiy08gd8gx3NZVS681gewYggJZF6t9ncxuOhu5MLcdbw-wBMfSy_OJBBQ7TsyY5yaTppa_PcM5BjG528tXQur38IdqgglYim-u7grOLD4QUvQmqXXtX4WH_jsPu4-h1e_CO0ayOpkL41Ds8cdCy_DFL_F_8NsitFYJTh-72A/s4032/IMG_4202.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifURqmX7G1DwXEW6FDSSWiy08gd8gx3NZVS681gewYggJZF6t9ncxuOhu5MLcdbw-wBMfSy_OJBBQ7TsyY5yaTppa_PcM5BjG528tXQur38IdqgglYim-u7grOLD4QUvQmqXXtX4WH_jsPu4-h1e_CO0ayOpkL41Ds8cdCy_DFL_F_8NsitFYJTh-72A/w300-h400/IMG_4202.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new water supply - works in progress<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRYlhstmXT5oY6fzKI-kyFHimBNiC6zJVWwhOn9L2sLdatImf9NLUsSG5a2goc3CHl551eiEe3Z3mwPPTVXJI28qeF0rigu8tCWnJ_t2FHunKz-jCgwTWZrs6a54YLZP7ke6A_S3G39pGl10mo0Iyd6G9W_2p45mjg_2CM-QIZf7nS2MSf9obyS0xcg/s4032/IMG_4203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRYlhstmXT5oY6fzKI-kyFHimBNiC6zJVWwhOn9L2sLdatImf9NLUsSG5a2goc3CHl551eiEe3Z3mwPPTVXJI28qeF0rigu8tCWnJ_t2FHunKz-jCgwTWZrs6a54YLZP7ke6A_S3G39pGl10mo0Iyd6G9W_2p45mjg_2CM-QIZf7nS2MSf9obyS0xcg/w300-h400/IMG_4203.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">new water supply - works in progress<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Sunday 12 March</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Sunday I planted the remaining <i>Nicola second early </i>potatoes, digging a shallow trench, lining with old cardboard egg boxes, half filling with compost, then planting the potatoes and replacing the soil from the trench.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09P6_Y8miMOdRfBhmvav6PgcCNROjfo3L9xz1xJL4rqfoxkoYm3-6wMZciTJKYfQudybC4s4VZjUOUJePyLqRkOxhdJXJT3crO23ID2dGzyJPwoGXDoC1SfNbYV1yHJd779s-JN9gLajqXyI8eaT0CR8wOufxa2aOIJ95hN80qW4snhYN5EJ1tNGS6A/s3131/340653AE-E36B-4FAA-B67A-0E405EBCDC77.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3131" data-original-width="2042" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09P6_Y8miMOdRfBhmvav6PgcCNROjfo3L9xz1xJL4rqfoxkoYm3-6wMZciTJKYfQudybC4s4VZjUOUJePyLqRkOxhdJXJT3crO23ID2dGzyJPwoGXDoC1SfNbYV1yHJd779s-JN9gLajqXyI8eaT0CR8wOufxa2aOIJ95hN80qW4snhYN5EJ1tNGS6A/w261-h400/340653AE-E36B-4FAA-B67A-0E405EBCDC77.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 March - trench for potatoes -<br />lined with egg boxes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOFw436OdUJAp2t_ILcj4pIJfsz1FeVN4CiL1CTgizu6Uu62KPoOE3-FxeEJ6-A38rm68n-i97KAboxvALCetI_vxyI97EdE9kTAxKdDxXJFMFjKxedkrkmliDDDuyFoGOwC9pbmRtpn6CRwLennyICghEgJOGvH-Ch04R_gEoOhGkSUieT77SgTQ1Q/s2729/IMG_4223.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2729" data-original-width="2334" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNOFw436OdUJAp2t_ILcj4pIJfsz1FeVN4CiL1CTgizu6Uu62KPoOE3-FxeEJ6-A38rm68n-i97KAboxvALCetI_vxyI97EdE9kTAxKdDxXJFMFjKxedkrkmliDDDuyFoGOwC9pbmRtpn6CRwLennyICghEgJOGvH-Ch04R_gEoOhGkSUieT77SgTQ1Q/w343-h400/IMG_4223.jpg" width="343" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 March - trench partly filled with compost</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNdS4lt8GrWMGJT840PHEFbiA264YUINy7ozrXd75sEq-i-BFTDaw6v7LBTtw_2MiwY8aElVQfOd9UhFBfz8PVCUHLsHZ5UXYzx78WpIer7TMUS4wCNrM6YPKsIyCY_mj1PS69KBAbJLq9_YmGo9ppbFjytiAeJ_jtIBg78y695cZMd68awGPF_b2BA/s2595/IMG_4224.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2595" data-original-width="1947" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNdS4lt8GrWMGJT840PHEFbiA264YUINy7ozrXd75sEq-i-BFTDaw6v7LBTtw_2MiwY8aElVQfOd9UhFBfz8PVCUHLsHZ5UXYzx78WpIer7TMUS4wCNrM6YPKsIyCY_mj1PS69KBAbJLq9_YmGo9ppbFjytiAeJ_jtIBg78y695cZMd68awGPF_b2BA/w300-h400/IMG_4224.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 March - <i>Nicola </i>2nd early potatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We managed to pick some of the early purple sprouting broccoli and some kalettes</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4RrkyVI7fb5jfNiN2Gin0t9cdec1MFB5lnYBDEfujYuulSLSPiW45LejSXra-XLgo9pHoq9OsqA-b70KsglFTYZ8Ek_VXfCgbwG3TjQuDBfU0SqaHfGWsgMeavaUrjMasm25mVrJODTzyOpK3IgoUqacLaDk_Kt5rSts8X8TFhEbZeY2I9DFyhoXRA/s2028/IMG_4226.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1871" data-original-width="2028" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4RrkyVI7fb5jfNiN2Gin0t9cdec1MFB5lnYBDEfujYuulSLSPiW45LejSXra-XLgo9pHoq9OsqA-b70KsglFTYZ8Ek_VXfCgbwG3TjQuDBfU0SqaHfGWsgMeavaUrjMasm25mVrJODTzyOpK3IgoUqacLaDk_Kt5rSts8X8TFhEbZeY2I9DFyhoXRA/s320/IMG_4226.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 March - <i>Rudolph </i> purple sprouting broccoli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaogxfVTHJcFysZ83imLbXmTi7WzH_S1immYPLUIavw4vnZ1pg4L_dngoZT_8I9MVx30pO66CwMl9H4VxRAXgR-HNuPa-NUeyXYpEVdfdUQJyockAYblARE2VtJCnjvg7DP7FAUcvRUY8s8CynJZFnxw1gzW8Ceo4yl8PYmAZsxlVPavVge07rEHmU1g/s4032/IMG_4227.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaogxfVTHJcFysZ83imLbXmTi7WzH_S1immYPLUIavw4vnZ1pg4L_dngoZT_8I9MVx30pO66CwMl9H4VxRAXgR-HNuPa-NUeyXYpEVdfdUQJyockAYblARE2VtJCnjvg7DP7FAUcvRUY8s8CynJZFnxw1gzW8Ceo4yl8PYmAZsxlVPavVge07rEHmU1g/s320/IMG_4227.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 12 March - Kalettes</td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Monday 13 March</b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I think the shed has finally had it. I arrived to find that the door had collapsed completely and the shed was at a jaunty angle! I attempted some temporary repairs to the doors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H0qs_LvoagEP7vR3LC0Kq61lk1cxxn-noLQt_BZxbOo8VVEywZRL_0evXGuMMD01qn_XsU8acHbDkr85ckygkfKNjg3HkCZAss5BpHmCYS2BnTmH1d72-xZErqpaEHy4Lzh5UIDKz4N9Z9gOlnFO56rfSQr2lKySms-OtHV2aHJehIPjFVhuzYAiZg/s4032/IMG_4228.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1H0qs_LvoagEP7vR3LC0Kq61lk1cxxn-noLQt_BZxbOo8VVEywZRL_0evXGuMMD01qn_XsU8acHbDkr85ckygkfKNjg3HkCZAss5BpHmCYS2BnTmH1d72-xZErqpaEHy4Lzh5UIDKz4N9Z9gOlnFO56rfSQr2lKySms-OtHV2aHJehIPjFVhuzYAiZg/w300-h400/IMG_4228.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - the shed!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I know that I've converted to "no-dig" but it's a slow process and I'm still adopting <i>Hugel culture </i>as I have loads of logs/branches etc from drastic surgery on the apple tree and removing plum trees, so I think it's OK to dig a few trenches to bury this organic matter under my new "no-dig" beds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KRobRPF7je_5r_YP-uqqb8QAP23xHroTrLf84tdC5B42RvHciDM11gvuMiqlzSXv4GHk7tPueSKVCVaEza__bMzv3hQdQcZ_IdTXJ4AIU1x3GjiXJXzaAA6JUaKwrfJlrSR789P_2FOnayEvx2pIQ78gcEjX7Dfl5uxRi7tuhv-1uCpKt8LpmQSuAA/s4032/IMG_4229.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KRobRPF7je_5r_YP-uqqb8QAP23xHroTrLf84tdC5B42RvHciDM11gvuMiqlzSXv4GHk7tPueSKVCVaEza__bMzv3hQdQcZ_IdTXJ4AIU1x3GjiXJXzaAA6JUaKwrfJlrSR789P_2FOnayEvx2pIQ78gcEjX7Dfl5uxRi7tuhv-1uCpKt8LpmQSuAA/w300-h400/IMG_4229.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - the trench</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtILnlzvPGeVqR-4XsFKCRpI3ZTjjABMtFuDOMZ-7y_k-z3iIFn71BFlcHN225fapcu8Z_JDAtg9qZUFeTI6G-HIO78fgDh9W9eUGEpPPLrOtydUUiHXmM8zBxFuK9zH4tYCVPXA2jtZCj3fBbl_o4MfZPEo1ERsA2zwuKp64HADTiJLMX880pAFKaXw/s4032/IMG_4230.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtILnlzvPGeVqR-4XsFKCRpI3ZTjjABMtFuDOMZ-7y_k-z3iIFn71BFlcHN225fapcu8Z_JDAtg9qZUFeTI6G-HIO78fgDh9W9eUGEpPPLrOtydUUiHXmM8zBxFuK9zH4tYCVPXA2jtZCj3fBbl_o4MfZPEo1ERsA2zwuKp64HADTiJLMX880pAFKaXw/w300-h400/IMG_4230.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - filled with wooden branches</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>I had some partly rotted compost and rather a lot of shredded paper (as I had been clearing out the office) so I mixed this together and covered the logs in the trench.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnF0nVF8fJsmCLn8fG2qlA22hAyl15QMCyCULEQLY6THP48jPGGC-p1vvs_s6ZIOxRYObGbX8tgfemlaEAnApIjMqUKcy_0onXNPZnZgI-lmOfzFt3pxey154ektJCUh3Je2nEUz7yBSNmYyx5ILiWQTVxNjsetu_YCJ7m5FICk7z0s0uxkKpkkxelg/s4032/IMG_4231.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRnF0nVF8fJsmCLn8fG2qlA22hAyl15QMCyCULEQLY6THP48jPGGC-p1vvs_s6ZIOxRYObGbX8tgfemlaEAnApIjMqUKcy_0onXNPZnZgI-lmOfzFt3pxey154ektJCUh3Je2nEUz7yBSNmYyx5ILiWQTVxNjsetu_YCJ7m5FICk7z0s0uxkKpkkxelg/w300-h400/IMG_4231.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - part filled with organic material</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Once the topsoil from the trench had been returned, I laid some cardboard and topped this with well rotted horse manure.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gsTnXAZZB7Bbq8QaW5A5X8AIvGfVdPoOoAE_wavtvihCvolc9UCEHhAQcpI1APQCSm8grJdspduj46cKOA951IrPkr3zDx0wj4Mh7qMxZc0ZHjEEugTZ6IKDeT68yOuRgSqfiR8vdudU3UAaYtlXF2gKIr6mQ2Roj5zzaJy5SVvWo_oObUwpBdFqtg/s4032/IMG_4233.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gsTnXAZZB7Bbq8QaW5A5X8AIvGfVdPoOoAE_wavtvihCvolc9UCEHhAQcpI1APQCSm8grJdspduj46cKOA951IrPkr3zDx0wj4Mh7qMxZc0ZHjEEugTZ6IKDeT68yOuRgSqfiR8vdudU3UAaYtlXF2gKIr6mQ2Roj5zzaJy5SVvWo_oObUwpBdFqtg/w300-h400/IMG_4233.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />This is the area where I will be growing cucumbers and beans.</div><div><br /><b>Tuesday 14 March</b></div><div>The front garden at home was looking colourful and we had sight of our first tulip.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8zEgPK3Kelvndpjsx-J08Ct9WqwzGKmL_xefAo53KpD0-NuphwP6mea2K2fsOAmMJWstpJRnQ_BfT4KoNIbVVF3LQ2rHUBACT9iwSJU0NZ7eoDEfUCIHnz8897qUdU492r_axjTEVU9VUe8AYsV3yuLKlQJEkV3TlHjrCmy35JT55Dl4ZOrlI19A4A/s3464/IMG_4245%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3020" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr8zEgPK3Kelvndpjsx-J08Ct9WqwzGKmL_xefAo53KpD0-NuphwP6mea2K2fsOAmMJWstpJRnQ_BfT4KoNIbVVF3LQ2rHUBACT9iwSJU0NZ7eoDEfUCIHnz8897qUdU492r_axjTEVU9VUe8AYsV3yuLKlQJEkV3TlHjrCmy35JT55Dl4ZOrlI19A4A/w349-h400/IMG_4245%20(1).jpg" width="349" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 March - mini-daffodils and pansies<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr09AP6gFJs_w9bRCS5SJutv2WY2_Bc81k94KufFmE10Ao6oHfld4FYlIvFFZHfJr3pOuqnXHZUNVfvmkAQHxzOWgEoQ_Dvhcc3ZBG4_-9SVdmIBnJ78BdZ0VmDWHqPeUho8vevRgdjM-OjqkON0DS4ZM7fNBW7QI2ryr6xjEjw82AnCwHuCBFStOvOQ/s4032/IMG_4246%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr09AP6gFJs_w9bRCS5SJutv2WY2_Bc81k94KufFmE10Ao6oHfld4FYlIvFFZHfJr3pOuqnXHZUNVfvmkAQHxzOWgEoQ_Dvhcc3ZBG4_-9SVdmIBnJ78BdZ0VmDWHqPeUho8vevRgdjM-OjqkON0DS4ZM7fNBW7QI2ryr6xjEjw82AnCwHuCBFStOvOQ/w400-h300/IMG_4246%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 March - Hellebores</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxHyZyRqBlTKz5SMUyvzns5JklC397Q1L3jHM4JLrPZXoFTeYSwhOVG6jbSPZ4jVzSzzlqXYp0lRsWF_UKABO0gRNStSjsgZIDF-WC7oY9QVAmLXbqvGxm8f7W01vJkK79AyV0aB2HfEjKHx0xjjGOYEg3g0GMxiNw-ZPCSBtNQOcUASpu_NkR6ixyQ/s4032/IMG_4247%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxHyZyRqBlTKz5SMUyvzns5JklC397Q1L3jHM4JLrPZXoFTeYSwhOVG6jbSPZ4jVzSzzlqXYp0lRsWF_UKABO0gRNStSjsgZIDF-WC7oY9QVAmLXbqvGxm8f7W01vJkK79AyV0aB2HfEjKHx0xjjGOYEg3g0GMxiNw-ZPCSBtNQOcUASpu_NkR6ixyQ/w300-h400/IMG_4247%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 March - first tulip</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><b>Wednesday 15 March</b></div><div>Another fine day so I directly sowed parsnips and silver beet chard in one of the raised beds.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSNvvAItytcMmlXm9bRwgPZfqD45Ft-LF2YZZuPmbfvPaUUjPB6b9U9znQVrUXIQSv2rsWxMW9u7mSWgo2ObTss5a0s20AKFtW5_xHnxGPk0uprVqsB3Brhpt1hyultbSiTG3KeSj9ZnsWngBDHTrhYpZ0xWqvLW_ctjbXxI2TBz-6IZu_LiN3aqWpQ/s4032/IMG_4248.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSNvvAItytcMmlXm9bRwgPZfqD45Ft-LF2YZZuPmbfvPaUUjPB6b9U9znQVrUXIQSv2rsWxMW9u7mSWgo2ObTss5a0s20AKFtW5_xHnxGPk0uprVqsB3Brhpt1hyultbSiTG3KeSj9ZnsWngBDHTrhYpZ0xWqvLW_ctjbXxI2TBz-6IZu_LiN3aqWpQ/w300-h400/IMG_4248.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15 March - bed ready for parsnips & chard </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><b>Thursday 16 March</b><br />Another bright sunny day with only a light breeze and afternoon temperature reaching 14C. My temporary repairs to the shed doors had failed completely!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK62GPLmbsXxkANx0F1FHpXHpi1_9DlZwEQ44loIsZcub4Qh8NiqCfsjL_4x1ohQps5p_8_13XiDvi9ETb_Ng2gHrXsRfdWj7jACnmXcGLwEAIUrLfXd14D2-dovSoblKhsKRiZ6SQ2vUt9kwyqahQ1Z3VMRJDKTOAAsUjKpmIIux-sWvjjULr8AzEA/s4032/IMG_4249.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIK62GPLmbsXxkANx0F1FHpXHpi1_9DlZwEQ44loIsZcub4Qh8NiqCfsjL_4x1ohQps5p_8_13XiDvi9ETb_Ng2gHrXsRfdWj7jACnmXcGLwEAIUrLfXd14D2-dovSoblKhsKRiZ6SQ2vUt9kwyqahQ1Z3VMRJDKTOAAsUjKpmIIux-sWvjjULr8AzEA/w300-h400/IMG_4249.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 March - the shed doors</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Back at home I sowed some <i>Corazon F1 </i> tomato seeds left over from last year and some Cavalo Nero (<i>Nero di Toscana - black Tuscany kale</i>) and some early purple sprouting broccoli (<i>Rudolph) </i>also left over from last year. Interesting that we are just harvesting the <i>Rudolph </i> broccoli sown last year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Friday 17 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another sunny day had been expected but instead there was heavy rain overnight and in the morning, so I stayed at home and did some more sowing and potting up. I potted on some of the perpetual spinach and red cabbage (<i>drumhead</i>) and sowed some Brussels sprouts, <i>F1 Brigitte, </i>in pots.<i> </i>By the afternoon the rain had stopped, the sun came out and the temperature rose to 14C but it was St Patrick's Day so there were other priorities. Happy St Patrick's Day to you all...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3bN_lsUuxSZEq-u05jPYr78p9FrB7QIXmdpUP69N6Xb_UIGaUTDY_wuKsyw021fNuBGjBzL-R6bHiWRzHhAfkMJzLaVUwgavP8_NtbfHDrqMYLgZmX8ez88YLP3fPaFO9eV8CslP8AUtOBRPOX13jtRjPIgLtPplzvUp_L9W2lG9rkOkdcgk_KQT7g/s612/IMG_4253.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3bN_lsUuxSZEq-u05jPYr78p9FrB7QIXmdpUP69N6Xb_UIGaUTDY_wuKsyw021fNuBGjBzL-R6bHiWRzHhAfkMJzLaVUwgavP8_NtbfHDrqMYLgZmX8ez88YLP3fPaFO9eV8CslP8AUtOBRPOX13jtRjPIgLtPplzvUp_L9W2lG9rkOkdcgk_KQT7g/s320/IMG_4253.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Sunday 19 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Helvetica","sans-serif"" style="color: #222222; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p>Although I had sown several brassicas in trays indoors, I decided to sown some outdoors, </o:p></span><span style="color: #222222;">as the weather was quite warm for the time of year,</span><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">but for this I needed to create an outdoor seedbed. I decided that a good location was in the main bed where some of the brassicas will be planted out later in the year.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p>I made a temporary frame lined with newspaper and then</o:p></span><span style="color: #222222;"> filled it with John Innes No 2 compost. My daughter-in-law's mother had given me a lot of compostable wool packing material which she gets with a regular home-delivery and which can be added to the compost bin. It can also be used around plants as a mulch and to deter slugs/snails so I decided to lay it around the new seedbed.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJBicq-8389HhYUDg6nqGP2UZ2impORFjDafY2D32fp4C6qQuhuMFJDfYuaLKLr6D0Wp3fyVfzXEXpxmxYouJHZJXv0t84Pu0A2Hl8rTqElS-xQuS9cXQs7bHM0LCBOFtEk1myanzW97_QMpcTguTFsVcpQDxbIY3TbgdFCYaJsZcIvETwNjuAc0EHg/s4032/IMG_4260.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJBicq-8389HhYUDg6nqGP2UZ2impORFjDafY2D32fp4C6qQuhuMFJDfYuaLKLr6D0Wp3fyVfzXEXpxmxYouJHZJXv0t84Pu0A2Hl8rTqElS-xQuS9cXQs7bHM0LCBOFtEk1myanzW97_QMpcTguTFsVcpQDxbIY3TbgdFCYaJsZcIvETwNjuAc0EHg/w300-h400/IMG_4260.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 March - beginnings of a seed bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBn8d1m24CvFPFFvoO5otbGxhJt127DDtvDNg7ZjxBDvh5dBlEViRcEyi697H05BTug7S1vxTowPNyxCbBM-8KpxP1UnUypC9ewQSz7f9Zg3l9Va3-zZBKMsvt-g0BylGZL8pwdGb61T-tOgYgYfSeAjUQNZ0bsK4eLbutTf8mR2GKRNJgpYtrjN-VHQ/s3213/C6FF75F2-55F4-4E04-A992-29AE1DB6446B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3213" data-original-width="2160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBn8d1m24CvFPFFvoO5otbGxhJt127DDtvDNg7ZjxBDvh5dBlEViRcEyi697H05BTug7S1vxTowPNyxCbBM-8KpxP1UnUypC9ewQSz7f9Zg3l9Va3-zZBKMsvt-g0BylGZL8pwdGb61T-tOgYgYfSeAjUQNZ0bsK4eLbutTf8mR2GKRNJgpYtrjN-VHQ/w269-h400/C6FF75F2-55F4-4E04-A992-29AE1DB6446B.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 March - seed bed ready for sowing</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;">Once created, I directly sowed in this bed Brussels Sprouts (<i>Brigitte F1</i>), Red Cabbage
(<i>Drumhead</i>), Kalettes (mixed) and Cavolo Nero (<i>Tuscan Kale</i>).<br />
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;">It had been a dry sunny day with a temperature of 14C but with a chilly
wind which made it feel much colder. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b style="color: #222222;">Monday 20 March</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;">It was certainly getting colder so I made a brief visit to cover the newly sown seed bed with some fleece. I had almost given up on the broad beans that I had sown recently to fill gaps but was pleasantly surprised tp see that they were now coming through.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMhst55HC8VpBmgKYnT68AnIePeCi1i7OEV-1zpPO60AyniWYlPjf34NQctUuumhXqIeUSzrBYL1rfsC6UmWGBWzcM0AhaJAMmEjDxkOI6RFR6o3OkGbkUtcNLdkD9l9VEwgHiImBIVq0mnglfO4aNfTK0ChCKgPrSlADI42T3y8FrGBkaiCuW0fv7w/s4032/IMG_4265.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMhst55HC8VpBmgKYnT68AnIePeCi1i7OEV-1zpPO60AyniWYlPjf34NQctUuumhXqIeUSzrBYL1rfsC6UmWGBWzcM0AhaJAMmEjDxkOI6RFR6o3OkGbkUtcNLdkD9l9VEwgHiImBIVq0mnglfO4aNfTK0ChCKgPrSlADI42T3y8FrGBkaiCuW0fv7w/w300-h400/IMG_4265.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 March - Broad beans appearing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Wednesday 22 March</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Conservatory at home is rather full with a lot of tomatoes as well as brassica seedlings and, and they take up even more room when they are potted on - so I have moved several to the loft extension under the skylight, hoping some can go out into the mini-greenhouse to harden off some time next month.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8Cprk1TwO16yMnxeNz1bA-tkOV3YVLuldm2ArtPYIWTrkVpjJ2PPr_J7XlB2H_ptAzGWnLR9mFi6Zd9zCSh3kjGR1fTwMSA2p0dUublwFZ_vGWa6mIz60s5Xn9SBEzGso10UE6QUZ1YPxx8L6Xa7PhNAUwjId9DV4dozNPp88gJlWtp-dk8DmPDxDQ/s4032/IMG_4270.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8Cprk1TwO16yMnxeNz1bA-tkOV3YVLuldm2ArtPYIWTrkVpjJ2PPr_J7XlB2H_ptAzGWnLR9mFi6Zd9zCSh3kjGR1fTwMSA2p0dUublwFZ_vGWa6mIz60s5Xn9SBEzGso10UE6QUZ1YPxx8L6Xa7PhNAUwjId9DV4dozNPp88gJlWtp-dk8DmPDxDQ/w400-h300/IMG_4270.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 March Tomatoes, red cabbage and spinach in the loft</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oYaU2V2l73dY7FNE0UUiqVmIgCPCAVKHaD8PyKAbqRfLXKNVVpIZaJSQnbIU8yaTPmHLbRvPwdWLHUTu0l603smta0k-xRo4LmgNfwMhsPCpz-sc4dFmcc9cqF87BrI9R_mV-XgFAJNtGxAq-F_KhvU_9Utpld_ifeXaQ2odsjIdBrnG2_-5MgFfkw/s4032/IMG_4271.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6oYaU2V2l73dY7FNE0UUiqVmIgCPCAVKHaD8PyKAbqRfLXKNVVpIZaJSQnbIU8yaTPmHLbRvPwdWLHUTu0l603smta0k-xRo4LmgNfwMhsPCpz-sc4dFmcc9cqF87BrI9R_mV-XgFAJNtGxAq-F_KhvU_9Utpld_ifeXaQ2odsjIdBrnG2_-5MgFfkw/w300-h400/IMG_4271.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 March - Tomatoes, red cabbage and spinach<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Sylvi has volunteered to help the </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">"Community Fridge" </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">which is run by people on our site and </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">is open to the public on Thursday and Sunday. This evening was her first outing on the supermarket run to collect food nearing its sell-by date for distribution the following day.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Friday 24 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Another cold, wet day, so I stayed at home and potted on the <i>Rainbow </i>plum tomatoes and also sowed some Patty Pan summer squash (</span></span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Sunburst</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;"> and some purple sprouting broccoli (<i>Claret F1</i>) plus two remaining seeds of butternut winter squash (<i>Butterfly F1</i>) left over from 2021. I have doubts whether the latter will germinate, but am keeping my fingers crossed 🤞</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Saturday 25 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">There was bright sunshine but very strong, chilly winds. I p</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">lanted two half-rows of <i>Charlotte 2nd early </i>potatoes but then gave up as it was not pleasant in the wind. I have enough chitted seed potatoes for another 1 - 2 rows which I will now leave until next week.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">I was very pleased, however, to see the first signs of the <i>Duke of York 1st early </i>potatoes which I had planted in late February.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkQFVTL7m6YUx64p6lY9JzQNweLXRUEYbef7PZ04dnJgN3uEHd4odFtZ_qQ1VTID7KZpM8Vh55--dePFD65sV7x8kE1P9bQObHAxXV7iu7O1Syx2nrnGbLRfZkc9hYYbE6ch2kGu0cqWnzpu4DBSKB2CJu_fPjFbsT2cqssSzzB84SS61wTSaAvv9_Q/s801/IMG_4281.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="601" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkQFVTL7m6YUx64p6lY9JzQNweLXRUEYbef7PZ04dnJgN3uEHd4odFtZ_qQ1VTID7KZpM8Vh55--dePFD65sV7x8kE1P9bQObHAxXV7iu7O1Syx2nrnGbLRfZkc9hYYbE6ch2kGu0cqWnzpu4DBSKB2CJu_fPjFbsT2cqssSzzB84SS61wTSaAvv9_Q/w300-h400/IMG_4281.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">25 March </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Duke of York 1st early </i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">potatoes </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGOI0fZFRANg65JXykmYVMvw7rDbFnEmOW4HKQaVFdCPmB6vte9hPcI62Acwizcjbtib6XvO20RFrrf8mEzkM7TeTlM1_-9d8RyZa4qe6u-kFTKBhTmslMt4ugIPEZ21pqeT2DsKe-58DNvuIfKmeovtZ28DqogJyrzF-6wexHDNehQ51BU3c5hkqdw/s704/IMG_4282.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="704" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWGOI0fZFRANg65JXykmYVMvw7rDbFnEmOW4HKQaVFdCPmB6vte9hPcI62Acwizcjbtib6XvO20RFrrf8mEzkM7TeTlM1_-9d8RyZa4qe6u-kFTKBhTmslMt4ugIPEZ21pqeT2DsKe-58DNvuIfKmeovtZ28DqogJyrzF-6wexHDNehQ51BU3c5hkqdw/w400-h300/IMG_4282.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">25 March </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Duke of York 1st early </i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">potatoes <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And there was more good news. The <i>Kelvedon Wonder</i> peas sown on 4 March were just beginning to appear. The old greenhouse shelf seems to have kept out the squirrels or whoever usually eats my directly sown peas and beans.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiiDhPF-_VVi73lBQXGsABx0t64_0UVK84OaI76t1IhLBbAyfZLfaJgaxc4PuvopqK5zwLVG9eKHaZNyd7tILDclar0mP-CVkzlSCkAYj3gtyBrzHI0GIXtdcnN3q04fDIch9g1BUPvuFPaaQ5FbTHXNwaOaAaEsibx0nJ1tFGWddCTYVnzUN3ipG4A/s1070/IMG_4283.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="727" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTiiDhPF-_VVi73lBQXGsABx0t64_0UVK84OaI76t1IhLBbAyfZLfaJgaxc4PuvopqK5zwLVG9eKHaZNyd7tILDclar0mP-CVkzlSCkAYj3gtyBrzHI0GIXtdcnN3q04fDIch9g1BUPvuFPaaQ5FbTHXNwaOaAaEsibx0nJ1tFGWddCTYVnzUN3ipG4A/w271-h400/IMG_4283.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 March <i>Kelvedon Wonder </i>Peas</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Before leaving, to escape the wind, I picked some of the remaining Kalettes. Last week I had picked out the tops and this had resulted in new shoots appearing.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also had a reasonable harvest from the early (Rudolph) purple sprouting broccoli.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDpMImygsdzE6SsL28Z5Cn8XlYhqFrEWufxGmZKhSgzRc0sHxcJi96YTqXDWUChQjpLxVxKa8yIIvYIs5MTYo6pBhdjtWh_r5G7PK3VFO3q8WWnCytF5l0R69zK-pOpl2KqNJikxDq8wI0QFaFSsSlrsp-RUl4v7yCpFJ6bQFlPYy67EZjWRQaPw_6g/s3020/IMG_4284.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="2944" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDpMImygsdzE6SsL28Z5Cn8XlYhqFrEWufxGmZKhSgzRc0sHxcJi96YTqXDWUChQjpLxVxKa8yIIvYIs5MTYo6pBhdjtWh_r5G7PK3VFO3q8WWnCytF5l0R69zK-pOpl2KqNJikxDq8wI0QFaFSsSlrsp-RUl4v7yCpFJ6bQFlPYy67EZjWRQaPw_6g/w390-h400/IMG_4284.jpg" width="390" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 March - <i>Rudolph </i>purple sprouting broccoli</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Back home, I sowed some </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Blue ballet </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">squashes and some flat leaf parsley from seeds left over from last year.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222;">26 March</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;">It rained most of the morning with the temperature reaching a </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">maximum of 8C by the afternoon. It was breezy although yesterday's heavy winds had subsided but I decided it was still a day to stay indoors! The <i>C</i></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;"><i>orazon </i>Tomatoes had germinated and I p</span><span style="color: #222222;">otted on some Kalettes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZISYl-vP5cAMWby3VsQ0f8ulrcHJjUlxyVBxnpmbgvf5u8ij7fZcWXOxiTdovLe0m8MJbihBWj5ljLfEmLKTf3xhKEJ8MITYNzw9qfVHBcbUZ-4FTLG83oH2Cr-BbJMbqer_FojhJXZte6Zd9Vn7yRqRLqN7dOYzrWA45a-txnqSXFdlDCfHZzlhADg/s3832/IMG_4289.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3832" data-original-width="2886" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZISYl-vP5cAMWby3VsQ0f8ulrcHJjUlxyVBxnpmbgvf5u8ij7fZcWXOxiTdovLe0m8MJbihBWj5ljLfEmLKTf3xhKEJ8MITYNzw9qfVHBcbUZ-4FTLG83oH2Cr-BbJMbqer_FojhJXZte6Zd9Vn7yRqRLqN7dOYzrWA45a-txnqSXFdlDCfHZzlhADg/w301-h400/IMG_4289.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 March - <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_wyaenQaXrXTSqlVem8qafqK2mbW7NH64oYDZGBvHyj_VuPbkY5Y3xQJ7zaHhEGoyDm_vqkKp3SJnmJE5AZhKAD1G71115Eh9sNQKjOpEPZqi8XlLwSICj-15M8NJ4KWXrzplO8xmvBNbBJV3AB38MbAl4SEw-KrUHoRuASfINEo9Per63xZapC2UA/s4032/IMG_4292.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_wyaenQaXrXTSqlVem8qafqK2mbW7NH64oYDZGBvHyj_VuPbkY5Y3xQJ7zaHhEGoyDm_vqkKp3SJnmJE5AZhKAD1G71115Eh9sNQKjOpEPZqi8XlLwSICj-15M8NJ4KWXrzplO8xmvBNbBJV3AB38MbAl4SEw-KrUHoRuASfINEo9Per63xZapC2UA/w300-h400/IMG_4292.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 March - Kalettes and <i>Corazon </i>tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNIk6IAMfwpwVaa2pjBjzS04PE3kWJ2eSG-8DOr9d2dK34y9IVXkeVF0oUIoc-KcA3Wn_jMSxWhAAQ5TgyB3d9cIHsj5Ie-K_qjR6VI9jrNZcUTVstoDTT9duEyQlZ0Hi9eTucT_F4FasneYvjx-v7-IKzkSA10e3frguHOSZ84_DcYjn0WOhx20Ftg/s3657/IMG_4290.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3657" data-original-width="2394" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNIk6IAMfwpwVaa2pjBjzS04PE3kWJ2eSG-8DOr9d2dK34y9IVXkeVF0oUIoc-KcA3Wn_jMSxWhAAQ5TgyB3d9cIHsj5Ie-K_qjR6VI9jrNZcUTVstoDTT9duEyQlZ0Hi9eTucT_F4FasneYvjx-v7-IKzkSA10e3frguHOSZ84_DcYjn0WOhx20Ftg/w261-h400/IMG_4290.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 March - <i>Yellow Perfection </i>tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: large;"><b>27 March</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">The weather forecast for Monday 27 was sunny but cold and getting colder with a max of 8C expected in the afternoon. We went to the plot in the morning and I had put on several layers of clothing as a precaution. I don’t know what the actual temperature was but it felt more like 15C than 8C and I stripped down to my shirtsleeves planting the remaining <i>Charlotte </i>potatoes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">I also sowed some carrots (Flyaway F1) in a container that I had filled with a mixture of peat-free compost and horticultural sand and then covered the container with fleece.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br style="color: #222222;" /></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">After my failed efforts, Sylvi did some emergency repairs to the shed which hopefully will keep it watertight until we replace it. We also effected some repairs with “chemical metal” to our tumble composter which was showing signs of rust and a split at the seams. We repaired the frames for climbing beans and cucumbers and spread some of our worm compost (Sylvi is in charge of the wormeries) with some partially rotted compost on an area where the beans will be planted next to the cucumbers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: medium;">The rest of this side of the plot will be home for the courgettes and squashes once the kalettes and broccoli are finished.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0aq95mEdqAtLGDDXfWpFWFH8nhUrnAkzvJ-bbL0v0x-p39NqRcGYJeJ7yYtwTd4_oD0dC1Lj1Y7GAeYCP8tdhyWdLmXNVzI7TMdeB8ZND300SQSJ-wBNivUZKGFhOBF131qvt8MvU25ZO2vLG0xr1_lh5KvwkzunztnHPGGcTDYXzaSf43xNZuzTow/s2375/IMG_4295.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2375" data-original-width="2284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0aq95mEdqAtLGDDXfWpFWFH8nhUrnAkzvJ-bbL0v0x-p39NqRcGYJeJ7yYtwTd4_oD0dC1Lj1Y7GAeYCP8tdhyWdLmXNVzI7TMdeB8ZND300SQSJ-wBNivUZKGFhOBF131qvt8MvU25ZO2vLG0xr1_lh5KvwkzunztnHPGGcTDYXzaSf43xNZuzTow/w385-h400/IMG_4295.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 March - compost from the wormery</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMrj9bELasQZRL4RH1_zm2WvUqkRqDBWD12tdJkk0uNt8J74W23efvayXAMiwlgaqPlXPI24S78GiEYlgy_IaRv1LspYCUekNFNtNifGrqPyvngUb_p0ZaTBkF3jQtb5JjZTGv_mCYf8lRR4LWBzjtfjvsEU0eD992Q0f5Ft-Rn4lZBKXPF_qSC1_8A/s1412/IMG_4296.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1261" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMrj9bELasQZRL4RH1_zm2WvUqkRqDBWD12tdJkk0uNt8J74W23efvayXAMiwlgaqPlXPI24S78GiEYlgy_IaRv1LspYCUekNFNtNifGrqPyvngUb_p0ZaTBkF3jQtb5JjZTGv_mCYf8lRR4LWBzjtfjvsEU0eD992Q0f5Ft-Rn4lZBKXPF_qSC1_8A/w358-h400/IMG_4296.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 March - some of Sylvi's worms</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Sylvi's attempts to make the shed watertight seemed to be successful. We will keep our fingers crossed as this is probably our last visit this month.</span></div></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzW2BWnIiJbOlnTua5rNtZqSGM6R2EaUBIephwsBdWxzSpOfF0bRnekeiBCuLqoTrDatcW9xXO-EbF9x4Q89jB3fXaCkUjU6unZLdbvs5hXbPDO-Y8X7rihMmTfMhr9GuHkXcBfaLhh7k_c1H9pGe42RMV_75Ev3pqyQdzleaAo6WSqG3UURwKtYttA/s4032/IMG_4298.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzW2BWnIiJbOlnTua5rNtZqSGM6R2EaUBIephwsBdWxzSpOfF0bRnekeiBCuLqoTrDatcW9xXO-EbF9x4Q89jB3fXaCkUjU6unZLdbvs5hXbPDO-Y8X7rihMmTfMhr9GuHkXcBfaLhh7k_c1H9pGe42RMV_75Ev3pqyQdzleaAo6WSqG3UURwKtYttA/s320/IMG_4298.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 March - shed repaired!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>28-31 March</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had a meetings on Wednesday 28 and on Thursday headed to my old patch in Greenwich for a Town Hall function and meet former colleagues. Thursday proved to be the warmest day of the year with temperatures in excess of 17C in some parts of the country. On Friday the temperature had fallen to a more normal 12C but I had a hospital appointment for a minor hand operation which may put me out of action for a few days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With all these seedlings to deal with, April looks like a very busy month.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>John Austin </i></span></h2><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hove, March 2023</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="gs" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; width: 1134px;"><div class="ii gt" id=":141" jslog="20277; u014N:xr6bB; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWY6MTc2MDgxNjQ4MjU4ODM2MDk1MiIsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsW11d; 4:WyIjbXNnLWY6MTc2MDgxNjQ4MjU4ODM2MDk1MiIsbnVsbCxbXV0." style="direction: ltr; margin: 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-18233859083730283692023-03-07T09:31:00.001-08:002023-04-03T11:04:07.662-07:00Life on the Weald - February 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on the Weald - February 2023</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and at home in the kitchen and the garden</span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Although there may not be much to feed us on the allotment at the moment, we still have some produce from last year. We have just eaten the last of the <i>Crown Prince </i>squashes, harvested in the autumn of 2022 and it was in excellent condition. We still have a <i>butternut </i>squash and a couple of pumpkins to keep us going!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9CjKSNmBOKa8AfHs9NjBlOMGegWgawtLHRMRjc2svagAu73gW_DAcWj8fZNQoCYh2IkTQfaFOM5mLlF2rXBeP5RNftZphZ3q5cFPhTMb0OqNdhj1X02rs7_rFzur-tuucKOmRUcduiPwYrtF9Igzz3i7GwCC5qlivjQw75o5nWePKium9l3xX4CiMA/s2847/IMG_3919.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2403" data-original-width="2847" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9CjKSNmBOKa8AfHs9NjBlOMGegWgawtLHRMRjc2svagAu73gW_DAcWj8fZNQoCYh2IkTQfaFOM5mLlF2rXBeP5RNftZphZ3q5cFPhTMb0OqNdhj1X02rs7_rFzur-tuucKOmRUcduiPwYrtF9Igzz3i7GwCC5qlivjQw75o5nWePKium9l3xX4CiMA/w400-h338/IMG_3919.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crown Prince Squash<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We are still picking <i>Chard </i> but the <i>Cavolo nero </i>and <i>kalettes </i>are coming to an end, but we might have some <i>purple sprouting broccoli </i>soon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The first week of February was unseasonably warm with temperatures reaching 11C during the day and it was feeling almost spring-like. The <i>Camellia </i> was coming into full flower in the garden, the crocuses were out on the lawn and we had our first daffodil, a month early. The <i>rhubarb </i> was also looking promising.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWo_NhILmDzkXPcYVGzIJyODrZNut7GZs1gVPPeFAEydWdGfyYr34-PpoRBRILODMIRxJJwR2S_PH3nl9PBm2ZMsSDTpH-I8QIgFQfHZ_tBL6TBSgxj-o8wo01K79I0nhDRIUe__QwdFsGXqfdwDxjQes162hcrIWLSMuLDil11fBHl5qp0hvUXr1qA/s2048/23E9175C-CD97-4E0C-9D18-2E49425C82C1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWo_NhILmDzkXPcYVGzIJyODrZNut7GZs1gVPPeFAEydWdGfyYr34-PpoRBRILODMIRxJJwR2S_PH3nl9PBm2ZMsSDTpH-I8QIgFQfHZ_tBL6TBSgxj-o8wo01K79I0nhDRIUe__QwdFsGXqfdwDxjQes162hcrIWLSMuLDil11fBHl5qp0hvUXr1qA/w400-h400/23E9175C-CD97-4E0C-9D18-2E49425C82C1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Daffodil, Camellia, crocuses and rhubarb - 2 February</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>2 February </b>I sowed more tomatoes in seed trays at home - another beefsteak variety, <i>Ananas, </i> which has an orange/red skin and yellow/orange flesh with few seeds; <i> Rainbow, </i>a colour mix of baby plum tomatoes; and two cherry varieties, one red,<i>Cherry belle, </i>and the other yellow, <i>Sungold. </i>According to the seed packet, this is what the <i>Rainbow </i>variety should look like.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOZ9K3-cA9D6tGCrRY0NN81PvIrUxvII0qzKEjk81j-vTpEVDaeGKcxplocs6DIKHHKdtqoGa3n4eJithcct30k2jd81Hqk7lcneYY5l_FZOS1eam5dTVy-mT14sKk_rn-PRq66T3owKVow8cf2WdYSrmkc_07jTe-zFtirSgDqdi8YUZJClTOcNXg/s3283/IMG_3922.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3283" data-original-width="2239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rOZ9K3-cA9D6tGCrRY0NN81PvIrUxvII0qzKEjk81j-vTpEVDaeGKcxplocs6DIKHHKdtqoGa3n4eJithcct30k2jd81Hqk7lcneYY5l_FZOS1eam5dTVy-mT14sKk_rn-PRq66T3owKVow8cf2WdYSrmkc_07jTe-zFtirSgDqdi8YUZJClTOcNXg/s320/IMG_3922.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Marmande </i>and <i>Tres Cantos, </i>sown on 4 January had sprouted by 16 January and now have their true leaves and are almost ready for potting on.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">With a daytime temperature of 11C, </span><b style="font-family: arial;">2 & 3 February </b><span style="font-family: arial;">were ideal days to be working on the allotment. We topped up some of the raised beds with worm compost from the wormeries (Sylvi is in charge of the wormeries) and I decided to clear the area where the potatoes are to be planted which had a lot of perennial weeds - bindweed, couch grass as well as </span><i style="font-family: arial;">blistery oxtongue. </i><span style="font-family: arial;">T</span><span style="font-family: arial;">he </span><i style="font-family: arial;">oxtongue </i><span style="font-family: arial;">is great for butterflies and moths, so I am happy for it to grow on the margins of the plot, but not where my potatoes are to go! I have resolved, however, that this is the last time I will dig this area as I intend to convert it to a "</span><i style="font-family: arial;">no dig" </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> bed later in the autumn (but more about that later).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWoHCOTZ5_Dt-ICqr6P73YkLDq7tECLU2H9u-9C2dUH9MYxPZl0hrOdnea4_Fqe6lNuF6oGi2eooKrM0KnaPpSRsu72LdSlaxtEZUDN_9hEPJFLA8V6bYPevuMLINbag0JqqMWNkk1Eu_0CzuTpwlgNeE4ZBIv3-6N1t7y9vEZwlNUFOzHPrDGUi6Tg/s3175/IMG_3926.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3175" data-original-width="2425" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWoHCOTZ5_Dt-ICqr6P73YkLDq7tECLU2H9u-9C2dUH9MYxPZl0hrOdnea4_Fqe6lNuF6oGi2eooKrM0KnaPpSRsu72LdSlaxtEZUDN_9hEPJFLA8V6bYPevuMLINbag0JqqMWNkk1Eu_0CzuTpwlgNeE4ZBIv3-6N1t7y9vEZwlNUFOzHPrDGUi6Tg/w488-h640/IMG_3926.jpg" width="488" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 February - healthy worm compost</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxcsiJV7f4AN0-fsW7Lu1f19lExdD993KT5hMfzhdEuekjR58ys4_Okw4x1Fy0YLO9Z9itEZbyxLao8t5mdGgun9jEkpuo2OfYKBI25yK8mKT2rQsSBn_mptZIkKJTci5ZZ9Dpywfp2lVkcdFDeyPV9-YPnCUUE8ktrEzWZe-zY-Hg_lpzE6K9HFSzA/s4032/IMG_3941%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxcsiJV7f4AN0-fsW7Lu1f19lExdD993KT5hMfzhdEuekjR58ys4_Okw4x1Fy0YLO9Z9itEZbyxLao8t5mdGgun9jEkpuo2OfYKBI25yK8mKT2rQsSBn_mptZIkKJTci5ZZ9Dpywfp2lVkcdFDeyPV9-YPnCUUE8ktrEzWZe-zY-Hg_lpzE6K9HFSzA/w480-h640/IMG_3941%20(1).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 February - almost ready for potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The weekend turned distinctly cooler, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">however,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> with sub-zero temperatures at night and heavy frosts in the morning. I stayed indoors on Saturday</span><b style="font-family: arial;"> 4 February</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> and potted up the </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Marmande </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Tres Cantos </i><span style="font-family: arial;"> tomatoes. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sunday <b>5 February </b>saw the return of the annual Brighton <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://seedysunday.org/">Seedy Sunday</a>, </i>the UK's largest seed swap event. I managed to obtain a few seeds but the highlight was a presentation by <b><i><a href="https://charlesdowding.co.uk/courses/">Charles Dowding</a></i></b>, the "father of no dig gardening".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had already taken a step to no-dig gardening in 2021 by creating three <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.johnaust.in/2021/">Hugel beds</a>. </i>I added another in 2022 by <b><i><a href="http://www.johnaust.in/2022/11/">burying some old logs, twigs and other organic matter</a></i></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the following day, Monday </span><b style="font-family: arial;">7 February, </b><span style="font-family: arial;">i</span><span style="font-family: arial;">nspired and enthused by the Charles Dowding talk, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I started to create a new "no-dig" area following his advice not to use frames which only act as a safe place for slugs and snails to breed. The secret of the Dowding method is cardboard and compost - simply put down a layer of cardboard and cover it with 4-6 inches of compost. The cardboard will rot down in 6 weeks or so, and provided the compost is well rotted planting can begin immediately. The carboard will also provide a temporary barrier to weeds.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I chose the area on the east of the plot between some raised beds and the fruit bushes on the boundary, an area which was full of weeds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RuBbKmFtdvBYB9u56uHmx9PVHcA11WCt3ObJXB3EY8FJPPwpJMdTvBVaTZLIpVkByX8AXVFjgGnuxJiUBobTBFbTYKHIQn6dW4RTwDc0EQL3W6Me7s_-xHTRqRzXqTJ8NKoV3FdIffmfELUIge-ptKg5_EK0dVnU7V2_yJBVlnC7QsHaGe6EkkNSqg/s4032/IMG_3962.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RuBbKmFtdvBYB9u56uHmx9PVHcA11WCt3ObJXB3EY8FJPPwpJMdTvBVaTZLIpVkByX8AXVFjgGnuxJiUBobTBFbTYKHIQn6dW4RTwDc0EQL3W6Me7s_-xHTRqRzXqTJ8NKoV3FdIffmfELUIge-ptKg5_EK0dVnU7V2_yJBVlnC7QsHaGe6EkkNSqg/w300-h400/IMG_3962.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Feb - the area chosen for the no-dig bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fortunately I had a reasonable supply of cardboard as we had recently purchased some office furniture from IKEA. I laid this directly on the ground on top of the weeds. I had three barrow loads of well rotted horse manure which had been sitting in a pile on my plot for a few months. I mixed this with some partly rotted leaves from my compost bins and some worm compost from the wormeries and a bag of commercial organic, peat free compost and spread this on the cardboard.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawAJrAM8mnBaaL3BYZm12W1aweYeVgGUEwojFG8jivF9DEgRRj1mweYo9gtWgJn0Tu7iiJKCX5NlIhZMCZhEfDh_AAWSaXD1Dj0rly40N7lTwyT1atfoIYRdrHcsWXU4C_8dj7dHb9eTYIBlMydtvRMv_VU27M_ki3DdNto3Z-pHjosMSsP_KdPERDA/s3061/IMG_3963.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3061" data-original-width="1950" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhawAJrAM8mnBaaL3BYZm12W1aweYeVgGUEwojFG8jivF9DEgRRj1mweYo9gtWgJn0Tu7iiJKCX5NlIhZMCZhEfDh_AAWSaXD1Dj0rly40N7lTwyT1atfoIYRdrHcsWXU4C_8dj7dHb9eTYIBlMydtvRMv_VU27M_ki3DdNto3Z-pHjosMSsP_KdPERDA/w255-h400/IMG_3963.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Feb - the no-dig bed begins</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUlFzrcE0fFd05NJ9ltrtfuWSbqxOWNqctD2C0z04mwuV_o-Xw0BD7PunPVQAhdqUoFj-PoCv1VvAYNVWkyK_sGZiSg8o2w5uTB4FoSjMzwfgxmNHI2eZfGrFZvJ-lgp916trzMhzNhTQKYrNcuixv1AClbMmpoDAINUudINKWhNUJgwPm79YuGcvXA/s4032/IMG_3966.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUlFzrcE0fFd05NJ9ltrtfuWSbqxOWNqctD2C0z04mwuV_o-Xw0BD7PunPVQAhdqUoFj-PoCv1VvAYNVWkyK_sGZiSg8o2w5uTB4FoSjMzwfgxmNHI2eZfGrFZvJ-lgp916trzMhzNhTQKYrNcuixv1AClbMmpoDAINUudINKWhNUJgwPm79YuGcvXA/w240-h320/IMG_3966.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Feb - the no-dig bed begins<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the hard graft we did manage to pick some <i>rainbow chard.</i></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_npxqOtPv-tvasucWmObHP7BCra3a4EXV76cljniEjiPZxk8fNvPvt7JE4nkZVYHEjer1Hl0sOHtsNIZ3toV-D42x3TYNyzO-yv4EiGhI83j1oy-9_0CCTDXslLZSkOT7d13_zsRujgLxI4WohxjFUKdwbFFVaGSOGpSqowAqktnkLkUkW-I2xm3A/s2633/IMG_3971.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2426" data-original-width="2633" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI_npxqOtPv-tvasucWmObHP7BCra3a4EXV76cljniEjiPZxk8fNvPvt7JE4nkZVYHEjer1Hl0sOHtsNIZ3toV-D42x3TYNyzO-yv4EiGhI83j1oy-9_0CCTDXslLZSkOT7d13_zsRujgLxI4WohxjFUKdwbFFVaGSOGpSqowAqktnkLkUkW-I2xm3A/s320/IMG_3971.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Feb - <i>Rainbow chard</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home I sowed some <i>Chervil </i>seeds, which I had acquired at <i>Seedy Sunday,</i> in a tray indoors and also some more <i>Aquadulce </i>broad beans.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>8 February </b>the <i>Sungold </i><i>tomatoes</i><b>, </b>had germinated and were beginning to sprout but there were no signs of any of the others. The recommended temperature for germination is 18-21C. The rest of the house gets to that temperature but the heating in the conservatory is not on, although it does benefit from the warmth of the house, but probably doesn't get beyond 15C which might explain the delay in germination.</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>10 February</b>, I put the finishing touches to the new <i>no-dig</i> bed. I did make a temporary frame with timber but I intend to remove this once the bed has settled and surround the bed with woodchips. I have decided to follow Charles Dowding's advice and not have frames to my raised beds in future - he says they encourage unwanted pests and provide a safe habitat for slugs, snails and woodlice but the ones that are already there will have to remain for the timebeing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fortunately, there had been a delivery of woodchip to our site and I laid some to surround the new bed. I also used it as a mulch for the fruit bushes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUAVXEAp__uN1gy-w9om-uy9GKAD9sej7j-Y4XLkTuGjI0KY9MVN5kBHqo1LfutnXS0LNZ7FlPAXaAY91YV3kHB5vz-cSy2Mc83fm-BAHTT98uvVH9ta8Ds7O2B2YJOaPB6BVUYMnQfnNP0bdzk20u1GjFFjxXt0YSLkK8e1XJcEEt40kEcpx8KV6hA/s4032/IMG_3984.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUAVXEAp__uN1gy-w9om-uy9GKAD9sej7j-Y4XLkTuGjI0KY9MVN5kBHqo1LfutnXS0LNZ7FlPAXaAY91YV3kHB5vz-cSy2Mc83fm-BAHTT98uvVH9ta8Ds7O2B2YJOaPB6BVUYMnQfnNP0bdzk20u1GjFFjxXt0YSLkK8e1XJcEEt40kEcpx8KV6hA/w300-h400/IMG_3984.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 Feb - the new bed nears completion</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the broad beans that had been sown six days earlier had germinated and were now sprouting.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sylvi had been busy clearing the area around the apple tree and cutting down the brambles and on <b>11 February </b>we dug out some of the deep rooted ones. In addition to the brambles, Sylvi had dug up some old synthetic carpet which was there when we took over the plot and which we will need to take to the civic amenity site.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO2gDSd9zJVlMKcDwAcieD_zL8raWrHO1JO632tmyxko-dgY5PKkW2Oi5hRgGoYeyZPU5yOOOTz3yQXASI86InIQxw6aWm77dIFYyFp0pgU4i3NPHrfkP-KL9eoV6wLPF30VMP61ztOfUkMvg9Bg0VA8OSGMPNAgvb7jk9piDCLW8CKml2Cl6es-jmQ/s4032/IMG_3989.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFO2gDSd9zJVlMKcDwAcieD_zL8raWrHO1JO632tmyxko-dgY5PKkW2Oi5hRgGoYeyZPU5yOOOTz3yQXASI86InIQxw6aWm77dIFYyFp0pgU4i3NPHrfkP-KL9eoV6wLPF30VMP61ztOfUkMvg9Bg0VA8OSGMPNAgvb7jk9piDCLW8CKml2Cl6es-jmQ/w480-h640/IMG_3989.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 Feb - the area around the apple tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another job that needs doing is to add some more <i>ericaceous </i>compost to the blueberries. They need an acid soil and as we are on chalk they are grown in containers with compost formulated for azaleas and rhododendrons. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSkjxaNlrqfnN3Et_Sgo37y54WR0RWziVhBBSqhLETeiKJHUIErSt5hYhcpJedv3q7FUkjn49XOhQGl6tOqRoBxCoK75y6HEUrrP2YuaTZyLwyesGRTB3lGw4O3caIsaqUSRNmRdxm3qUH32OXtdsCKqED5jhvm1-cjIKtXb4Mq6U2-LAbOyHS_iMig/s4032/IMG_3990.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDSkjxaNlrqfnN3Et_Sgo37y54WR0RWziVhBBSqhLETeiKJHUIErSt5hYhcpJedv3q7FUkjn49XOhQGl6tOqRoBxCoK75y6HEUrrP2YuaTZyLwyesGRTB3lGw4O3caIsaqUSRNmRdxm3qUH32OXtdsCKqED5jhvm1-cjIKtXb4Mq6U2-LAbOyHS_iMig/w300-h400/IMG_3990.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 Feb - the blueberries</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The site was beginning to look a lot tidier on the eastern side (plot 247B) but we will soon have to tackle the western half (247A), where the brassicas, sown in 2022, are currently growing, but which will become home for the French beans, runner beans, cucumbers, courgettes and squashes later this year.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCcvmv_KlQ9kgxpWLLpIds5UFXPayYp5F3fw7VzVaNIIbwoT6xZ6HmF8qzO6feCVEToPrkj-F19xIXfj4hmxlgPGgsJqgP62_-4VRC_rSjw6VwbDfa94xwbT6E9_lybLKN80evZ4OqJyEGrGKb3OrFEaUkf9azUUTOMgbZQQFUfNoHY9JSbpLLLDEBA/s4032/IMG_3991.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCcvmv_KlQ9kgxpWLLpIds5UFXPayYp5F3fw7VzVaNIIbwoT6xZ6HmF8qzO6feCVEToPrkj-F19xIXfj4hmxlgPGgsJqgP62_-4VRC_rSjw6VwbDfa94xwbT6E9_lybLKN80evZ4OqJyEGrGKb3OrFEaUkf9azUUTOMgbZQQFUfNoHY9JSbpLLLDEBA/w300-h400/IMG_3991.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 Feb -Plot 247B</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the eastern side, I dug a very shallow trench where I will plant the <i>first early potatoes, </i>and<i> </i>lined it with torn up eggboxes (which will eventually rot down) and aid water retention and then I part filled the trench with some organic peat-free compost.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTLcnfrebxQW9SiMtwmvG5SUkwS4PHUmCzDOEBQumlUzAJBmA06sqy0VIdVbxKfwtTwWFlDEdeppuQXoSOUpgTrnckvTSeUIRJsUcXxQrMfZHif5MwHGRhdddf4FCaH0AM8pmJQ2aloALnywAlhh41s8Vw3Nbet7QwZ8fr21PL6ZWFdYr8QBYz0Kstw/s4032/IMG_3992.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCTLcnfrebxQW9SiMtwmvG5SUkwS4PHUmCzDOEBQumlUzAJBmA06sqy0VIdVbxKfwtTwWFlDEdeppuQXoSOUpgTrnckvTSeUIRJsUcXxQrMfZHif5MwHGRhdddf4FCaH0AM8pmJQ2aloALnywAlhh41s8Vw3Nbet7QwZ8fr21PL6ZWFdYr8QBYz0Kstw/w300-h400/IMG_3992.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 Feb - the potato trench</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As the weather was warming up, I decided to remove the cover from the forced rhubarb </span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMkp9oDbHpSQC4e8R7QnZDR2FVCiiF18Ib0T9n0pjD4CguZPzrbD03RTDfqyjtoy4uRVSdHH6epoVvbHzMmkTebsIIghXf0L7HtjyQb3W4vXeWTZsWn-oftY8fLZr5MMGKXJ03Ng2Mz4KpVbA8_bfKT3I5DuwvAtq0gDaUI-5G_gF0V23yV1z1eo54Q/s2479/IMG_3993.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2456" data-original-width="2479" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMkp9oDbHpSQC4e8R7QnZDR2FVCiiF18Ib0T9n0pjD4CguZPzrbD03RTDfqyjtoy4uRVSdHH6epoVvbHzMmkTebsIIghXf0L7HtjyQb3W4vXeWTZsWn-oftY8fLZr5MMGKXJ03Ng2Mz4KpVbA8_bfKT3I5DuwvAtq0gDaUI-5G_gF0V23yV1z1eo54Q/s320/IMG_3993.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">11 Feb - Rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Following on from the success of the Charles Dowding talk at <i>Seedy Sunday, </i>the allotment Association, WAGA, (Weald Allotments & Gardeners' Association) and the Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group (BHOGG) arranged a practical "no-dig" workshop on Sunday <b>12 February. </b><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>It was a great opportunity not only to learn more but to meet and exchange information with other plot-holders - it was a very successful social occasion.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxnv60Q7xrkwB22pUvLkTxA7da6q7CY7tSP3gtKKOokZs4oHjbiGeRHMRoSG82tCf2NdqahaGUXvtarjjyAeaND-RtZ5vGu0Uekz_FWUsrc_524X7yl0bbG0ofnuf0TuxUugmHGWU6Mj6aqLYtFWfhILW6fltWoUg7ZHH3pSBMNw3wJ4HKvG3iVMFA/s4032/IMG_3996%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQxnv60Q7xrkwB22pUvLkTxA7da6q7CY7tSP3gtKKOokZs4oHjbiGeRHMRoSG82tCf2NdqahaGUXvtarjjyAeaND-RtZ5vGu0Uekz_FWUsrc_524X7yl0bbG0ofnuf0TuxUugmHGWU6Mj6aqLYtFWfhILW6fltWoUg7ZHH3pSBMNw3wJ4HKvG3iVMFA/w480-h640/IMG_3996%20(1).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 Feb Andy - Chair of WAGA starts the session</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR2ZdIL-JnmlW0SjB_sxB-OZSuqntf9ezjoSMXziTI6WD2pdbXWINQY0MKQEz5xthITrJ945awAbFy75sVWEGZoF2lJIX3s0HnMIc_x29k4m7pLaWZhHb3f24YYHJUSfx20LiQZuPZVVeyA9KI_YOgyW5K7vHc0oJfaZA9xGrqhA9_U1iQs5nupsPVA/s4032/IMG_3999%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiR2ZdIL-JnmlW0SjB_sxB-OZSuqntf9ezjoSMXziTI6WD2pdbXWINQY0MKQEz5xthITrJ945awAbFy75sVWEGZoF2lJIX3s0HnMIc_x29k4m7pLaWZhHb3f24YYHJUSfx20LiQZuPZVVeyA9KI_YOgyW5K7vHc0oJfaZA9xGrqhA9_U1iQs5nupsPVA/w400-h300/IMG_3999%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 Feb On Andy's plot </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On <b>13 February</b>, the broad beans that I had sown indoors 7 days earlier were progressing well and the tomatoes that I had potted on were looking healthy.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdDTjKjrX5jMe4HYtcGKt_Ly1M396jQ7v-i2RHRrRw866Z-dqEgonH63Zp0ZagOS-G6LwGVZwjlSy_4FEvRGh2V_yW6I3ceWBtA7MNJL1oizMyyEeUifEzNiZw6ODaBp-PObgMcHPrBueDBk2qhmIE5Khx3k903lKF6vkh4JJXEJwN6-szEo8S4Oqog/s4032/IMG_3995.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdDTjKjrX5jMe4HYtcGKt_Ly1M396jQ7v-i2RHRrRw866Z-dqEgonH63Zp0ZagOS-G6LwGVZwjlSy_4FEvRGh2V_yW6I3ceWBtA7MNJL1oizMyyEeUifEzNiZw6ODaBp-PObgMcHPrBueDBk2qhmIE5Khx3k903lKF6vkh4JJXEJwN6-szEo8S4Oqog/w400-h300/IMG_3995.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Feb - broad beans (sown 6 Feb)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblSpwxnpElkIvGNPgS_NmMZpWOvbFN0smkb-UfAGtYMHOuh3HFoWlWKYocpLQM1bhZkBYdQ1VMGcVrR90ACUMdcGsgixg1zbauHJMIacJuFt9x-6bGhTnELf94U9_ckoTkhGeW8xlg4VEs3AMY2Puiz_CRsWk7lsB4Mz-p-B4WSw9h4T0YisH03Vayg/s4032/IMG_3994.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblSpwxnpElkIvGNPgS_NmMZpWOvbFN0smkb-UfAGtYMHOuh3HFoWlWKYocpLQM1bhZkBYdQ1VMGcVrR90ACUMdcGsgixg1zbauHJMIacJuFt9x-6bGhTnELf94U9_ckoTkhGeW8xlg4VEs3AMY2Puiz_CRsWk7lsB4Mz-p-B4WSw9h4T0YisH03Vayg/w480-h640/IMG_3994.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Feb - <i>Marmande </i>and <i>Tres Cantos </i>tomatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>The mice/rats or squirrels had dug up some of my broad beans so on </span><b>13 February</b><span> I directly sowed some more in the gaps. I'm keeping my fingers crossed but will have the indoors sown ones in reserve. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We also made a start on another "no-dig" area on the western half (plot 247A) near where the tumble compostor is currently sited but which will soon be moved. We had already emptied its contents, which were partly composted, into a pile on the ground. We put down a layer of cardboard and piled some of the partly rotted compost on top and covered it with a tarpaulin with the hope that the composting will be complete before we need to finish the bed.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAztBPuxDuZOJAOCTV4lHwZbMNp801HJEFx0MRg_vOYAIZZHF2AuzSiObQousynRXV3qWnbzmJroj3czjGpgGbrlaiQF0GTrAOx7Il4z6r16UYwOv2HP2uPrpcFzPuDr4k-cAIwft9xABeS0kbDcdQ_8DUYu60Q1M-wfjXYH7pkgLkMGdL5V8Dnv5dQ/s4032/IMG_4012.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAztBPuxDuZOJAOCTV4lHwZbMNp801HJEFx0MRg_vOYAIZZHF2AuzSiObQousynRXV3qWnbzmJroj3czjGpgGbrlaiQF0GTrAOx7Il4z6r16UYwOv2HP2uPrpcFzPuDr4k-cAIwft9xABeS0kbDcdQ_8DUYu60Q1M-wfjXYH7pkgLkMGdL5V8Dnv5dQ/w300-h400/IMG_4012.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Feb - another new no-dig bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XfJAHCX9fhIVZtOn_bj_NFxN2Fv8aaFD-1dZCWcVUE4mvSApsA7Oww4e-dp6GAkD-kXvVCleWtY14kL04xiiEWDPCeRXUrcYU2sf073WTcFS1AkH1Kt27nb-KEw7EYk9pYxNLDu4vzyY6KCCicWsota-ZjKi0_GkYz_ShjBJGcsfkIEhljWPYySlSA/s4032/IMG_4016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XfJAHCX9fhIVZtOn_bj_NFxN2Fv8aaFD-1dZCWcVUE4mvSApsA7Oww4e-dp6GAkD-kXvVCleWtY14kL04xiiEWDPCeRXUrcYU2sf073WTcFS1AkH1Kt27nb-KEw7EYk9pYxNLDu4vzyY6KCCicWsota-ZjKi0_GkYz_ShjBJGcsfkIEhljWPYySlSA/w300-h400/IMG_4016.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Feb - the no-dig bed with temporary cover</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">As we still had some cardboard to spare, I laid this around some of the gooseberry bushes and covered it with woodchip as a mulch.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKHpx3OQ1CK0ojw7The12tnBAeX7BmnvMoBDFt6RO4knJ-V_NAUXsolq15bP2GfKzDhhtZ_dSJoZDi7lRSmcIneDLbRXlYtq1pmRTLYdV2BJN0vO0-mWhwCrn9sGn-eMmStIw0JXPmBOKe78YUAUM0bwLXdn6HkH09WosQhZSVCpr-PteegNfUL45Ow/s4032/IMG_4020.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKHpx3OQ1CK0ojw7The12tnBAeX7BmnvMoBDFt6RO4knJ-V_NAUXsolq15bP2GfKzDhhtZ_dSJoZDi7lRSmcIneDLbRXlYtq1pmRTLYdV2BJN0vO0-mWhwCrn9sGn-eMmStIw0JXPmBOKe78YUAUM0bwLXdn6HkH09WosQhZSVCpr-PteegNfUL45Ow/w300-h400/IMG_4020.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 Feb - Gooseberry bushes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There was glorious spring-like weather on <b>15 February </b>with an afternoon temperature of 14C. I sowed some radishes (<i>Nelson</i>)<i>, </i> a fast growing cylindrical variety which should produce by early April. Only four of our asparagus plants survived last year, so I bought another 4 crowns (<i>Pacific Purple</i>) but the asparagus bed was in dire need of attention as the raspberries had invaded. I spent a busy morning digging out the unwanted raspberry canes which were very deep-rooted. This was difficult to do without disturbing the surviving asparagus plants. I also had to dig out several raspberry canes that had invaded the path between the two asparagus beds. Having cleared the beds as best I could, I added a layer of compost and planted the new crowns and hopefully we will get some produce from them in a year or two's time but we hope that the existing crowns have not been disturbed too much and will produce this year.</span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It may turn out to be a mistake, if we are suddenly hit with an extreme cold spell, but I also planted my first row of <i>Red Duke of York, </i>first early potatoes in the trench I had prepared earlier.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst this was going on, Sylvi spent a few hours continuing to tackle the brambles around the apple tree which were also engulfing the plum trees along our boundary. In addition to the brambles, there was couch grass and bindweed to contend with. Once it is finally cleared (although the brambles cannot be totally removed as their roots go down several feet) we will lay cardboard before covering with a mixture of compost and topsoil.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I looked at the indoor sown broad beans on <b>17 February </b>and they looked ready for transplanting, so I put them in the cold mini-greenhouse in the garden to harden off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzhqZ1PNxAMG3CW08ZI92gvSWPQjHdnpZeV8CB8Mo-KVC4JT5Uhh9dCO6D52ZiOZTzG9LTTMLjxAM6tZXs1BE6mrHRSWchLPHm3Xadj_8cyyljPF3ugZFvtiZNsHD8Z9fRSiHKJr_iFPa2a7SroIT7dEze3ybAWPuwgiSEl7oDiY0tXKoq6z3l0bB5Q/s4032/IMG_4038.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzhqZ1PNxAMG3CW08ZI92gvSWPQjHdnpZeV8CB8Mo-KVC4JT5Uhh9dCO6D52ZiOZTzG9LTTMLjxAM6tZXs1BE6mrHRSWchLPHm3Xadj_8cyyljPF3ugZFvtiZNsHD8Z9fRSiHKJr_iFPa2a7SroIT7dEze3ybAWPuwgiSEl7oDiY0tXKoq6z3l0bB5Q/w300-h400/IMG_4038.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">17 Feb - broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>sungold </i> tomatoes were thriving but only a few of the <i>Ananas </i>appeared to have germinated.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEE4tW1K3zb3y6jDKBhkw4y_fKFXHT642RTc9XKbssoEcQfL9Ulq-akaijBjD9pYILVEdI_jqTv8Qao75DzpZCuPc9iFEDWdq6lR0Zq7umjPyf3Y8Yiwtb4gYcHKHEqqnH7615K9RSvDEfl-xmP0UtuWg6ukgbesy8bsEbvBeb0lmKC8VN5P9xhvEvw/s4032/image0%20(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimEE4tW1K3zb3y6jDKBhkw4y_fKFXHT642RTc9XKbssoEcQfL9Ulq-akaijBjD9pYILVEdI_jqTv8Qao75DzpZCuPc9iFEDWdq6lR0Zq7umjPyf3Y8Yiwtb4gYcHKHEqqnH7615K9RSvDEfl-xmP0UtuWg6ukgbesy8bsEbvBeb0lmKC8VN5P9xhvEvw/w300-h400/image0%20(2).jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">17 Feb - <i>Sungold </i>and <i>Ananas </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Rainbow </i>plum tomatoes had made an appearance but still no sign of the <i>Cherry belle</i></span></div><div><i><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi3oyUp33PK7GwytXrvfJv8-Wm3DLsyK9HgVcyVpPIhLyMfsMmK9B2FCxNv_HpYVfZsELWVvEDD4RkRulLL1VpAI14NwMDzj-vUnKlPGoObitnNod2WJQlRHwh2tj4qkOCZrVAOvOmrWBaIYih5IptZr8g0GnnxQdK3ALT_tDqVEvheP5GKIsvCXUyA/s4032/image1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbi3oyUp33PK7GwytXrvfJv8-Wm3DLsyK9HgVcyVpPIhLyMfsMmK9B2FCxNv_HpYVfZsELWVvEDD4RkRulLL1VpAI14NwMDzj-vUnKlPGoObitnNod2WJQlRHwh2tj4qkOCZrVAOvOmrWBaIYih5IptZr8g0GnnxQdK3ALT_tDqVEvheP5GKIsvCXUyA/w300-h400/image1.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">17 Feb - <i>Rainbow plum </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sunday <b>19 February</b> was another bright sunny day. One of the plotholders was giving away a compost bin - well you can never have too many so I acquired it. I placed it where the beans will grow next to the tumble compostor which is to be moved next week. I cleared the pile of partly composted material which I had tipped out of the tumbler and put it in the new compost bin.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFkM1S9HqGnpHyRljgCWJXgKZD1so4pOF52jJcUV2ZoXWOJp2CEXuzf8gsjMxxOnV622cWbC19yBzd0DZnZy-AF-0TgZmvZkmEL-DJLpDHihBMyd3a_qRaiANR6D2yWswuR_rWOI9WkutvvWyDhmAS40kHsMCrtZdqLO-c06m9TRYntCc-20_MOcn0A/s4032/IMG_4051.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFkM1S9HqGnpHyRljgCWJXgKZD1so4pOF52jJcUV2ZoXWOJp2CEXuzf8gsjMxxOnV622cWbC19yBzd0DZnZy-AF-0TgZmvZkmEL-DJLpDHihBMyd3a_qRaiANR6D2yWswuR_rWOI9WkutvvWyDhmAS40kHsMCrtZdqLO-c06m9TRYntCc-20_MOcn0A/w300-h400/IMG_4051.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The tumble compostor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgJRsJf1rTlja0ezui0MCNQi1huW0qsOxxG80NF_snaqTeXKAwQZF-XbhsCJV6kTEZtq2l1wnDyHWKmDFcEssSSmVCnaFuMxaEcikMQarFbBcq1uTmEjixDDTrqA3-MtouYYCdzg6ZUPruMTd4Ppp2su1dWatPYgQ_6_SzpTGh1dDSSeeiUx6bpeqFg/s4032/IMG_4052.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtgJRsJf1rTlja0ezui0MCNQi1huW0qsOxxG80NF_snaqTeXKAwQZF-XbhsCJV6kTEZtq2l1wnDyHWKmDFcEssSSmVCnaFuMxaEcikMQarFbBcq1uTmEjixDDTrqA3-MtouYYCdzg6ZUPruMTd4Ppp2su1dWatPYgQ_6_SzpTGh1dDSSeeiUx6bpeqFg/w300-h400/IMG_4052.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The new compost bin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also began constructing a frame for netting over the new no-dig bed as this will be home for some of the brassicas later in the year which will need protection from pigeons. We had some Blue MDPE (Medium Density Polyethylene) water pipe which we used to construct the frame for the netting. (MDPE pipe is readily available in DIY/hardware stores and online)</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdydaiJ_Ji31BWqe0mMlmfzILZthC7peKtF3YsKiePh7aZ9WWZK4_mgE9rcADuhftpaDnwNQFmR62lkE4w-ZWauLJSmOCihqyNR_xRMiyMtpXyESSJlxZAFSEs1zpy9uRz2CZYGe07dpDbS5I4m6DZgK1DXVqS3ErKMuK_QL0TXsFNyDkj4NiH7Joag/s4032/IMG_4049.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdydaiJ_Ji31BWqe0mMlmfzILZthC7peKtF3YsKiePh7aZ9WWZK4_mgE9rcADuhftpaDnwNQFmR62lkE4w-ZWauLJSmOCihqyNR_xRMiyMtpXyESSJlxZAFSEs1zpy9uRz2CZYGe07dpDbS5I4m6DZgK1DXVqS3ErKMuK_QL0TXsFNyDkj4NiH7Joag/w300-h400/IMG_4049.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">the new no-dig bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At home I sowed some red cabbage, <i>red drumhead, </i>and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Perpetual spinach (beet) </i><span style="font-family: arial;">in trays in the unheated conservatory.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>20 February </b>reached 10/11C but it felt more like 4/5C with the wind. I spent much of the time on my knees, out of the wind, tracing<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> back some bindweed with the 3-tine hand hoe around the red currants. Having removed as much as I could without digging, I laid more cardboard and topped with a bit of compost then the last of the woodchips.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-G_TO_L9pfjIixZBYJpxzViwf-utNi8fAkwgMrvWDMKnmvajyVQkt-rHn5_L3Ts1QbR9qryVHJQ1NrRsHPByRORDJRnwbkwRnec5FsO25lolq6t_mIaB63dM9JRefOUwhStTtF6kDJ0symm1uVxpWXv4XzCr_eLev6porsc7pUd_XZKirBaIYJmPZA/s3278/IMG_4060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3278" data-original-width="2467" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-G_TO_L9pfjIixZBYJpxzViwf-utNi8fAkwgMrvWDMKnmvajyVQkt-rHn5_L3Ts1QbR9qryVHJQ1NrRsHPByRORDJRnwbkwRnec5FsO25lolq6t_mIaB63dM9JRefOUwhStTtF6kDJ0symm1uVxpWXv4XzCr_eLev6porsc7pUd_XZKirBaIYJmPZA/w301-h400/IMG_4060.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">20 Feb - some of the bindweed roots</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nSi9OvgphwdfoaQjVs819OLk__HrMQ3c-kXIJcn0GdE_-M2pWlfzftGCE3FXthACHtuRxbu7Vnv7DjB2rlIOsbGZ423USkE9-aLFJ9_x0QcwtE-I0m_ibhmSLXB72slUCM4mW_xqEKHAKRGQy3Wi2NkXM1Nj7nJ5xkPdaY_u-RyORCtmF_WhR6InDA/s4032/IMG_4061.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nSi9OvgphwdfoaQjVs819OLk__HrMQ3c-kXIJcn0GdE_-M2pWlfzftGCE3FXthACHtuRxbu7Vnv7DjB2rlIOsbGZ423USkE9-aLFJ9_x0QcwtE-I0m_ibhmSLXB72slUCM4mW_xqEKHAKRGQy3Wi2NkXM1Nj7nJ5xkPdaY_u-RyORCtmF_WhR6InDA/w300-h400/IMG_4061.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">20 Feb - the redcurrants mulched</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">I also cleared some of the encroaching couch grass by the pond and r</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">eplanted some of the black lilies which had been choked by the couch grass, but there is also a problem of suckers from the plum tree in the area where we want wild flowers to flourish.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>The following day, </span></span><b style="font-family: arial;">21 February, </b><span style="font-family: arial;">started with fine drizzle</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and there was still a fresh breeze. The drizzle stopped around mid-morning and we spent about three hours together on a cold damp day generally tidying up.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I decided to have another go at the area around the pond. I c</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;">ouldn’t dig out the miriad of plum suckers. I managed to pull up some, although the main root will still be there ready to send up more suckers and I cut any remaining ones just below the surface with secateurs. I fear this is going to be like <i><a href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/science-and-technology/forth-bridge-paint-mixer/#:~:text=The%20phrase%20'painting%20the%20Forth%20Bridge'%20has%20come%20to%20mean,again%20at%20the%20other%20end."><b>painting the Forth Bridge</b></a></i>.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Earlier in the month, the pigeons had been having a feast on the early broccoli plants which weren't inside the cage. I did put a net over them but thought it might be too late as the damage had been done. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the florets had begun to be formed and there should be some for picking later in the week.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW6YcgyKTpm5L1C3US_eFJx8AFwDCyAXGpa64xa_itsCy8l_AmI3kI8AAzPM7T00M73HJx3FeHXKgoeYyjT31HkY6Mlso67DPe1nCaIBNn2DBc-b6hQ9TLAQ80oyTyNzIXlQW-VfZedl5x9zNurDMax1dx1W8z3gnwDYC5B8FV0pq6_L4ceofDZaj0A/s1608/IMG_4065.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1608" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW6YcgyKTpm5L1C3US_eFJx8AFwDCyAXGpa64xa_itsCy8l_AmI3kI8AAzPM7T00M73HJx3FeHXKgoeYyjT31HkY6Mlso67DPe1nCaIBNn2DBc-b6hQ9TLAQ80oyTyNzIXlQW-VfZedl5x9zNurDMax1dx1W8z3gnwDYC5B8FV0pq6_L4ceofDZaj0A/w359-h400/IMG_4065.jpg" width="359" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 February - <i>Purple sprouting broccoli</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmol_TtzSzqKBEuE329df9mIbuFB-D0CL3r_kuwbiiUWDqPTLgzGNam3h_S62wrVG5gLh6AbBIbdlwwgaVgqP_jpASZhAEp1eVx_AN-mR24zwk9_cui7rJ3IEwHNsob-qu5TSApH4XVt2nMutscqZNNEfima1vPiZ3WaWC6Ex4cmZ2V5SPT-mIEqf6Q/s1719/IMG_4066.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1683" data-original-width="1719" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmol_TtzSzqKBEuE329df9mIbuFB-D0CL3r_kuwbiiUWDqPTLgzGNam3h_S62wrVG5gLh6AbBIbdlwwgaVgqP_jpASZhAEp1eVx_AN-mR24zwk9_cui7rJ3IEwHNsob-qu5TSApH4XVt2nMutscqZNNEfima1vPiZ3WaWC6Ex4cmZ2V5SPT-mIEqf6Q/w400-h391/IMG_4066.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 February - <i>Purple sprouting broccoli<br /><br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I planted out the broad beans that had been sown at home as they were getting rather leggy.</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8on85-6bDjyxtu81I7BXoTzhDlI9oSjn5-myypAzzGXzN2_AIagAovIg3yTK7klvR7EkTRVHmZEr-9aR3vx7HGbe0G3Al9zHYftIWEjRcx5R_g_e2ZRkPreH2RlJagn3b7NK39Yv4UbCgc_ZuG-2pKZQlFp3TPlVZLoo3xGw3IZq0aekw--QqUZ0lA/s4032/IMG_4067.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8on85-6bDjyxtu81I7BXoTzhDlI9oSjn5-myypAzzGXzN2_AIagAovIg3yTK7klvR7EkTRVHmZEr-9aR3vx7HGbe0G3Al9zHYftIWEjRcx5R_g_e2ZRkPreH2RlJagn3b7NK39Yv4UbCgc_ZuG-2pKZQlFp3TPlVZLoo3xGw3IZq0aekw--QqUZ0lA/w300-h400/IMG_4067.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 February - broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I planted the remaining <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes - about half a row. As before, I dug a shallow trench, lined it with torn up egg boxes, half filled the trench with organic compost, planted the potatoes in the compost then returned the top-soil that I had removed.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEi4qwIbrkR9SwxMUjaGD_A86P19SI0t8WwPc82QNEUpjqfY6wEpd_GAtPBhZsOz6OUT-QidhhSF-QSPQQ7gERNoEXxZXb0RDp9ZucNz18bqpB-cyP9aHFhkxcOOC3iYU8H0lREzbIv9b_g-0j1Q24OMn-WkGjDbGqpky7PLqXKSvV0UHs_KHigY9cA/s4032/IMG_4068.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEi4qwIbrkR9SwxMUjaGD_A86P19SI0t8WwPc82QNEUpjqfY6wEpd_GAtPBhZsOz6OUT-QidhhSF-QSPQQ7gERNoEXxZXb0RDp9ZucNz18bqpB-cyP9aHFhkxcOOC3iYU8H0lREzbIv9b_g-0j1Q24OMn-WkGjDbGqpky7PLqXKSvV0UHs_KHigY9cA/w300-h400/IMG_4068.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">21 Feb - a half row of <i>Duke of York</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In the new no-dig bed I planted some <i>Kelvedon Wonder </i>early peas that I had bought at Seedy Sunday. My theory is that we should get a crop before the brassicas need to be planted there.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sylvi spent most of the time continuing to tackle brambles and couch grass around the apple tree and along the eastern boundary with our neighbour. We also managed to move the tumble compostor, the drum of which is in need of some TLC before we start filling it again.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The following two days were cold and wet with light drizzle but I did visit briefly on Thursday <b>23 February </b> to check on the broad beans that I had planted out on Tuesday. They looked fine but something - I suspect a squirrel - had been digging holes where I had planted potatoes. I don't think they were after the potatoes, probably something in the organic matter/compost. Although they had lifted a couple of potatoes, they were lying on the ground but there was no damage so I replanted them.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At home, I sowed some <i>Kalettes </i>indoors and also some more <i>Cherry Belle </i> tomatoes as there was no sign of the ones sown earlier. I noted from the seed packet that they were from 2021, not 2022 as I thought, so it is possible the seeds have deteriorated.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On <b>25 February</b> there were signs that the red cabbage and beet spinach had germinated after only 6 days.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghotJwQA5yg-t6cu5LEhT6PaJJMsvVEuF4NY74piPYH9WuHE06IlBi2oO__HcTVBS35fPqDL29d7xnpgTE9Wj6yB-q_b577WG3J0c7cd7gQO7hK_bYQ-5FkJlsEZS7v59mcHKtisnN4VgQ_4Rp2tfWvl5QZz1-IodJt5uh-x91s66hslGVONok5RRS5Q/s2112/IMG_4087.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="2112" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghotJwQA5yg-t6cu5LEhT6PaJJMsvVEuF4NY74piPYH9WuHE06IlBi2oO__HcTVBS35fPqDL29d7xnpgTE9Wj6yB-q_b577WG3J0c7cd7gQO7hK_bYQ-5FkJlsEZS7v59mcHKtisnN4VgQ_4Rp2tfWvl5QZz1-IodJt5uh-x91s66hslGVONok5RRS5Q/w400-h235/IMG_4087.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - <i>Drumhead </i>red cabbage</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXXquDbXlYuPX7Kx-ZS2ebq_JuZJf7Be4fHh4ntmUOMrtttsdqvfQIBaUbxmvP8H1BnClfnhpW5dS9nk5AHnes4_WNU2LFKTsZDOCL03568B75AsYf468UjJeNCm0Zij9GMUWQiwzmNRpgoGlEI4spsboJD_Sb3Um6lnQVesDv0BpHBZD_NLJZEbxJA/s1369/IMG_4088.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1369" data-original-width="1215" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXXquDbXlYuPX7Kx-ZS2ebq_JuZJf7Be4fHh4ntmUOMrtttsdqvfQIBaUbxmvP8H1BnClfnhpW5dS9nk5AHnes4_WNU2LFKTsZDOCL03568B75AsYf468UjJeNCm0Zij9GMUWQiwzmNRpgoGlEI4spsboJD_Sb3Um6lnQVesDv0BpHBZD_NLJZEbxJA/w355-h400/IMG_4088.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25 February - spinach beet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>On the plot, I lifted the last of the parsnips (including the ones nibbled by rodents) and continued to clear </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">around the pond. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFoP3pM5EzLLSqEz3Lt74tKE5fg9ssMm2AIj89mgwt5VmFEp9DVft1l0y0_xvoupq8m8rcsPBcOfkLydwAQyxWo7gexAMWCaj8oWnpYddBdkxFJcgGTWkjWaQJeckm-jDrH9TgZUJNd1AA6s8OyODcEAOd2R_rRguRViTRnUsdZjxQhiMbyPNImhqYg/s1685/IMG_4092.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="1056" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxFoP3pM5EzLLSqEz3Lt74tKE5fg9ssMm2AIj89mgwt5VmFEp9DVft1l0y0_xvoupq8m8rcsPBcOfkLydwAQyxWo7gexAMWCaj8oWnpYddBdkxFJcgGTWkjWaQJeckm-jDrH9TgZUJNd1AA6s8OyODcEAOd2R_rRguRViTRnUsdZjxQhiMbyPNImhqYg/w251-h400/IMG_4092.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 February - parsnips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We also picked the first of the broccoli from the plants ravaged by the pigeons,</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl28cAOX3tx5YhTXphaf-9d8grVby1DFw0r2KGIOMaoCWbHu1KHHElzxrX-9I4QNAle0M9djeE096M_HnUCTstdLEoih1KDyKq7wi_JA3Rp7c6Q4If2hTYv8c4s_U-fP48Sfxr3DGMGwC3Z1RkaDyytF6CzMW_Dv0C1osO3vgzWU9XNa0Onf7kNUitiA/s3096/IMG_4094.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="2541" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl28cAOX3tx5YhTXphaf-9d8grVby1DFw0r2KGIOMaoCWbHu1KHHElzxrX-9I4QNAle0M9djeE096M_HnUCTstdLEoih1KDyKq7wi_JA3Rp7c6Q4If2hTYv8c4s_U-fP48Sfxr3DGMGwC3Z1RkaDyytF6CzMW_Dv0C1osO3vgzWU9XNa0Onf7kNUitiA/w329-h400/IMG_4094.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">25 February - purple sprouting broccoli</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Only a day later - <b>26 February </b>- the red cabbage and spinach had put on some growth and the chervil was deveoping its first true leaves.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wTEoKN6ThdTVBhRu5edKXDI30zM-nz4CinjI1tg-VHsnaE1UFdRu3RnF1jzhGdE3NBP6vp9ySS14MAxaCZMvUWl5rG29OiHzSsjf_KUAHA6mIAW5vpCicNYnrxEwy5QfGVuG84XGLDPGi_B4pCAa5hQ5Z60Jrqstnj8xYjfnC5djE5GxesARXAs-w/s2940/IMG_4096.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="2940" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg75wTEoKN6ThdTVBhRu5edKXDI30zM-nz4CinjI1tg-VHsnaE1UFdRu3RnF1jzhGdE3NBP6vp9ySS14MAxaCZMvUWl5rG29OiHzSsjf_KUAHA6mIAW5vpCicNYnrxEwy5QfGVuG84XGLDPGi_B4pCAa5hQ5Z60Jrqstnj8xYjfnC5djE5GxesARXAs-w/w400-h399/IMG_4096.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 February - <i>Drumhead </i>red cabbage</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_TDtCxn2Ja0RagUV6JJ-ywNtf0SYjvm6uIL1OR0z0IE2lxwSniJXVWyzM0TD-SQuIpMzJrf2uaUnEzry443wqIdyCXeadZGS4vteMKj7zskFaY0C53x0J7MaaLJWHvw-2m2n6jFD7CrFJwlVHvI71vtOY41jscl3497TwSIJCxqYZcZZVlXydfXr1A/s1966/IMG_4097.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1966" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_TDtCxn2Ja0RagUV6JJ-ywNtf0SYjvm6uIL1OR0z0IE2lxwSniJXVWyzM0TD-SQuIpMzJrf2uaUnEzry443wqIdyCXeadZGS4vteMKj7zskFaY0C53x0J7MaaLJWHvw-2m2n6jFD7CrFJwlVHvI71vtOY41jscl3497TwSIJCxqYZcZZVlXydfXr1A/w400-h360/IMG_4097.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 February - spinach beet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsYiACxhsNk0Likjjr4W_XMoS_tjPgdxsBAjmQ8gNy3FfIZcjKeEF1duuRokkTt67dkv551qTsPqSZ9qoHNeSSzY_NXLJlass9G_i4GN8nnqpoFRmcBEVymQA0nYKO6vXLKQqlsiaDxjBek177zuwtRELp8BdbDdbOa0DhgTHr-UyrlOoRY8JWaSz6g/s4032/IMG_4098.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsYiACxhsNk0Likjjr4W_XMoS_tjPgdxsBAjmQ8gNy3FfIZcjKeEF1duuRokkTt67dkv551qTsPqSZ9qoHNeSSzY_NXLJlass9G_i4GN8nnqpoFRmcBEVymQA0nYKO6vXLKQqlsiaDxjBek177zuwtRELp8BdbDdbOa0DhgTHr-UyrlOoRY8JWaSz6g/w400-h300/IMG_4098.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">26 February - Chervil</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the weekend one of the plotholders had a disaster when their pond developed a leak and the water was rapidly draining away just as the frogs had spawned. As a general rule it is not advisable to move amphibian spawm from one location to another as this can spread disease but this was an emergency and the spawn could be rescued and transferred to ponds on the same site without too much risk.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So on Monday morning <b>27 February </b> I gathered some of the spawn and rehomed it in my pond - from plot 232 to 247.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyGEqAHCPwO-kfjhvU5mvKY9mm0VwxepDRDMLAFmnOE6Gz-uwwC1OL_r145tMBeZmGLjMuruGQrp49-MW-3Vkcg_XX5zmN4EE7QA7TLcTF2xoPtYETmgn0m6YmouQ2PqnZSHNjutbEtCcsXl-6YPcXCdOvx6mzQmzvf_8X96l3km9IvmOow5XgiaUfw/s1085/IMG_4125.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="1085" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcyGEqAHCPwO-kfjhvU5mvKY9mm0VwxepDRDMLAFmnOE6Gz-uwwC1OL_r145tMBeZmGLjMuruGQrp49-MW-3Vkcg_XX5zmN4EE7QA7TLcTF2xoPtYETmgn0m6YmouQ2PqnZSHNjutbEtCcsXl-6YPcXCdOvx6mzQmzvf_8X96l3km9IvmOow5XgiaUfw/w400-h371/IMG_4125.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 Feb - frog spawn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj_vsOq97M1KSECOqkGwGjYo0iXafs6VekPH0Ip9x_PxQIoQjv7Nji_GKK0L4KBr8lsDyXQZMHMkaDQAjn3XTjHk0AzzltXgEYrtUM_sfI124CLpdKqU-Pu04yMEJNpnDCRjtPXcjTWhN1aqywlgr-gb74Hdp5-lnma26YvNVZJLq2eCud65K7d6wLQ/s4032/IMG_4126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj_vsOq97M1KSECOqkGwGjYo0iXafs6VekPH0Ip9x_PxQIoQjv7Nji_GKK0L4KBr8lsDyXQZMHMkaDQAjn3XTjHk0AzzltXgEYrtUM_sfI124CLpdKqU-Pu04yMEJNpnDCRjtPXcjTWhN1aqywlgr-gb74Hdp5-lnma26YvNVZJLq2eCud65K7d6wLQ/w300-h400/IMG_4126.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 February - our pond</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At home the chilli peppers that I had brought indoors in October were flowering and still producing.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lPSx2fC29_s07NjRLL6_GEDFuDLDQg46h-D6wGkGXZJlb_6TsjoHhSiqWtjMevXnIkHVsXw22nEuMZid1-Ja3emneZDF6oBRviQ6Z9Ru62_-CL34ftxJhghv7WSa52XB1Qc2AZtYbD4n0lpBGgLR7zdiSBGJrf89Fx37PdF_cwjn9P3JPMB8hcKgoA/s4032/IMG_4128.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lPSx2fC29_s07NjRLL6_GEDFuDLDQg46h-D6wGkGXZJlb_6TsjoHhSiqWtjMevXnIkHVsXw22nEuMZid1-Ja3emneZDF6oBRviQ6Z9Ru62_-CL34ftxJhghv7WSa52XB1Qc2AZtYbD4n0lpBGgLR7zdiSBGJrf89Fx37PdF_cwjn9P3JPMB8hcKgoA/w300-h400/IMG_4128.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;">27 February -</span><span style="color: #202122; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><span style="text-align: start;">jalapeño</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCyfJ2oWmejaJNjDvTliocVztHh5wilflMYTvpgO0U-KEAwTh0Kx7uAjk3Ee6p6LFvO4lmMLSHr_Ws9F8JRcCa6Er59UKfPtX2t0ev8zJyZzf4jjljvRr_VS1kSM5y58F6v07gVtGOhwWlFL6WdD1zafFPVq7dtm9xSdJkXU0W0VZbzQA0fTEfiCQRg/s2879/IMG_4129.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2879" data-original-width="2159" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCyfJ2oWmejaJNjDvTliocVztHh5wilflMYTvpgO0U-KEAwTh0Kx7uAjk3Ee6p6LFvO4lmMLSHr_Ws9F8JRcCa6Er59UKfPtX2t0ev8zJyZzf4jjljvRr_VS1kSM5y58F6v07gVtGOhwWlFL6WdD1zafFPVq7dtm9xSdJkXU0W0VZbzQA0fTEfiCQRg/w300-h400/IMG_4129.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">27 February - <i>Orange Habanero</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>28 February</b> I began to liberate the table in the conservatory and transferred the tomatoes to a position under the skylight in the loft extension (which is also unheated when not lived in). The conservatory table may not be empty for long though as March/April becomes a very busy time for sowing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxFNYY_YY_ao2lHAWZexQ7s4HZqRdEDx9_gz28EtspPq0fnYAMiByoPs6h8edCA6xjcGFv9X0e8Q5btpMUc01j3mlfdmG-u-ONsMWDXeRAn-sQm4XMukNTNd2_xP6RFzfQwadNL0wiO4HVuuD-hAxy24M9zmuewo_x98AmPDQyYbJcEw8Aa1Et3YDtw/s3024/IMG_4142.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2648" data-original-width="3024" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxFNYY_YY_ao2lHAWZexQ7s4HZqRdEDx9_gz28EtspPq0fnYAMiByoPs6h8edCA6xjcGFv9X0e8Q5btpMUc01j3mlfdmG-u-ONsMWDXeRAn-sQm4XMukNTNd2_xP6RFzfQwadNL0wiO4HVuuD-hAxy24M9zmuewo_x98AmPDQyYbJcEw8Aa1Et3YDtw/w400-h350/IMG_4142.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 February - tomatoes in their new temporary home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking back, the month had, for the most part, been unseasonally warm and dry , and hopefully we are well prepared for the busiest planting months ahead.<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We are quite excited about our new acquisition - hoping they adapt well to their new environment and we look forward to seeing tadpoles soon</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHR3GsWMzKkjyqBrjHUElM2BWlZ4gMFswxRbQnm2KBGudorIQ1ziSCcOu0A19dZZAz-ebxGyxBUNnv11slWhfqkFYhC0zYQbTVU11m79McKCuZErAuw72KFIR64GX3xZb776WTeEodOc4HJJeLxCEGmYeCp1fA-2i2LNSdG79EDgEGTIixBDJEQ96FQ/s1085/35A87DBC-2CDF-49FB-A50B-B3944C5BE536.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1085" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHR3GsWMzKkjyqBrjHUElM2BWlZ4gMFswxRbQnm2KBGudorIQ1ziSCcOu0A19dZZAz-ebxGyxBUNnv11slWhfqkFYhC0zYQbTVU11m79McKCuZErAuw72KFIR64GX3xZb776WTeEodOc4HJJeLxCEGmYeCp1fA-2i2LNSdG79EDgEGTIixBDJEQ96FQ/w640-h640/35A87DBC-2CDF-49FB-A50B-B3944C5BE536.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 February - our frog spawn</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: arial;">Hove - February 2023</span></h2><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br style="background-color: white;" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-35086536688098184282023-02-07T03:22:00.002-08:002023-02-07T03:22:35.072-08:00Life on The Weald - January 2023<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - January 2023</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in the kitchen and garden</span> </h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">New Year's Eve had been a wild night (weatherwise) and we abandoned our planned walk down to the beach and saw in the New Year at home. New Year's Day continued to be damp with intermittent showers but we did venture out for the traditional ice skating at the Royal Pavilion.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jkVQDLQ5kKFN-lPOTGzVaZkETmVhbQGigBr1PnC0vY_x-slbuJeudjh5AV8_bvWFe0KS00gBAcaYGWkwNolHurnKu_wjCsevyn24syzft9RIg5syeCRuXoPmLxEoDvGSQ4dUO_ALwqKCZuIv1JVJDc28-SY3uDc98XwyumoUUtVcBi8SL4YguDDE9Q/s4032/IMG_3656.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jkVQDLQ5kKFN-lPOTGzVaZkETmVhbQGigBr1PnC0vY_x-slbuJeudjh5AV8_bvWFe0KS00gBAcaYGWkwNolHurnKu_wjCsevyn24syzft9RIg5syeCRuXoPmLxEoDvGSQ4dUO_ALwqKCZuIv1JVJDc28-SY3uDc98XwyumoUUtVcBi8SL4YguDDE9Q/w640-h480/IMG_3656.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Royal Pavilion Ice-rink, New Year's Day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My eldest son, Damien, and grandsons Oisín & Shay took to the ice.... </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjtZil4rhR4vfE3Byq9IVfnLixjQghBblTdqGWxzeBERjbbvSk45wSvKG6lqyvitI8c89Vn9GPaHcUAYLL-HsqelqcaIQDEE_8XIK1xZfdXnotG55S-Kru16MI9xrVXFiKArGs79IdFy1lg7jjPmzqOCYn_DTNAK-AnjY6aKqIxJnapaMOViCTOKCnw/s4032/IMG_3652.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjtZil4rhR4vfE3Byq9IVfnLixjQghBblTdqGWxzeBERjbbvSk45wSvKG6lqyvitI8c89Vn9GPaHcUAYLL-HsqelqcaIQDEE_8XIK1xZfdXnotG55S-Kru16MI9xrVXFiKArGs79IdFy1lg7jjPmzqOCYn_DTNAK-AnjY6aKqIxJnapaMOViCTOKCnw/w400-h300/IMG_3652.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Oisín, Shay and Damien</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">....whilst my daughter-in-law, Sharon, and I looked on from the comfort of the bar!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZed6V6J1cLBHthXp3brdngVDaq0_j94RaOOXi1SLYnt7gL8ahdt9d7mmbaDVm057O8xNMtozbCsTR56tb6la-lKg2ndGEk3mV7RgP7891NgUOTaur1Wh_RNsO0Ub4tBjwx-BVG5CAsWeyIXXf2vC3EgGKcih7T_ccZE2rmrTC-p1fK7ULybOLCW-Azw/s3088/IMG_3653.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZed6V6J1cLBHthXp3brdngVDaq0_j94RaOOXi1SLYnt7gL8ahdt9d7mmbaDVm057O8xNMtozbCsTR56tb6la-lKg2ndGEk3mV7RgP7891NgUOTaur1Wh_RNsO0Ub4tBjwx-BVG5CAsWeyIXXf2vC3EgGKcih7T_ccZE2rmrTC-p1fK7ULybOLCW-Azw/w300-h400/IMG_3653.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">New Year's Day<br />with Oisín, Shay, Damien and Sharon</span><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2nd January</b> was a bright sunny day with some clouds but otherwise clear blue skies, so I paid a visit to see how the allotment was doing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVcRkpKpoGBFgJExM2PotQQIlDJ_E1OCdg0KcIbCNPcHga0Pf0eB9nwxOrWC3eevfNaIn3QAnstuTuUrc2uo0WSQ0IXigygQlQItElgfK7ixhobUX7fULjl6BwjKXMWGa2XcrxBgL-3D82IQg7Z8RqYZLtDH4VxBgzJ9upjhD3_aUT3bI9EiZK6Uklw/s4032/IMG_3662.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlVcRkpKpoGBFgJExM2PotQQIlDJ_E1OCdg0KcIbCNPcHga0Pf0eB9nwxOrWC3eevfNaIn3QAnstuTuUrc2uo0WSQ0IXigygQlQItElgfK7ixhobUX7fULjl6BwjKXMWGa2XcrxBgL-3D82IQg7Z8RqYZLtDH4VxBgzJ9upjhD3_aUT3bI9EiZK6Uklw/w300-h400/IMG_3662.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Looking East towards the plot - 2 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPByjIyhBB4NuRe3_4EDbgC3f6vwTotKaHwR2K4NuJOJYRCyQZWdLkaD7dCjSKduPQ47ozM2nns2cvjFKlqMb4swHvfyC2Al48j5ApEv6afIxzFI-w2orLTcwWZbRXk-YHlr3p3j-oebU25r_jSrjk-PRsGvWyRf41AFBa4jd8Jv0xQvMUVPxH75PJw/s4032/IMG_3672.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPByjIyhBB4NuRe3_4EDbgC3f6vwTotKaHwR2K4NuJOJYRCyQZWdLkaD7dCjSKduPQ47ozM2nns2cvjFKlqMb4swHvfyC2Al48j5ApEv6afIxzFI-w2orLTcwWZbRXk-YHlr3p3j-oebU25r_jSrjk-PRsGvWyRf41AFBa4jd8Jv0xQvMUVPxH75PJw/w300-h400/IMG_3672.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Looking West from the plot - 2 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Broad beans, sown at different times between October & December, and the garlic, red onions and shallots all appeared to be doing well.<br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUUaf1i0XG3CvhjoD0AEqRQj-YWLx5sKe9jOqey8OWGsGpdniCo0JxIOQ26nIFCT4KOQemB0rpPrPJ4X_fpwRev1zNOAUcjuqUlSKN3U7CW_9Zoe9JUXvFYQIlP5q0GrW94ACY5oS4tmWfqq3PtLpBGf2QsqgGaXHQlNzdh4kibJ_RSQ4XRnaT5FSrQ/s4032/IMG_3664.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWUUaf1i0XG3CvhjoD0AEqRQj-YWLx5sKe9jOqey8OWGsGpdniCo0JxIOQ26nIFCT4KOQemB0rpPrPJ4X_fpwRev1zNOAUcjuqUlSKN3U7CW_9Zoe9JUXvFYQIlP5q0GrW94ACY5oS4tmWfqq3PtLpBGf2QsqgGaXHQlNzdh4kibJ_RSQ4XRnaT5FSrQ/w300-h400/IMG_3664.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY1nILoHzaX-CQbyayleyIsLKVKLQl21MLihFg-_79G6m7nX5mrb4FY6P1ff0-V1AiQM3kEJAI1Wpt6UkfRzz8CDhdJYUtOIfw7DmrLGCahWurrCqCP0xtoRK9ggtZ1kf0TR3Z_4JX7jzJQYg6STPW9QsFJwIehxczhGVd2pljOu2jty_hQqEC6l7lw/s4032/IMG_3665.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifY1nILoHzaX-CQbyayleyIsLKVKLQl21MLihFg-_79G6m7nX5mrb4FY6P1ff0-V1AiQM3kEJAI1Wpt6UkfRzz8CDhdJYUtOIfw7DmrLGCahWurrCqCP0xtoRK9ggtZ1kf0TR3Z_4JX7jzJQYg6STPW9QsFJwIehxczhGVd2pljOu2jty_hQqEC6l7lw/w300-h400/IMG_3665.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Red Onions</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-aNvyl5gpKKDgWAGRqVrwiyAXpGnFMBr8dWEbwME78V13qupGqpEwhpRnhOsOmXcviuPT3d0wbMVpDgW48owR2cRCb-rVWAkJyF6eWX4hud-6poXJ1yC64qWsvgtBhZLaBce_saEXmyW4D9teNA5IZVKwVpQEJEVa5woaW_LYG_P7QGGNpgOlD-DHw/s4032/IMG_3666.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-aNvyl5gpKKDgWAGRqVrwiyAXpGnFMBr8dWEbwME78V13qupGqpEwhpRnhOsOmXcviuPT3d0wbMVpDgW48owR2cRCb-rVWAkJyF6eWX4hud-6poXJ1yC64qWsvgtBhZLaBce_saEXmyW4D9teNA5IZVKwVpQEJEVa5woaW_LYG_P7QGGNpgOlD-DHw/w300-h400/IMG_3666.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Broad beans and garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefY4w1ERdC6KUvMePOp7mxLJGYyScWXuORr9C05pmroLEeZtk6nEI0iQ7TyLDGYaZG7eoFx6S0ue7BkOtM3yIFxS9E9Wsqf8ZJh6UrfbbF4xgsifMy0-HtlFVS9WQ191yTx9ZyvlAw46AWeWvE1ywRHu6kyARXJ4PmCLVbdCDsPKVfkQgrr18l4-Azg/s4032/IMG_3667.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgefY4w1ERdC6KUvMePOp7mxLJGYyScWXuORr9C05pmroLEeZtk6nEI0iQ7TyLDGYaZG7eoFx6S0ue7BkOtM3yIFxS9E9Wsqf8ZJh6UrfbbF4xgsifMy0-HtlFVS9WQ191yTx9ZyvlAw46AWeWvE1ywRHu6kyARXJ4PmCLVbdCDsPKVfkQgrr18l4-Azg/w300-h400/IMG_3667.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Shallots - 2 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY99dWzZ6XoBQlLEGkbrPK8ZXxxBnhgYmV3Q_W-HuVOmeFM0BEpjQj0Spn3J40vdMGMRMnoCcGHVlYcAwixRArNFgRVZv06r1672MVS3XU11wY7Bd1LGfl3XOsrJDxO6_i3l-RbBGzoC_jtxjLNPxTUBP2OCKYWGWg-LBgejqDhBl9rFsOUymCBg3f5g/s4032/IMG_3668.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY99dWzZ6XoBQlLEGkbrPK8ZXxxBnhgYmV3Q_W-HuVOmeFM0BEpjQj0Spn3J40vdMGMRMnoCcGHVlYcAwixRArNFgRVZv06r1672MVS3XU11wY7Bd1LGfl3XOsrJDxO6_i3l-RbBGzoC_jtxjLNPxTUBP2OCKYWGWg-LBgejqDhBl9rFsOUymCBg3f5g/w400-h300/IMG_3668.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Garlic - 2 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqt_06zA2D26X0PC2e7aSW1TRO5YTjM2P1JbF0UFFShMHz6pYO_0FLRZSBx4tnxboOudg6a3bRKojuWUXlaxk86x4PPXAPmfCJd1TNEyrYKUvWz5L-zh6xSoZTgUrss4mkNBxHys1ZOJw-gFmAAo8KKsLcr5p7ZH-7PI2idNFWkStVTYafxmXM_X3fCA/s4032/IMG_3670.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqt_06zA2D26X0PC2e7aSW1TRO5YTjM2P1JbF0UFFShMHz6pYO_0FLRZSBx4tnxboOudg6a3bRKojuWUXlaxk86x4PPXAPmfCJd1TNEyrYKUvWz5L-zh6xSoZTgUrss4mkNBxHys1ZOJw-gFmAAo8KKsLcr5p7ZH-7PI2idNFWkStVTYafxmXM_X3fCA/w300-h400/IMG_3670.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Broad beans - 2 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The dry sunny spell was shortlived and the rain and heavy mists returned on <b>Thursday 4th January. </b>The picture below shows the contrast between Tuesday and Thursday.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMApoMoBqUltZHZcBn5_LkDoFxOE9dTGB_cgxymEMyslD4Yx0JmyA2ZmAbM2KX0SVI6HMS_G5FdMyIVktK2l-xyj0crsdm5H0bGS3UkYSUHd7lPf6Y-7PtArkaMEeWYBeyp6w1zPWyI1ckZ-mBcP8fnboUoxTUB_Z-NVwQe6ZXaqvNAIagMx8MwXIgjA/s2048/C6807EF3-2EF6-4A83-B1D0-82042BCF7267.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMApoMoBqUltZHZcBn5_LkDoFxOE9dTGB_cgxymEMyslD4Yx0JmyA2ZmAbM2KX0SVI6HMS_G5FdMyIVktK2l-xyj0crsdm5H0bGS3UkYSUHd7lPf6Y-7PtArkaMEeWYBeyp6w1zPWyI1ckZ-mBcP8fnboUoxTUB_Z-NVwQe6ZXaqvNAIagMx8MwXIgjA/w640-h640/C6807EF3-2EF6-4A83-B1D0-82042BCF7267.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Tuesday 2 Jan on left, Thursday 4 January on right</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was very wet underfoot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I sowed the first tomatoes at home, <i>Tres Cantos </i>(pink giant) and <i>Marmande, </i></span><span style="font-family: arial;">both beefsteak varieties</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. The seeds had been bought in Spain in 2021 and were reasonably successful last year, although very popular with slugs and snails. The <i>Marmande </i>is a bush variety but the <i>Tres Cantos</i> grows 1.5m tall.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Friday 13 January </b>was a reasonably dry day and the rhubarb was coming through. I had forced some by placing an inverted black plastic recycling box over the fresh shoots.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-c5pYWx9Aj9txa2GpVTZtpWsWub9GlvhVsy236TwnpxHlx0WTHSIKiKHWhmPhVDt3YHYHREfOeWel4H7XAxLZlWg4j1--E-J1tBJlBdnttUISyZyv4PzSmUC_E8OxNjWxapJVrJnwiwopGoEsxt-cs-Ubvgn0vOl9tjqNs3wRrUEUvAlmMRZ6iCWg/s2880/IMG_3724.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2634" data-original-width="2880" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-c5pYWx9Aj9txa2GpVTZtpWsWub9GlvhVsy236TwnpxHlx0WTHSIKiKHWhmPhVDt3YHYHREfOeWel4H7XAxLZlWg4j1--E-J1tBJlBdnttUISyZyv4PzSmUC_E8OxNjWxapJVrJnwiwopGoEsxt-cs-Ubvgn0vOl9tjqNs3wRrUEUvAlmMRZ6iCWg/w400-h366/IMG_3724.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">13 January - forced rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>15 January </b>was another dry day, although cloudy, but the ground was still waterlogged.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rZCkHp2EOnyHkm_xnDSrslHizgYi6MF9Ngt1kH1_Lt1YuxPFETDgazld0sCUzOJYWd7q3fZznPew4bJhKkB8Q1LWNrpEsRyrgHmiJ5bb9z9MOdKlLlv8WCCMLazy_3sCGoWp1_dQdA0SyzPVewrFx4vRZrwPXmK05t1dZHIiAOaNnCiKtQ6FbTjL8g/s4032/IMG_3734.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rZCkHp2EOnyHkm_xnDSrslHizgYi6MF9Ngt1kH1_Lt1YuxPFETDgazld0sCUzOJYWd7q3fZznPew4bJhKkB8Q1LWNrpEsRyrgHmiJ5bb9z9MOdKlLlv8WCCMLazy_3sCGoWp1_dQdA0SyzPVewrFx4vRZrwPXmK05t1dZHIiAOaNnCiKtQ6FbTjL8g/w300-h400/IMG_3734.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">15 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuorcuTGT5O7d6WYv7rS9-3fweZQVfltkmzT89Mr6uG_A5YmefnYwqNEtSmg-AL7zOeVE3wpn41hIXBEMELtBtxi8DLLLh4WFzCHvwxTbikMF_RW7Rv93_rTPaujp2_mIEOmBiE0CcwGd5-M0j7T2v3oNAYUsNgySIX1Skz3ECHqthw7x8YZWbxAQYiw/s4032/IMG_3735.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuorcuTGT5O7d6WYv7rS9-3fweZQVfltkmzT89Mr6uG_A5YmefnYwqNEtSmg-AL7zOeVE3wpn41hIXBEMELtBtxi8DLLLh4WFzCHvwxTbikMF_RW7Rv93_rTPaujp2_mIEOmBiE0CcwGd5-M0j7T2v3oNAYUsNgySIX1Skz3ECHqthw7x8YZWbxAQYiw/w300-h400/IMG_3735.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">15 January</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>16 January </b>the tomatoes showed signs of having germinated.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBrwE2SbUjXimAK5rFrytRU_ieocRfIhb69mI-Qr34XZJOSVmGjd7am13hqgQ9zowDNcC6qlF4LumDkn8xoAsjWKgfmhd_JaePN0rh4bA3YZszSqs9-cru-x-Sy3LriEX0lbtWkxAn29KA25hKqEDnCt8XGRo-Oug6f3wBnCwWvlTDPwHGLajp7HMhw/s4032/IMG_3747.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBrwE2SbUjXimAK5rFrytRU_ieocRfIhb69mI-Qr34XZJOSVmGjd7am13hqgQ9zowDNcC6qlF4LumDkn8xoAsjWKgfmhd_JaePN0rh4bA3YZszSqs9-cru-x-Sy3LriEX0lbtWkxAn29KA25hKqEDnCt8XGRo-Oug6f3wBnCwWvlTDPwHGLajp7HMhw/w300-h400/IMG_3747.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">16 January - tomatoes germinating</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>20 January, </b>indoors in the conservatory, some of the chilli peppers were still producing fruits and the <i>Basket of Fire,</i> now almost three years old was flowering again!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sy4alAJx5ZwmiYaCSClTVVgJeSx6iUYPR1He7L0nG0wKywNPfyxA9PmSAHgsJ-tyBFAIyyWevs0O_ylILpyleFPemnF8xmGB2I0l6V059O2BBn1wC5vPMoR5la2hJcgHpNoYjemJ8LTRyB9ZEyheF9ZnqHHYhAsUW3mK52ZZVA1pal6nk1dLmahkRQ/s4032/IMG_3748.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sy4alAJx5ZwmiYaCSClTVVgJeSx6iUYPR1He7L0nG0wKywNPfyxA9PmSAHgsJ-tyBFAIyyWevs0O_ylILpyleFPemnF8xmGB2I0l6V059O2BBn1wC5vPMoR5la2hJcgHpNoYjemJ8LTRyB9ZEyheF9ZnqHHYhAsUW3mK52ZZVA1pal6nk1dLmahkRQ/w300-h400/IMG_3748.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">20 January - <i>Basket of Fire</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7rL8s8cJiyGF2-GNQNpo7KVWEtsRPCo9mgGTbG72xd2t1e5eh2MEdb7P9lfRccuGQS3EGYspGbG2MdGoe_NtpJq0fA9aO28H7xTgG5zHSyJRUkcGozIT_ecFDz4FYEt81uJWMyZgXokZiJb1tkq4inSxRh3bNPFnmq9TMt20U0we8vKa00G70yFTwQ/s4032/IMG_3749.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7rL8s8cJiyGF2-GNQNpo7KVWEtsRPCo9mgGTbG72xd2t1e5eh2MEdb7P9lfRccuGQS3EGYspGbG2MdGoe_NtpJq0fA9aO28H7xTgG5zHSyJRUkcGozIT_ecFDz4FYEt81uJWMyZgXokZiJb1tkq4inSxRh3bNPFnmq9TMt20U0we8vKa00G70yFTwQ/w300-h400/IMG_3749.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">20 January - <i>Jalapeño</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>22 January </b>was very cold and frosty but with clear blue skies.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8xdhKO-TrhrQJgvKqS7viysycbUuoloTc5z3TkxRK0CsyLnLPBh8KXuNsEKagNgt3IGUkuDhpULxlBG3ruDsRoMmyVmln4IQaub1oHgVTPdjQODMF8AdznPRO7mvXKjlXK3nA3ZLgEWHivLbSsaYa59BqZ5j45A8Jh3JNy4iBkllFZV0FZl35nY_Jg/s4032/IMG_3780.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8xdhKO-TrhrQJgvKqS7viysycbUuoloTc5z3TkxRK0CsyLnLPBh8KXuNsEKagNgt3IGUkuDhpULxlBG3ruDsRoMmyVmln4IQaub1oHgVTPdjQODMF8AdznPRO7mvXKjlXK3nA3ZLgEWHivLbSsaYa59BqZ5j45A8Jh3JNy4iBkllFZV0FZl35nY_Jg/w300-h400/IMG_3780.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">22 January - a frosty morning</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>23 January </b>was another cold day but I managed to pick some <i>kalettes </i>and the tomatoes at home were coming along nicely.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOJFfVne-1LlkL5UxocylEOPaWwaha8ChpDZ6x7AX0FshFgNfa-D3J5-FLSVA9mhRwOzwcTg2werwOAboSpYCMt6DyYH_XeayaghwGaydTu84RcMKkC0gl4jWO0lUgfpR-lgJWSizwYCPLWDknhc5bp9zb-uUrm8-sGYx30dUA_FtYr1UoCmy3jSv7A/s2458/IMG_3787.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2161" data-original-width="2458" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOJFfVne-1LlkL5UxocylEOPaWwaha8ChpDZ6x7AX0FshFgNfa-D3J5-FLSVA9mhRwOzwcTg2werwOAboSpYCMt6DyYH_XeayaghwGaydTu84RcMKkC0gl4jWO0lUgfpR-lgJWSizwYCPLWDknhc5bp9zb-uUrm8-sGYx30dUA_FtYr1UoCmy3jSv7A/w400-h351/IMG_3787.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">23 January - kalettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w52jjLPIXf7wI3u5Of4rtZGqPAcFL49qlFg1aMooH9bbZxSsPqjsIxhpBtu_J27l3cji97HjGwGWAtm9A-sQgzIXhes5WCXIvjXqtmjGlHYiFxwhutYtbhT-cMo65o1QnRoMwctrP_sJPqI6o7nt8EdggRWevGwCC_w8X8_Oi6CHR1kWAZipi-gxlQ/s3684/IMG_3846.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2106" data-original-width="3684" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1w52jjLPIXf7wI3u5Of4rtZGqPAcFL49qlFg1aMooH9bbZxSsPqjsIxhpBtu_J27l3cji97HjGwGWAtm9A-sQgzIXhes5WCXIvjXqtmjGlHYiFxwhutYtbhT-cMo65o1QnRoMwctrP_sJPqI6o7nt8EdggRWevGwCC_w8X8_Oi6CHR1kWAZipi-gxlQ/w400-h229/IMG_3846.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">23 January - tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>26 January, </b>I picked some <i>Cavolo nero. </i>It is coming to an end just as the <i>purple sprouting broccoli</i> is coming on stream,but it will be a couple of weeks before that is ready and we may get a few more pickings from the <i>cavolo nero.</i><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN0FdUSnQz3LqKcTYO0qVWlSfC-8Le92qfz27PzIDbBX-z7l2Y0Gc-Cgc72UxE2BSSw3rtJHbJp8Nku-D473VwccH78oe6t3So5SKGepvsd7yOonoVHqsEM2-lx5fI9cN4MdYQLfBAIGhjSYiiNVCN7W5jJ_elOKmr_mDPbbg9JOAUzCdsaUmWrS-PA/s3499/IMG_3864.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3499" data-original-width="3005" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXN0FdUSnQz3LqKcTYO0qVWlSfC-8Le92qfz27PzIDbBX-z7l2Y0Gc-Cgc72UxE2BSSw3rtJHbJp8Nku-D473VwccH78oe6t3So5SKGepvsd7yOonoVHqsEM2-lx5fI9cN4MdYQLfBAIGhjSYiiNVCN7W5jJ_elOKmr_mDPbbg9JOAUzCdsaUmWrS-PA/w344-h400/IMG_3864.jpg" width="344" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">26 January Tuscan kale (<i>Cavolo nero</i>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Having been to Ikea to get new desks for the study, we have a lot of cardboard packaging and, as I still have some woodchip on the plot, thought this would be a good time to remove some of the weeds and couch grass and renovate the main path. I managed a couple of metres before running out of woodchip. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBPs5sA8ThFbypAw9nJctKVT16pgib0bKRQ03t5LwuQIj2iimh7BN6780DZhry38ndC7oNE34rv3BQfYEXPa1hvh5ezFGmf3bf8dx3FVKsWTCOieSYDJ-g5BkSutNWjULYm_Uo7JamsXrEWNQea_cm_pxqfYM4Ii5mmqhWaUL7fOQgqtoGVXcEyjrw/s4032/IMG_3862.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCBPs5sA8ThFbypAw9nJctKVT16pgib0bKRQ03t5LwuQIj2iimh7BN6780DZhry38ndC7oNE34rv3BQfYEXPa1hvh5ezFGmf3bf8dx3FVKsWTCOieSYDJ-g5BkSutNWjULYm_Uo7JamsXrEWNQea_cm_pxqfYM4Ii5mmqhWaUL7fOQgqtoGVXcEyjrw/w300-h400/IMG_3862.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">26 January - pathway repair<br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhev5l3UxekczpQ38xxFDxtkWCnqhC0lruvRVrBT5yfWYyhwT2j7Hoc1q-IBUPXyj1uKaFnU8M6kHNvNU2iSbYIzBRRlWKarx2fr8qxfJEeL9NZvasK1ElOyR1BAnzjZgHHRoHCgp0Xha-XiNkSrAfxIg9_RPx_Dnsp3Y5zt-mYgXi0jqqZd4-FauvglQ/s4032/IMG_3863.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhev5l3UxekczpQ38xxFDxtkWCnqhC0lruvRVrBT5yfWYyhwT2j7Hoc1q-IBUPXyj1uKaFnU8M6kHNvNU2iSbYIzBRRlWKarx2fr8qxfJEeL9NZvasK1ElOyR1BAnzjZgHHRoHCgp0Xha-XiNkSrAfxIg9_RPx_Dnsp3Y5zt-mYgXi0jqqZd4-FauvglQ/w300-h400/IMG_3863.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">26 January - pathway repair<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the crassula (Chinese Jade or money plant) are going crazy and they are so easy to propagate and we are beginning to be taken over! We had several 30-55cms tall. At that size they can sell for £15-£25 but we advertised them on our street WhatsApp and have given them away to neighbours who seem thrilled.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd5FhUlZZUukfS07VXvK63_8mMc-OFUYrEFE7rohPq-fp5eFbwLPKNn_DxeZsYOCwc_qtVuK-j089s2pP7UGDUmX48rDQ1oBKsMb15yK8nGYMN6CBi7Sauq1mYpgq9QtvpRXpdg8Ok-pM5RNGmgGtgLb5iDmiE8EfPKlpgfWeFJgl0D8OP4dphunFRA/s4032/IMG_3860.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd5FhUlZZUukfS07VXvK63_8mMc-OFUYrEFE7rohPq-fp5eFbwLPKNn_DxeZsYOCwc_qtVuK-j089s2pP7UGDUmX48rDQ1oBKsMb15yK8nGYMN6CBi7Sauq1mYpgq9QtvpRXpdg8Ok-pM5RNGmgGtgLb5iDmiE8EfPKlpgfWeFJgl0D8OP4dphunFRA/w300-h400/IMG_3860.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">26 January - Crassula</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were away for the last weekend in January but hope the weather will allow us to do some general clearing up and preparatory work in February before the main sowing season. Apart from periods of heavy rain, January has been remarkably mild with temperatures above average. The meteorologists have not yet decided whether the mild weather will continue or if we are due for another "beast from the east" - I hope not!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, January 2023</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-74510827499891993132023-01-11T06:29:00.001-08:002023-01-11T06:29:28.827-08:00Life on The Weald - December 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - December 2022</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in the kitchen and the garden</span></h2><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeFvkdwvpMroK7AsO5kUjM98VklpB7_NZ0qAbD2SwjN_zXTKgnkJvemJeHYUVUevJj18KJGze9wOgtSiBmu0O5QF2wrnnFbjUDcZY3I7X3loowaD9y4buWJ_2eIMQ4-nggr8OClwJmvQBwuvqQiILFQqoP-a296EI8udPZoosMxYUyMWIBUx8prla8w/s4032/IMG_3539.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZeFvkdwvpMroK7AsO5kUjM98VklpB7_NZ0qAbD2SwjN_zXTKgnkJvemJeHYUVUevJj18KJGze9wOgtSiBmu0O5QF2wrnnFbjUDcZY3I7X3loowaD9y4buWJ_2eIMQ4-nggr8OClwJmvQBwuvqQiILFQqoP-a296EI8udPZoosMxYUyMWIBUx8prla8w/w480-h640/IMG_3539.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Freezing 6 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After days of persistent rain and strong winds, December began with sunshine and clear blue skies. Although the daytime temperature was 9C at most, there was no wind and it felt much warmer. </span>Thursday 1 December <span style="font-weight: normal;">was a perfect day to spend on the allotment and a great opportunity to tidy up. The crops had survived the heavy rain and the strong winds. Broad beans that had been covered with fleece were beginning to show through.</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM-yAA2qcAaU8wNdFPXSxwk8QBs3leA45SRlVRZagoxp7TsV7x58Il4E45v1QSApNaRLQ0_C9v1MZTiSM8BTqFtor6PkcmxhQKFkO7bQwowCGbOA7GIgrXYrNt1kWnLxgDSZ70vHFb8-iwh5SO5RzWVA6rThgXe8TLYuUpVp25jsHJwZl1wbEYcxVBw/s4032/IMG_3478.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIM-yAA2qcAaU8wNdFPXSxwk8QBs3leA45SRlVRZagoxp7TsV7x58Il4E45v1QSApNaRLQ0_C9v1MZTiSM8BTqFtor6PkcmxhQKFkO7bQwowCGbOA7GIgrXYrNt1kWnLxgDSZ70vHFb8-iwh5SO5RzWVA6rThgXe8TLYuUpVp25jsHJwZl1wbEYcxVBw/w300-h400/IMG_3478.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December, Broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With the removal of lower branches it was now possible to make a start clearing the area around the apple tree.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF13B9JZH-v_PFsU77h4rBVFvXL_jh6YdA3fE-L1B8Jdj657z7TdTFostRsyp4qQpFT6bNhg589IJBRTl84WxVip5k7HsgeyBsMCpKxHRgcZui2ubnnSst2ZIXgDsjoOuJ8S9WKprc3fOo_NJXOn1AGinkWkolSpr1Zw0v_7-pDPFxDaOPHbi0FXhK4Q/s3453/IMG_3479.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3453" data-original-width="3021" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF13B9JZH-v_PFsU77h4rBVFvXL_jh6YdA3fE-L1B8Jdj657z7TdTFostRsyp4qQpFT6bNhg589IJBRTl84WxVip5k7HsgeyBsMCpKxHRgcZui2ubnnSst2ZIXgDsjoOuJ8S9WKprc3fOo_NJXOn1AGinkWkolSpr1Zw0v_7-pDPFxDaOPHbi0FXhK4Q/w350-h400/IMG_3479.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December, the apple tree<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>The onions and garlic appeared to be doing well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e7J5LBiH4VpJl5UWnBFyFwJziBDLbkrTltdtvKAfvZ83tZpqbOTuA26yWJRnDtupuXJB_n__2ANYKVuaJRFocBVoH022843lk4eap68SOV_KwawsFJFWMCDUJOHIufuqAN-bQt_mc31Wwo9RCoJWd4UH4V46BJ4ZmuQKPnmxBCx2kvYlY9X8DqhDig/s4032/IMG_3480.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e7J5LBiH4VpJl5UWnBFyFwJziBDLbkrTltdtvKAfvZ83tZpqbOTuA26yWJRnDtupuXJB_n__2ANYKVuaJRFocBVoH022843lk4eap68SOV_KwawsFJFWMCDUJOHIufuqAN-bQt_mc31Wwo9RCoJWd4UH4V46BJ4ZmuQKPnmxBCx2kvYlY9X8DqhDig/w300-h400/IMG_3480.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December - Onions</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxT_g2OJOuOUSAdtGjFu9zq2luRxYOKWbPpporcuC3A6dFtfJ7yiFw92Fvq4D0TAABebHJ2l-84RVQQAu0KE6ObLcJcsPrP0np_-h4vK0OCMmBsl0fz5p__CHYGq1JIF0oGPruwjmaE0_XlOn8SH-vWd8qOOL3-vKgtOgZLFxYFfd774v5-5hRcXh8Q/s4032/IMG_3481.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivxT_g2OJOuOUSAdtGjFu9zq2luRxYOKWbPpporcuC3A6dFtfJ7yiFw92Fvq4D0TAABebHJ2l-84RVQQAu0KE6ObLcJcsPrP0np_-h4vK0OCMmBsl0fz5p__CHYGq1JIF0oGPruwjmaE0_XlOn8SH-vWd8qOOL3-vKgtOgZLFxYFfd774v5-5hRcXh8Q/w300-h400/IMG_3481.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December - Broad beans and garlic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXLqj4rJdbR6QKUdP4V0XeEoiJPVBEf_K1V_l5VDwmqOGvgL5igHIFokOSKYExjy0nAWNH69vLMWHNrxxB1SRt5rrzQANxF_2ekp5dKanL69HHCaZAw61sJjcm94MpwLpqALZJKreZ_W2yJ6SO7DQJqlTJq0taKLkz5xpeLnhclCgBbeqL_mKojfh0g/s3648/IMG_3482.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEXLqj4rJdbR6QKUdP4V0XeEoiJPVBEf_K1V_l5VDwmqOGvgL5igHIFokOSKYExjy0nAWNH69vLMWHNrxxB1SRt5rrzQANxF_2ekp5dKanL69HHCaZAw61sJjcm94MpwLpqALZJKreZ_W2yJ6SO7DQJqlTJq0taKLkz5xpeLnhclCgBbeqL_mKojfh0g/w331-h400/IMG_3482.jpg" width="331" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> 1 December Garlic</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Although the leeks looked OK, they had succumbed to the Allium Leaf Miner and will have to be removed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP01HxtiWL3HTV4yK1J8q6dr5O7o50YeJlD4lM3_lddr2uDBS1O81lyYkrWp9TLu8tsxnHU8DSn__ydZntiQj5dXB1SeQpSX7qumlV_rJqCe7GDYwTOFqpqZZJLgQcT9uy-4rXBBxVYgLWb0bc4ixz9PlWyd1GQFZBTmaxfbe-Frq2X75MOixAr2hZrg/s4032/IMG_3483.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP01HxtiWL3HTV4yK1J8q6dr5O7o50YeJlD4lM3_lddr2uDBS1O81lyYkrWp9TLu8tsxnHU8DSn__ydZntiQj5dXB1SeQpSX7qumlV_rJqCe7GDYwTOFqpqZZJLgQcT9uy-4rXBBxVYgLWb0bc4ixz9PlWyd1GQFZBTmaxfbe-Frq2X75MOixAr2hZrg/w300-h400/IMG_3483.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December Leeks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANI8ZF7iPH3mawMEIxIgeLvZE0MEMB0Cfkqm5BGGw_cJM9KZCc_plRDdnP0ZnzEfLzOYH2g8c01t3lq1nqS9fJ6HcBOJYLv1GREAUNa2y_dSiBPfRmp8tivYrNBgnX-nkYJ2vvUlhXKO0ereXExNrmJu06QV8j-h3Y_qtXbfVP9r_TXAacdBQLc_Pcg/s4032/IMG_3485.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANI8ZF7iPH3mawMEIxIgeLvZE0MEMB0Cfkqm5BGGw_cJM9KZCc_plRDdnP0ZnzEfLzOYH2g8c01t3lq1nqS9fJ6HcBOJYLv1GREAUNa2y_dSiBPfRmp8tivYrNBgnX-nkYJ2vvUlhXKO0ereXExNrmJu06QV8j-h3Y_qtXbfVP9r_TXAacdBQLc_Pcg/w300-h400/IMG_3485.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 December delivery of rotted horse manure</td></tr></tbody></table></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 December, </b>with sub-zero temperatures it was wise to dress appropriately!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdipw6wPwTdJBjl8NsCzTKDpHYaWJS-9ihO8IcfZgQt98ML_GtMI8EUgL1pTK0CMqY5eB2on5jRplniPocskKZFP3cN5kv5MjKwNvQJjyfkWoqraDDv_HM0shcbvEVw4h7vXiXjDYzO2aArqivrFX21wScRfqTeMsE_a2bqFe8r2TFLtwHosjhKRG7Qg/s3088/IMG_3501.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdipw6wPwTdJBjl8NsCzTKDpHYaWJS-9ihO8IcfZgQt98ML_GtMI8EUgL1pTK0CMqY5eB2on5jRplniPocskKZFP3cN5kv5MjKwNvQJjyfkWoqraDDv_HM0shcbvEVw4h7vXiXjDYzO2aArqivrFX21wScRfqTeMsE_a2bqFe8r2TFLtwHosjhKRG7Qg/w300-h400/IMG_3501.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 December</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Despite the cold spell I lifted the fleece from some of the recently sown broad beans.....<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjnzQFF6db-bSoDdJatmedKjkAwL9BFjYpiNMjTjKkpPDjwZabe3HU48ebv49NTxlr-wCQgvMjSYTnPt3VWq84NFjlPCsERZfI8z8x7zbI9nW3733xl242jiG3r5rYQdlBFZhlrMW9wcAtbKfqr-FE1kBbihegzZnNitbRYSUojiy0RpTdV-OJyMJPw/s4032/IMG_3502.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjnzQFF6db-bSoDdJatmedKjkAwL9BFjYpiNMjTjKkpPDjwZabe3HU48ebv49NTxlr-wCQgvMjSYTnPt3VWq84NFjlPCsERZfI8z8x7zbI9nW3733xl242jiG3r5rYQdlBFZhlrMW9wcAtbKfqr-FE1kBbihegzZnNitbRYSUojiy0RpTdV-OJyMJPw/w300-h400/IMG_3502.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 December, broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">....they had germinated and were beginning to lift the fleece.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHSwSIO5-6m7Fm5_oj213gU6a9dMwvYqVOXg-gY7tSfN4mpQ_nR56vrY3XlI_G5lG6x4gAeSSXDmu_vbprRK1pLFpuYGTglbZAZYH_xW3aOEQvSjTEuOUYyySI75sgXSuool5CwfPL0ydmQPcEHMlCNyCCR3XUBks4ni64L9dEy9ITP4WrzPW36rCQw/s4032/IMG_3503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHSwSIO5-6m7Fm5_oj213gU6a9dMwvYqVOXg-gY7tSfN4mpQ_nR56vrY3XlI_G5lG6x4gAeSSXDmu_vbprRK1pLFpuYGTglbZAZYH_xW3aOEQvSjTEuOUYyySI75sgXSuool5CwfPL0ydmQPcEHMlCNyCCR3XUBks4ni64L9dEy9ITP4WrzPW36rCQw/w300-h400/IMG_3503.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 December broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I managed to lift the remaining <i><a href="http://www.johnaust.in/2016/01/artichokes.html"><b>Jerusalem Artichokes</b></a> </i>There were far more than we could deal with or store so I gave away quite a few to nearby plotholders and have offered some on the site Facebook page and WhatsApp group.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59HZE_Xh8-4HD6zpArmHH65Y_P3vv2-eKWTmJglPD3i6744RVRBLyfFqAbk5gA9ZrQhOMjknz4PQzcFL1t7icdDzHPHSuyU33RwrekBE9cuAGNKK2p1XcCRjb_C8xFB-lN_qAhhnFMy4FK2LD7DUb0pqG-ZrQQLaTNIeV6tXOJ_1tnN_IYqmb5qkO1g/s2905/IMG_3504.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2844" data-original-width="2905" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59HZE_Xh8-4HD6zpArmHH65Y_P3vv2-eKWTmJglPD3i6744RVRBLyfFqAbk5gA9ZrQhOMjknz4PQzcFL1t7icdDzHPHSuyU33RwrekBE9cuAGNKK2p1XcCRjb_C8xFB-lN_qAhhnFMy4FK2LD7DUb0pqG-ZrQQLaTNIeV6tXOJ_1tnN_IYqmb5qkO1g/w400-h391/IMG_3504.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jerusalem artichokes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I managed to do a bit of tidying up on <b>5 December </b>but didn't stay long. The shed had taken a bit of a battering in the recent storms but was still standing and the roof was watertight but clearly it is at the end of its useful life and isn't worth trying to repair. Getting a new shed will be a priority in 2023 but I think I will wait until the Spring.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA1M4T1d4Ahc97tShYmBh6aL5T-852Wty4W2YQZDWgDDyduBjs4j7OVcx0D2GMhWKhbFEnEjQ81f3FDtmAYh0-I0lNwbY2X-7NBDDMAAvLGkDgL8kSz2WGZTd8OdYZD6sROxmHlFU_QZO70AblNPb6qdFdMH1_kEuIdFEtRiexX92VZeGbsDM5HWs3g/s4032/IMG_3505.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDA1M4T1d4Ahc97tShYmBh6aL5T-852Wty4W2YQZDWgDDyduBjs4j7OVcx0D2GMhWKhbFEnEjQ81f3FDtmAYh0-I0lNwbY2X-7NBDDMAAvLGkDgL8kSz2WGZTd8OdYZD6sROxmHlFU_QZO70AblNPb6qdFdMH1_kEuIdFEtRiexX92VZeGbsDM5HWs3g/w400-h300/IMG_3505.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 December, our sad looking shed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>6 December </b>I made a brief visit to deliver some <i>Jerusalem artichokes </i>to a couple of plotholders who had requested them and it was a cold but bright dry day.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUA72t1_EOpGHR0a7GH3th3EGBrnmKWI7C_Y8E2ZCN8iEX7zH6pVmJJolqs8Dpj-Z6CK7jg7iZBma2mnUVZcQOdz5YUEwGgzj6N4zWsMj7JId1SAtetmoiUjROLcvgyMtKc-QHLYC3aIG2Xh03WKxA-wqEaFI3z4BlRN28f7ec_tjJ-j1xr2xGdh1VQ/s1800/CC71B44B-3A4F-4212-BB76-033944553B20.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUA72t1_EOpGHR0a7GH3th3EGBrnmKWI7C_Y8E2ZCN8iEX7zH6pVmJJolqs8Dpj-Z6CK7jg7iZBma2mnUVZcQOdz5YUEwGgzj6N4zWsMj7JId1SAtetmoiUjROLcvgyMtKc-QHLYC3aIG2Xh03WKxA-wqEaFI3z4BlRN28f7ec_tjJ-j1xr2xGdh1VQ/w320-h400/CC71B44B-3A4F-4212-BB76-033944553B20.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 December, looking West</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJgzXH5zvJ06XM_GagdLvvLBOmgJjb7wNxHhNQDbf4-sHlZA-EwCMWZYVSO8AwFwf9_md3Y_r4U4nZ4xCkGIc7cWgcLNcMpHmhl4qoON2Suaj6wmyR36hDVRyLgNTinfvKw1NpWTU7QjSVyf9fQhEVCseGbHA6nyg92hPSS2EBpodyM0hAMd68VSLKA/s4032/IMG_3510.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJgzXH5zvJ06XM_GagdLvvLBOmgJjb7wNxHhNQDbf4-sHlZA-EwCMWZYVSO8AwFwf9_md3Y_r4U4nZ4xCkGIc7cWgcLNcMpHmhl4qoON2Suaj6wmyR36hDVRyLgNTinfvKw1NpWTU7QjSVyf9fQhEVCseGbHA6nyg92hPSS2EBpodyM0hAMd68VSLKA/w300-h400/IMG_3510.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 December, looking East</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>On Friday <b>9 December </b>I made a brief visit to pick some Cavolo Nero and Chard but it was far too cold to stay long. The weather got even colder over the weekend with snow in many parts of the UK. There was also heavy snow and resulting traffic chaos in Kent and Essex as well as inland in Sussex, but we saw no snow in Hove, just freezing rain and a very heavy frost.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Later that morning, the sun came out and there were clear blue skies.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEODPYKNDaep3YGkpfFP4QIGjp_O2t4e75HGuUYe29O7WADqPoUbX4BXxsZR88I32Sr_j1kZrLTV0maHfJSDf6QBoB9-6QciqTRnGKyKKTviMGnpV7rz8wmuRKm7cec6aisGGJj0RDvb2Q1AYoMEYOdPmGIuLLOA8_akWNTzyyz2zU6X23jkFxmD8Kg/s4032/IMG_3538.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaEODPYKNDaep3YGkpfFP4QIGjp_O2t4e75HGuUYe29O7WADqPoUbX4BXxsZR88I32Sr_j1kZrLTV0maHfJSDf6QBoB9-6QciqTRnGKyKKTviMGnpV7rz8wmuRKm7cec6aisGGJj0RDvb2Q1AYoMEYOdPmGIuLLOA8_akWNTzyyz2zU6X23jkFxmD8Kg/w300-h400/IMG_3538.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The ice was melting in the subshine but not in the areas in the shade which remained frozen solid.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNvLHfBMcHQAd13vwxQCNqflEqlLAPYyQH0QO5gbwDQuh1H6QRw5uZo3edhrA5i7ioEIM2zQ-EdduW7ZbnVfONFFjjKqvHZxi-8HOwv3DGnrZZ3xvrqivFlB8PVtnUHtQYLHqdiVy60Q478ib9VDpaS0tIkPjLNxrWXpH_NPA-PqQzJATSnc-4CprKw/s4032/IMG_3537.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNvLHfBMcHQAd13vwxQCNqflEqlLAPYyQH0QO5gbwDQuh1H6QRw5uZo3edhrA5i7ioEIM2zQ-EdduW7ZbnVfONFFjjKqvHZxi-8HOwv3DGnrZZ3xvrqivFlB8PVtnUHtQYLHqdiVy60Q478ib9VDpaS0tIkPjLNxrWXpH_NPA-PqQzJATSnc-4CprKw/w300-h400/IMG_3537.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I began to wonder if I had been a bit premature in lifting the fleece from the broad beans.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6xs-pByA17EQdzKlk_Qhb2_NmSAWvxHZ6Hy-H4N2FNUMcfVuqvlhtN03l4reEdHaMu1ar9ywV4JcglMJqsItMwEYk_3Fdn96QDCwfXIrnFdHptcq0v5BDIJLfTS6vxC9A73Rlx5C28yjVBLMVkjsXqBZpPQ6YkVZwoenptml8FOKwxvCPWP5qjPbiw/s4032/IMG_3540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit6xs-pByA17EQdzKlk_Qhb2_NmSAWvxHZ6Hy-H4N2FNUMcfVuqvlhtN03l4reEdHaMu1ar9ywV4JcglMJqsItMwEYk_3Fdn96QDCwfXIrnFdHptcq0v5BDIJLfTS6vxC9A73Rlx5C28yjVBLMVkjsXqBZpPQ6YkVZwoenptml8FOKwxvCPWP5qjPbiw/w300-h400/IMG_3540.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">9 December - broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It didn't get any better! </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Monday </span><b style="font-family: arial;">12 December </b><span style="font-family: arial;">was the coldest night of the year with a low of -17C in Scotland. In Hove the temperature fell to -4C. At home I had intended to plant some tulips in tubs but my potting compost was frozen solid so I had to abandon the idea. I did have a couple of pots with soil in, where I had grown tomatoes earlier in the year and the following day I managed to remove the top inch or so of soil that was frozen solid and plant some of the tulips in the unfrozen soil beneath.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It remained cold for the rest of the week with temperatures between -2C and 3C in Hove until <b>Saturday 17 </b>when the temperature rose to a more comfortable 8C and reaching 12C on Monday, but with the warmer weather came the rain. So the weather prevented much work in the run-up to Christmas, just an occasional visit to "feed the worms" - ie take the kitchen waste to the wormeries and pick some chard and Cavolo nero.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the following days, preparations for the festive season - and sadly a funeral in Greenwich - took priority over the allotment and then the arrival of various relatives for Christmas and the New Year - which was largely wet and windy - resulted in further neglect of the plot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There were large waves and swimmers were advised not to enter the water in Brighton and Hove but some crazy familymembers braved the cold and took to the water at the sheltered entrance to Shoreham Harbour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLOpsqJL1jDm8Jw39w1Yl_LFHc7CLVzvR0_ac23JtKIfnGjXZjwLPFupBQad_cUnJygZSM8RlQJ42q0cavltyyaXXOHishfKYTmjMMH7medvWAxdWcIYewb1yzFglxDf-EeCA6srPcEIZQRVKrOZM1n8DkOmH5-AxMAIWg_AvkUHhum3gFjFXLEKkVg/s4032/IMG_3592.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLOpsqJL1jDm8Jw39w1Yl_LFHc7CLVzvR0_ac23JtKIfnGjXZjwLPFupBQad_cUnJygZSM8RlQJ42q0cavltyyaXXOHishfKYTmjMMH7medvWAxdWcIYewb1yzFglxDf-EeCA6srPcEIZQRVKrOZM1n8DkOmH5-AxMAIWg_AvkUHhum3gFjFXLEKkVg/w400-h300/IMG_3592.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Boxing Day - Shoreham</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1SVf5xrqmn80Bi3WUHvfwlQ4zfBqBZku5uty69LVXc0feAfbuOkmZZsw5aP39LkRRxDXyhW4_2IYh6WX7yrVtiNJOTeCqWHAN3tgJbdxsf726uDJKxK-e8yUrYA2CHPug3pAoneBDlaePKYyCyXmem-kP0CRR-lMnhUhDpDK2ExrnvhSWq4Bzhi6vA/s4032/IMG_3597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1SVf5xrqmn80Bi3WUHvfwlQ4zfBqBZku5uty69LVXc0feAfbuOkmZZsw5aP39LkRRxDXyhW4_2IYh6WX7yrVtiNJOTeCqWHAN3tgJbdxsf726uDJKxK-e8yUrYA2CHPug3pAoneBDlaePKYyCyXmem-kP0CRR-lMnhUhDpDK2ExrnvhSWq4Bzhi6vA/w300-h400/IMG_3597.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Boxing Day - Shoreham harbour</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I contented myself to a brief stroll to the end of the road and a coffee with grandchildren at <a href="https://bigbeachcafe.com/"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Fat Boy Slim's Big Beach Cafe.</i></a></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5kzGOnEyEGA3BQ-BQ3q0GQouKOzudcczUIZQLJvLwYnXkFgHo6pOGiEEsY5VgE4ZMfGjVlXDQUScHwYUhdmIMAl-Ar8myjkAHVmUntp32sxZxhS9g_aZWjfhj5lSg3KFZ-km0oEEqa-Op5Zlur7yzwRtMiz2AYI03k9ASG_TS9NtNdwx5v5cslZedQ/s1600/c7a4d05b-93ed-4bca-9d29-9ccb6663fc05.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5kzGOnEyEGA3BQ-BQ3q0GQouKOzudcczUIZQLJvLwYnXkFgHo6pOGiEEsY5VgE4ZMfGjVlXDQUScHwYUhdmIMAl-Ar8myjkAHVmUntp32sxZxhS9g_aZWjfhj5lSg3KFZ-km0oEEqa-Op5Zlur7yzwRtMiz2AYI03k9ASG_TS9NtNdwx5v5cslZedQ/w300-h400/c7a4d05b-93ed-4bca-9d29-9ccb6663fc05.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">with granddaughters Tilly and Kitty</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Many people seemed to have the same idea as the cafe was rammed. Strolling along the prom, Imanaged to get a shot of my eldest grandson, Felix, with his Dad, Chris with an obliging, iconic Brighton "Seagull".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf2lDFPNP2Ca2OQKpfUaRwlNS9O-yWLJil4nryddo3vbcn6p5TnLMhSzHRzmjFyj7vh7bkKatuX6ZIGwE8lNjdo7DELX_IHsRPw7VEFVFBn7XADSMjl0jqYIzKHSarFPt2pYmGam2_uU2nw2cDa4m__J7ONC6JvKTh72PAWqa_FKHPc8--obhApgzlw/s2016/0fefaeb0-6da4-4395-bf19-201be00d5223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNf2lDFPNP2Ca2OQKpfUaRwlNS9O-yWLJil4nryddo3vbcn6p5TnLMhSzHRzmjFyj7vh7bkKatuX6ZIGwE8lNjdo7DELX_IHsRPw7VEFVFBn7XADSMjl0jqYIzKHSarFPt2pYmGam2_uU2nw2cDa4m__J7ONC6JvKTh72PAWqa_FKHPc8--obhApgzlw/w300-h400/0fefaeb0-6da4-4395-bf19-201be00d5223.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chris and Felix, Hove seafront 26 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Later in the afternoon the ice-rink at the Pavilion proved an attraction. Tilly and I were spectators but my daughter </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Zo<span style="font-size: medium;">ë was joined on the ice by Felix, Chris, Kitty and our Brightonian granddaughter, Letty.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClaDHBZzZtNFXDcA0irqkTpXWQs2dLkI4nxNkcomt48VX6UNFSqN0qOtaKQ1RCyc6CQ6BOFyAOzbtO4e2gyi5BgF3JqGZYZpPW75rsCFeR5nk3a8QPKlyXPFo5RQy8fg9bOcXifzDMuaOR2yG_gb7lewLTMO50ERJ-spaOzcdbHsn2vAr9xmSOqD85g/s4032/IMG_3614.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClaDHBZzZtNFXDcA0irqkTpXWQs2dLkI4nxNkcomt48VX6UNFSqN0qOtaKQ1RCyc6CQ6BOFyAOzbtO4e2gyi5BgF3JqGZYZpPW75rsCFeR5nk3a8QPKlyXPFo5RQy8fg9bOcXifzDMuaOR2yG_gb7lewLTMO50ERJ-spaOzcdbHsn2vAr9xmSOqD85g/w400-h300/IMG_3614.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Royal Pavilion ice-rink 26 December</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the following few days, everyone else was fine, but I was suffering from a bug (and Christmas excess) and didn't see the allotment again in 2022! </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When all the guests had departed it was time toprepare for the arrival of the next lot for the New Year! <a href="https://bigbeachcafe.com/"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><br /></a></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><b>Hove, December 2022</b></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-67281579024681764902022-12-10T08:47:00.000-08:002022-12-10T08:47:14.757-08:00Life on The Weald - November 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on the Weald - November 2022</span></h1><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in the kitchen and garden</span></h3><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nbOislINEqs" width="320" youtube-src-id="nbOislINEqs"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">1 November - Storm Claudio arrives in Hove</span></div></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The month started with temperatures still above the seasonal average but very, very wet and with storm winds as <a href="https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/storm-claudio-watch-as-part-of-brightons-west-pier-collapses-following-70mph-winds-3901817"><i><b>Storm Claudio struck Brighton and Hove</b></i></a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ther was a break in the rain on <b>2 November </b>so a visit to the plot was needed to check on any damage. The table and chairs had been scattered and the storage box which had been damaged in earlier storms is probably now a write-off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWWv3gNFrFSK3F8q8X6PMns_VBxEoMZirvE8NUbENVqeq8T2fzL1c8kIBXt2sYGSzJ1GyDXbimz3RyCGOLiKoHy5PAKOnilZpQZ0JeWdRqUAOlbqul2_9Zye4LBwm3KVf0hFbhIcny95o2XPUMlj8PzNkyAdWrF1Q_Lkc95j8ZUp07PNfGKP8YbDcvw/s4032/IMG_3368.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWWv3gNFrFSK3F8q8X6PMns_VBxEoMZirvE8NUbENVqeq8T2fzL1c8kIBXt2sYGSzJ1GyDXbimz3RyCGOLiKoHy5PAKOnilZpQZ0JeWdRqUAOlbqul2_9Zye4LBwm3KVf0hFbhIcny95o2XPUMlj8PzNkyAdWrF1Q_Lkc95j8ZUp07PNfGKP8YbDcvw/w300-h400/IMG_3368.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 November</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHhckDtvlckWdjyCGwBvJyKlssm64u1Bhkm9gLO8Z6Q9vRj2IHSCM9N062EJHRp2n8AnBDE28j1xgoyfxIH4nNaEBa7zCdHxyBlf2Xy8SQ-ppMMDPilos9FChn9nJrKYpKkm58UYvH56GkP09RoIkRm1-7OOFf-IdxSNnD2s-tK3hQWjLTyeyH7v7XA/s4032/IMG_3369.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHhckDtvlckWdjyCGwBvJyKlssm64u1Bhkm9gLO8Z6Q9vRj2IHSCM9N062EJHRp2n8AnBDE28j1xgoyfxIH4nNaEBa7zCdHxyBlf2Xy8SQ-ppMMDPilos9FChn9nJrKYpKkm58UYvH56GkP09RoIkRm1-7OOFf-IdxSNnD2s-tK3hQWjLTyeyH7v7XA/w300-h400/IMG_3369.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 November</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaavwvhyFxknJUgTpFBB2ntyFZmj5R2453SgB_z9H32aWBXsp1e64rNLV5IO2NUGfhPLl6OtLsbVd2ScbqjlTSBL153Myaz5i0BITb4CkXQIbXMc_GRzrsCb9OrKjzu73UuQ1g0U0-pz96ZnZH0hZ6FHLB4oJ2b5l8TXQwxD4oc8ZJbkdtwlUKoIM_w/s4032/IMG_3373.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaavwvhyFxknJUgTpFBB2ntyFZmj5R2453SgB_z9H32aWBXsp1e64rNLV5IO2NUGfhPLl6OtLsbVd2ScbqjlTSBL153Myaz5i0BITb4CkXQIbXMc_GRzrsCb9OrKjzu73UuQ1g0U0-pz96ZnZH0hZ6FHLB4oJ2b5l8TXQwxD4oc8ZJbkdtwlUKoIM_w/w300-h400/IMG_3373.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 November</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Friday <b>4 November </b>there was a brief respite from the wind and rain. I planted out the broad bean seedings (<i>Aquadulce) </i>that I had grown at home and sowed some more directy into the soil. I aso planted some more <i>red winter </i>onions where the patty pan squashes had been.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62n99YibxXK1f0bsR6h75XdnfUB6vsjmfANIJSimLsx6wiKx4Ka9llpZHkqfQHYw3pmrzHc7aj_hO0Ctb__yqYM1Kx0RKkJ7H1pE6rDA4-8BkWFjYkAorKWq79Ok1864JdiVdNCaXVfqCbU7nZOtJ7zGIBVxXf_1iMcXAYxBkZHZUL72cBkhOLLtERg/s4032/IMG_3385.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62n99YibxXK1f0bsR6h75XdnfUB6vsjmfANIJSimLsx6wiKx4Ka9llpZHkqfQHYw3pmrzHc7aj_hO0Ctb__yqYM1Kx0RKkJ7H1pE6rDA4-8BkWFjYkAorKWq79Ok1864JdiVdNCaXVfqCbU7nZOtJ7zGIBVxXf_1iMcXAYxBkZHZUL72cBkhOLLtERg/w300-h400/IMG_3385.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1jz_sgiWhOneSQxCHdHLl9st1E1ZM69IBLxtsi0cq6LLEYJiXXrsgigv9bjh9bZGVzfdcGJQgpuj0B5ycwiDcgt2K2cL8h56K9yo9u3NewtuIlPBVD4YHtujtGnEaxaKyNUnRIpSC422dhLNybcSpJ3HImbSjzZaigym5PC5OivocT2rS4ckUY7c_Q/s4032/IMG_3386.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1jz_sgiWhOneSQxCHdHLl9st1E1ZM69IBLxtsi0cq6LLEYJiXXrsgigv9bjh9bZGVzfdcGJQgpuj0B5ycwiDcgt2K2cL8h56K9yo9u3NewtuIlPBVD4YHtujtGnEaxaKyNUnRIpSC422dhLNybcSpJ3HImbSjzZaigym5PC5OivocT2rS4ckUY7c_Q/w300-h400/IMG_3386.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>red winter </i>onions</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Aquadulce </i>broad beans sown in October and the garlic had survived the storm quite well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzee1hLGqaPLZHlShwCwgsW_f4cxecuSJXngY3Wplz1394nStUJuzdsO4TkeysZZby4J_piHHZPoZQwvEsSBMe-NUwOJVW51cJvxMJEncAPxE3YGnGE63D1yNY5iFlxieLRzS_zNx_ecUGDGJbXzWkeTi-G-4jvcxZWZFpILeHuPNtrFn3Otyqp3YBw/s4032/IMG_3387.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzee1hLGqaPLZHlShwCwgsW_f4cxecuSJXngY3Wplz1394nStUJuzdsO4TkeysZZby4J_piHHZPoZQwvEsSBMe-NUwOJVW51cJvxMJEncAPxE3YGnGE63D1yNY5iFlxieLRzS_zNx_ecUGDGJbXzWkeTi-G-4jvcxZWZFpILeHuPNtrFn3Otyqp3YBw/s320/IMG_3387.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Broad beans and garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also lifted the last <i>Charlotte </i>potatoes<br /></span><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF-WY8noAe4FIqCg01FPcIViHBQH_G5OEAYRphxBaexfkxbbTI44HKrDbH1SQjtAZoS3C_dwlRomTDdYtZ1ZvkNSrEd7sv_4j0z8GH6v13q6MEwasHsEmffyAq0TEMbl1hEUCOMzw_Ntt6q9TswqguDI3LyOBYI5VzhZz7j2fHwYcg-z3arg5Lh170Q/s4032/IMG_3390.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOF-WY8noAe4FIqCg01FPcIViHBQH_G5OEAYRphxBaexfkxbbTI44HKrDbH1SQjtAZoS3C_dwlRomTDdYtZ1ZvkNSrEd7sv_4j0z8GH6v13q6MEwasHsEmffyAq0TEMbl1hEUCOMzw_Ntt6q9TswqguDI3LyOBYI5VzhZz7j2fHwYcg-z3arg5Lh170Q/s320/IMG_3390.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Last of <i>Charlotte </i>potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Over the weekend the rain and high winds well into into Monday. Rain was forecast al day for <b>Tuesday 8 </b>but there was a brief period of sunshine around mid-day</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Friday 11 </b>I planted more broad beans (<i>Bunyard's Exhibition</i>) in the space next to the parsnips. Normally, at this time of year, I sow <i>Aquadulce </i>as I find these the best for autumn sowing but everywhere seemed to be sold out and <i>Bunyard's </i>can be sown either in the autumn or February-March.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Saturday 12 I </b>cleared weeds from the second hugel bed ready to sow more broad beans but we had a relative staying for the weekend so it was a brief spell on the plot. It was a glorious weekend, misty mornings followed by sunshine and blue skies. On Sunday morning we had a stroll around Devil's Dyke on the South Downs.....</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqiRLy-mmocgT5VSdopZEDesFKWzoHgI4ikiIPJTBr-G7BsWJBqJIpJNFC21QC8IS-QXuokUCH9rtK_912qEu--bMgERZeuyb7j0Rim0DaUcX7CxFQ9R9P-qTj75UpM8IYD_hCM4nN8RqjeA_MoInSjiAxPDfXmwQ6gdK8yRZ6bPAy2jUGY9OBYN9KQ/s4032/IMG_3411.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqiRLy-mmocgT5VSdopZEDesFKWzoHgI4ikiIPJTBr-G7BsWJBqJIpJNFC21QC8IS-QXuokUCH9rtK_912qEu--bMgERZeuyb7j0Rim0DaUcX7CxFQ9R9P-qTj75UpM8IYD_hCM4nN8RqjeA_MoInSjiAxPDfXmwQ6gdK8yRZ6bPAy2jUGY9OBYN9KQ/w300-h400/IMG_3411.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 November - A misty morning at <i>Devil's Dyke</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBKPH_ma3IsMjY8PqAF3PYd1u6sh29bpguTBQWYHjFdhF88Nzmy3UcsinhAqd6PAYPOVP-QmqSTOZvX9g27Ejf3fb1zbATT3ZrgLIpcp6VRKmR7hZpv-FfO9sHgBt4gxhWrW9PwdakXcUCORaN8jzBKRgIq7HCYc0SXgnXEBKL0zyYDTuXYONqqQMkw/s3545/IMG_3410.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3545" data-original-width="2971" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBKPH_ma3IsMjY8PqAF3PYd1u6sh29bpguTBQWYHjFdhF88Nzmy3UcsinhAqd6PAYPOVP-QmqSTOZvX9g27Ejf3fb1zbATT3ZrgLIpcp6VRKmR7hZpv-FfO9sHgBt4gxhWrW9PwdakXcUCORaN8jzBKRgIq7HCYc0SXgnXEBKL0zyYDTuXYONqqQMkw/w335-h400/IMG_3410.jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 November - Sun breaking through on the <i>South Downs</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_iW15SpiyIKUB3aG_LF5ggslndithIN04St5rN_2pzYUQGZHcjvJGj4714NzB40vkBAg0Za2gKRvOU6BAre4PMewoYh8q6VB7GcIM072gvLBPgI2UbEAhq9YynRV4y6LvJAKzcLy-NgFL6iVnCYER-c3uY45qt--b06dQ9vK4jOdiEqFRE7Xr0z7Bw/s4032/IMG_3416.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_iW15SpiyIKUB3aG_LF5ggslndithIN04St5rN_2pzYUQGZHcjvJGj4714NzB40vkBAg0Za2gKRvOU6BAre4PMewoYh8q6VB7GcIM072gvLBPgI2UbEAhq9YynRV4y6LvJAKzcLy-NgFL6iVnCYER-c3uY45qt--b06dQ9vK4jOdiEqFRE7Xr0z7Bw/w300-h400/IMG_3416.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 November - a stroll through <i>Devil's Copse</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">.....<span style="font-family: arial;">and a drive through West Sussex country lanes and then to Worthing.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OcNAX1-ZzsCVBgAkpPEVOWDPLv8z8IPjjtCmNOFZ2EAwN_g8Xxnz3pBWG52NEUGHNiDSLwNRvrX12x95pPDmQD6EfPgO7QxcwgONNR_XsOOH8_MnvZOn8rJHGmx3-yBZUSs1DLZLRLq8cS3WN5KFDf-QGl3kvUdSQwZJuYRGH211fLJJARB7fgjQ1g/s4032/IMG_3418.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OcNAX1-ZzsCVBgAkpPEVOWDPLv8z8IPjjtCmNOFZ2EAwN_g8Xxnz3pBWG52NEUGHNiDSLwNRvrX12x95pPDmQD6EfPgO7QxcwgONNR_XsOOH8_MnvZOn8rJHGmx3-yBZUSs1DLZLRLq8cS3WN5KFDf-QGl3kvUdSQwZJuYRGH211fLJJARB7fgjQ1g/w300-h400/IMG_3418.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 November - <i>Herring</i> <i>gulls </i>on <i>Worthing </i>beach</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Monday 14</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> was a bright autumn day which would have been ideal for work on the plot but instead we had another day out in the East Sussex countryside. Before leaving, however, we did manage to clear the front path area at home of fallen leaves before visiting Birling Gap and East Dean....</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbMSsp6ac_Oc5ahEMGNVwMADMsE4Ct2UaUZNaPN0m5WhfhuS1G0OclqhhCKGRQcJAE_zCQ259Z6UvhjrsHKK-dizaFHK5TmfOCylkUcbG2jqG6_bcYO9q404v--nfPG4s-cScvJBCMtmF7kLbaMi6QuwoxJwL31Hhuk2L2I7Pu9Nh0TdC_ynqRSsAFQ/s2784/IMG_3423.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2784" data-original-width="1999" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbMSsp6ac_Oc5ahEMGNVwMADMsE4Ct2UaUZNaPN0m5WhfhuS1G0OclqhhCKGRQcJAE_zCQ259Z6UvhjrsHKK-dizaFHK5TmfOCylkUcbG2jqG6_bcYO9q404v--nfPG4s-cScvJBCMtmF7kLbaMi6QuwoxJwL31Hhuk2L2I7Pu9Nh0TdC_ynqRSsAFQ/w288-h400/IMG_3423.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking East from <i>Birling Gap</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMtseiVoRPdSSURlokqyf86K89vl59x_X8jhcIIY8z0a5pMdWToagrAgROLXQPa54glhqmsDhN_1Plj5aAjiuHLBiTsK5NTeVrs5QAcpg8-xCqkk_8_epl53fpygFsyy3hQg9qTKmCWQmX0aDaNwZIVvcQQjpEE9BIVEbHR2B9a9jZKTOEqVC-LuQqA/s3536/IMG_3424.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3536" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGMtseiVoRPdSSURlokqyf86K89vl59x_X8jhcIIY8z0a5pMdWToagrAgROLXQPa54glhqmsDhN_1Plj5aAjiuHLBiTsK5NTeVrs5QAcpg8-xCqkk_8_epl53fpygFsyy3hQg9qTKmCWQmX0aDaNwZIVvcQQjpEE9BIVEbHR2B9a9jZKTOEqVC-LuQqA/w400-h343/IMG_3424.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Severn Sisters </i>from Birling Gap</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">.... and then watched the sun setting at Rottingdean beach before heading home.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduQ2v_NVkdxDBFm3QYb8re7jKxmtLhbhLurpfvDWzIO3D0i9vOg1mwfTbrKvx5I4RfDSwhnG3CG2eEE4NWiiYUKvsjz4B_oIAZgu2_u4fWOmPvQ2B6iG7S6Fv6ZIem4J-cKS1PqEUYDtEvG61c2_T64lqUuKEc450_aubvfHwEtkEDaV8loHJp92RFA/s3399/IMG_3425%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3399" data-original-width="2709" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduQ2v_NVkdxDBFm3QYb8re7jKxmtLhbhLurpfvDWzIO3D0i9vOg1mwfTbrKvx5I4RfDSwhnG3CG2eEE4NWiiYUKvsjz4B_oIAZgu2_u4fWOmPvQ2B6iG7S6Fv6ZIem4J-cKS1PqEUYDtEvG61c2_T64lqUuKEc450_aubvfHwEtkEDaV8loHJp92RFA/w319-h400/IMG_3425%20(1).jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sunset Rottingdean beach</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On arriving home I collected more fallen leaves - in total I now had 7 large sacks, full and ready for use as a mulch and to compost. As the weather was good I was planning to plant some more broad beans on </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Tuesday 15</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> once our visitor had left, but the return of heavy rain and gusty winds kept me at home.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Wednesday 16 </b>was another wet, windy day, but around 11am the rain stopped and the sun came out, so I dashed to the allotment with my 7 bags of leaves, 2 sacks of dead tomato plants and other green material from the garden and 3 caddies of vegetable kitchen waste for the worms. I also hoped to sow some more broad beans, but as soon as I had unloaded the sacks of leaves the sun disappeared, the clouds returned and as I added the kitchen waste to the wormery, the rain came down with a vengeance and I was back home by midday, somewhat wet, only one hour after setting off.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At last on <b>Thursday 17 </b>I managed to sow two double rows of Broad Beans (<i>Bunyard's Exhibition) </i>in the second Hugel bed. I also planted out some remaining shallots (<i>Jermor). </i>On <b>Friday 18 </b>I added some of my autumn leaves to the compost bins and the rest I spread on the vacant Hugel bed (where 2023 brassicas will be planted).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oMqGB9FLzqk1GENqjN0aE4ZElKZKTsI82afYGvGe68DTiqHfFwDSkmq4rri0goMcH-_DtD8l7gw5FfVzSajedOEMlWtRl4wpPf4JX1QlBjRPPbb3nwW-uwp5TCgDO3po8LKpUpf6URkLQbzcAz_CZ3_fRVjy2dRT1_xDbh7GHftAquproXvaoVZBmQ/s4032/IMG_3441.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-oMqGB9FLzqk1GENqjN0aE4ZElKZKTsI82afYGvGe68DTiqHfFwDSkmq4rri0goMcH-_DtD8l7gw5FfVzSajedOEMlWtRl4wpPf4JX1QlBjRPPbb3nwW-uwp5TCgDO3po8LKpUpf6URkLQbzcAz_CZ3_fRVjy2dRT1_xDbh7GHftAquproXvaoVZBmQ/w300-h400/IMG_3441.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Applying a layer of autumn leaves</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Everything looked well - until I inspected the leeks. The bad news - the dreaded allium leaf miner had struck.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNMsuyQDqe2QPJtWsDm35mp38A_hVh4o0xkg-v3eYgzL-GnLFcCLd5flKI7xyAv-RrnNsfEWm89QPX6VW6hJsGFxeWRc-XatC96h0pjQIqiZ6IT_27d0Q6sbhSrgEfFde3bK3HH8pzu3H4hoR5Ttj7vi1Wq6soL1uERQDiI6jHobhZztyTfWM41YFdA/s4032/IMG_3445.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnNMsuyQDqe2QPJtWsDm35mp38A_hVh4o0xkg-v3eYgzL-GnLFcCLd5flKI7xyAv-RrnNsfEWm89QPX6VW6hJsGFxeWRc-XatC96h0pjQIqiZ6IT_27d0Q6sbhSrgEfFde3bK3HH8pzu3H4hoR5Ttj7vi1Wq6soL1uERQDiI6jHobhZztyTfWM41YFdA/w300-h400/IMG_3445.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Leeks infected with allium leaf miner</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><b>Saturday 19 </b>I began to tackle the problem of raspberries invading the rhubarb bed and the asparagus. This did involve a lot of digging out of the invasive roots and also removing quite a lot of bindweed. In this process, I was lifting bluebell corms and daffodil bulbs that would need replanting in f</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">ront of the rhubarb, by the public footpath.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In this crazy climate, the rhubarb was already sending out fresh shoots. I covered the whole area with a thick mulch of autumnal leaves after replanting the bluebells and daffodils.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The temperature was now definitely dropping to a more seasonal daily 10C but, with strong winds, it felt more like 6C. There was a great joint effort on <b>Sunday 20. </b>Armed with a chain saw, Sylvi's son, Luke, set about removing the lower branches on our very old apple tree which enables us to tackle the brambles that were engulfing them. We also began to remove some of the plum trees - we have a dozen and really only need two or three. Sylvi was busy tackling the brambles and also laying a tarpaulin over the large Hugel bed which had been covered with another layer of leaves. Sylvi managed to buy some organic <i>Super Aquadulce </i>broad beans at the allotment shop and I returned later in the day to sow two double rows in the bed that had grown the <i>patty pan </i>squashes. I put a layer of mature compost between </span><span style="font-family: arial;">the double rows of broad beans and </span><span style="font-family: arial;">planted out the remaining </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Electric </i><span style="font-family: arial;">Red Onions. I put a layer of grass clippings over the area where the beans had been sown and then covered the bed with fleece.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following week remained very wet with a daytime temperature around 10-11C with very strong winds. There was a brief respite on <b>Friday 25 </b>when I made brief visit to plant some more daffodils. It was <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping)"><b>black Friday</b></a> </i>(another American tradition that has found its way into the UK) and our local Homebase was selling daffodil bulbs at halfprice with a large bag reduced from £5 to £2.50. I couldn't resist so I started to clear the area by the redcurrants, at the front of the plot, from invading couch grass and bindweed to plant the bulbs. Daffodils are among the first plants to flower and bring a warm feeling that spring is at last on its way. The respite was shortlived, however, and the rain returned. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had planned a long session on the plot for Sunday as the forecast had been good but there was a sudden change and heavy rain was predicted all day so I took advantage of a clear period on <b>Saturday 26 </b>and made a brief visit to pick some <i>Cavolo Nero, </i>which was healthy and abundant, and lift some of the remaining leeks, most of which had to be discarded due to the <i>allium leaf miner. </i>I did manage to sow the remaining broad beans and covered with a mulch of leaves and wood chips before covering with fleece.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirkSIz6ZGl-fc6cVuSkvJJ6ZHLvx6_bhYBv2ldMyrAff22SjHbMIl7GtM7z9v7vi1n47A5UUG63btpDNvYbyLKmijQAKwDbs8y0HMWpjsi7Y2LjQ5zEatsB4k5gRZVXAyhlLYWtzauXj7rs3GrFEb9zd_je4kTuUTrnQ9hHzy88sdnXG6bshWl7RUNw/s4032/IMG_3459.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirkSIz6ZGl-fc6cVuSkvJJ6ZHLvx6_bhYBv2ldMyrAff22SjHbMIl7GtM7z9v7vi1n47A5UUG63btpDNvYbyLKmijQAKwDbs8y0HMWpjsi7Y2LjQ5zEatsB4k5gRZVXAyhlLYWtzauXj7rs3GrFEb9zd_je4kTuUTrnQ9hHzy88sdnXG6bshWl7RUNw/w300-h400/IMG_3459.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mulch covering a further sowing of <i>Aquadulce</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvToMfBX8i6mw2jI6VqpgA0y4IZgCrcv5OKfan78fkAU1MisrrvXzO9DbFmXPXieg5oEW-Onr2yzbkBjHVVR20pMRe71q0iupMwupHd9dS6lCTQE53gF26Io2Ba3uUgPI3Osl78qm-Hlo6Kn5JD1TzO25dr319X04-VFoOABpKg6BeNdzA_0P9fi_qoA/s4032/IMG_3460.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvToMfBX8i6mw2jI6VqpgA0y4IZgCrcv5OKfan78fkAU1MisrrvXzO9DbFmXPXieg5oEW-Onr2yzbkBjHVVR20pMRe71q0iupMwupHd9dS6lCTQE53gF26Io2Ba3uUgPI3Osl78qm-Hlo6Kn5JD1TzO25dr319X04-VFoOABpKg6BeNdzA_0P9fi_qoA/w480-h640/IMG_3460.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 November - Broad beans showing through</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The beans which had been sown at home and planted out were looking rather battered by the strong winds. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I had a chat with one of my near neighbours, Steve, who kindly offered to transport 3 wheelbarrow loads of manure/compost from the site shop for me. I had also collected a lot of green material, mostly tomato plants, from Luke that morning which I added to the tumble compostor which is over half full. I think I will now stop adding to it to let it mature and start a new compost bin.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The weather forecast was accurate and <b>Sunday 27 </b>was another very wet miserable day. One note of cheer was that the Cavolo nero picked the day before was excellent and had done surprisingly well this year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCuWNZDpKEUDaWy4ZPBCXa-HW3s6y1-uHmCiDWLZib9ObfQK1zkoIxDBLUnK9IyHoSW9NUJfT93SdJZD2zn0aWzmi7dwFmJsO0kHIpBJYriIw5Q_n-IJmpWEl8-a_5Xb9XExlofdS0UG2sbnjzQjSmyTy6MbIQO9sE9QTi5Avf9s-svYZVvgMrkJYHg/s3905/IMG_3464.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3905" data-original-width="2982" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCuWNZDpKEUDaWy4ZPBCXa-HW3s6y1-uHmCiDWLZib9ObfQK1zkoIxDBLUnK9IyHoSW9NUJfT93SdJZD2zn0aWzmi7dwFmJsO0kHIpBJYriIw5Q_n-IJmpWEl8-a_5Xb9XExlofdS0UG2sbnjzQjSmyTy6MbIQO9sE9QTi5Avf9s-svYZVvgMrkJYHg/w305-h400/IMG_3464.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">freshly picked <i>Cavolo nero</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Sadly</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> the rain clouds persisted all day on Monday with intemittent heavy rain and a top temperature of 11C. The month ended as it began with very heavy rain. After the dry summer the rain was very much needed but we hope the weather in December will be a little drier and more stable.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i>John Austin</i></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, November 2022</span></h2><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-81075398307681085322022-11-15T08:05:00.003-08:002022-11-15T08:05:57.051-08:00Life on The Weald - October 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - October 2022</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">(in the garden and the kitchen)</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHzXcHNSP888HYjWiUHzMwbmxJrEKRSfJJ-3tgtERoAjuEQePt_VbTXLmINTQR6KY-qC06GUERhsYjKBx-iXspyQuPWb1CDAj-pYwnlh97ZWC_eCSHKZF-_PKfLcDxCPwe0Go6DSzng474itNrVARqhgfbr-TgUz3ExvXfXZKpfp3uqGrOkXCj7jfOQ/s4032/IMG_3192.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHzXcHNSP888HYjWiUHzMwbmxJrEKRSfJJ-3tgtERoAjuEQePt_VbTXLmINTQR6KY-qC06GUERhsYjKBx-iXspyQuPWb1CDAj-pYwnlh97ZWC_eCSHKZF-_PKfLcDxCPwe0Go6DSzng474itNrVARqhgfbr-TgUz3ExvXfXZKpfp3uqGrOkXCj7jfOQ/w640-h480/IMG_3192.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Autumn harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The weather turned distinctly cooler at the beginning of the month although some days were still above the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">seasonal average.</span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: arial;">Saturday 3 October </b><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;">was a dry, bright autumn day and I continued to clear the pathways around the beds and replenish them with a layer of organic material, mostly woodchip and prunings. I cleared the weeds from the area surrounding the raised beds - including bindweed and couch grass (which is bit like painting the Forth Bridge), and laid down cardboard covered with woodchips. I prepared two of the beds which had grown squashes and French beans, ready to plant red<i> </i>onion sets, garlic and broad beans.</span><b style="font-family: arial;"> </b></span></h2><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi374aJdh2M35x9f6pCBaYNVlA1u-_I2dufdHtB86LC-LE9SB2Vf7dAe46LARKIDP_9ltQUkHS1tVV2ofvdaLhVERGG65gRsVZ2Gjq9_IVnCf7dmVLDGYMx5DgiC-M2ZOmsgfhU_597NMK1GhOGR4t4gq2968LQwKVs9Ikz3GnnCjkho09ivTLsvPw6hA/s4032/IMG_3149.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi374aJdh2M35x9f6pCBaYNVlA1u-_I2dufdHtB86LC-LE9SB2Vf7dAe46LARKIDP_9ltQUkHS1tVV2ofvdaLhVERGG65gRsVZ2Gjq9_IVnCf7dmVLDGYMx5DgiC-M2ZOmsgfhU_597NMK1GhOGR4t4gq2968LQwKVs9Ikz3GnnCjkho09ivTLsvPw6hA/w300-h400/IMG_3149.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearing the surrounds of weeds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I am moving to "no dig" with the beds themselves, not only to save labour but it is now generally accepted that digging is not good for the soil structure as it disturbs the balance of soil life, affecting the micro-organisms, fungi and worms that help roots grow. I did remove some of the weeds by hand, however, for composting before adding a good layer of organic compost.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkJwEZf3KJBAQNiVPx_4vONMi8m8HCbifNEyvl9KEHEzO2C-RyMxE8p1TSeZpjG98-kcqP3lF45DwgjIq1KaAsvrNlgpLl1CTw6oVjrdskWdYKnLAi1myUUlC2HyqLqyGhaVifL1TRWfZeIZsHfEVxCA8NWpRpLOTD-I2c7bkVd5s99jQRtRIMZK8GQ/s3648/IMG_3150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkJwEZf3KJBAQNiVPx_4vONMi8m8HCbifNEyvl9KEHEzO2C-RyMxE8p1TSeZpjG98-kcqP3lF45DwgjIq1KaAsvrNlgpLl1CTw6oVjrdskWdYKnLAi1myUUlC2HyqLqyGhaVifL1TRWfZeIZsHfEVxCA8NWpRpLOTD-I2c7bkVd5s99jQRtRIMZK8GQ/w331-h400/IMG_3150.jpg" width="331" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding a layer of organic compost to the bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On <b>4 October, </b>I continued preparing beds for onions, garlic and beans. I planted two varieties of red onions - <i>Electric </i>and <i>Winter Red - </i>some French shallots - <i>Jermor -</i> and two varieties of garlic - <i>Germidor (Purple Wight) </i>and <i>Messidrome. </i>Having planted them, I covered them with fleece, mainly to protect them from birds who have a habit of pecking at and uprooting them. A few <i>Patty pan </i>squashes were still growing at the end of one of the beds which I left in he hope that they might get bigger before neding to be picked, and planted some <i>red winter </i>onions at the other end of the bed.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYv6ezUJngtZ2Y5DnCGtNqikI0zdbaFwkfC85eKqx1DJlZQ8N1NNBtTxqQZV0wr45siAcZXK463rLAhUVytc7nihKU6oyqTPIT8uPECV6GonRMKLwwITnjM5ZBIWYHjcJJuxlxlhJmw6wxgNnppApcIzj8eGUJh5UgVuajO4Q1NscF960S1brxEOKbyg/s4032/IMG_3152.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYv6ezUJngtZ2Y5DnCGtNqikI0zdbaFwkfC85eKqx1DJlZQ8N1NNBtTxqQZV0wr45siAcZXK463rLAhUVytc7nihKU6oyqTPIT8uPECV6GonRMKLwwITnjM5ZBIWYHjcJJuxlxlhJmw6wxgNnppApcIzj8eGUJh5UgVuajO4Q1NscF960S1brxEOKbyg/w300-h400/IMG_3152.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Red winter o</i>nions covered with fleece<br />-remaining <i>patty pan </i>in foreground</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I picked what will probably be the last cucumber of the season.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9dmmZRSH6CnHZ38x1_DegzQ5x2Rf2sSWlQncXyyXm87ZggIF8xsNFHPQwgw_HXrWIICPtEoa_x3xZLy5Ece8LO2HiOMr2Fwc3-sNujl9f0kUqd17UoTWbYZRtKKIl0fwaf_2mZEcqvaQ7tl6fdIZLq0OQ-f5mH5MtPvb9xLbNLbPnZdQpDBYai-u3A/s4032/IMG_3155.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9dmmZRSH6CnHZ38x1_DegzQ5x2Rf2sSWlQncXyyXm87ZggIF8xsNFHPQwgw_HXrWIICPtEoa_x3xZLy5Ece8LO2HiOMr2Fwc3-sNujl9f0kUqd17UoTWbYZRtKKIl0fwaf_2mZEcqvaQ7tl6fdIZLq0OQ-f5mH5MtPvb9xLbNLbPnZdQpDBYai-u3A/w300-h400/IMG_3155.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last cucumber of 2022?</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It was time to harvest most of the squashes - <i>Crown Prince</i>, <i>Butternut </i>and <i>Chioggia </i>as the foliage had died back. If picking for storing it is better to wait until there is no moisture left in the stalk where it joins the squash.</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-size: large;"><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEuFzHQ9VRrpIjudDuK9OvLCMAFmICsOeJw9tmcvT2af4cc9WZMMHo0Hy3gVpbYfXwkWIH-qoUuYX5cZtkGPoZQ3Yllk77SJ0uYIDnthmoNPbx0hNIxoM_InWdFoDXv-qrvkDrLwf9mDqM1H9sJBWdgCRvb-h2vP_7z8YY67HNHdrBv8wCgpXXqwACw/s4032/IMG_3153.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEuFzHQ9VRrpIjudDuK9OvLCMAFmICsOeJw9tmcvT2af4cc9WZMMHo0Hy3gVpbYfXwkWIH-qoUuYX5cZtkGPoZQ3Yllk77SJ0uYIDnthmoNPbx0hNIxoM_InWdFoDXv-qrvkDrLwf9mDqM1H9sJBWdgCRvb-h2vP_7z8YY67HNHdrBv8wCgpXXqwACw/w300-h400/IMG_3153.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Crown Prince </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The <i>Marina di Chioggia </i>were a first time for me. They take their name from <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Chioggia, a fishing town near Venice which also gives its name to the “candy stripe” beetroot which when cut displays red and white rings. The squash has a green b</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">listered skin with sweet yellow orange flesh. The seed packet says it produces f</span><span style="color: #222222;">ruits up to 5kg. Mine were a disappointing 1 - 2kg, which is probably due to the summer drought. The b</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">utternut squashes were also much smaller than previous years.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg44dbSAAwQashEnY9lwxd2CFx9Zn6FhA7VEgQzDuIsEjC_v1JeoGlM3b4TSvQ6fqaJoS1uzRtGLZ6Lgd3g_9gLE5w9MhnGR6udsKdojLAmwP90uRlzRU9m6CcCaCZWAodQ8vGbVGsesuT1x62Cd6vNt9sII3qwzvpVAbo6jJKyUSl0B7JhtRWS3o0g/s4032/IMG_3156.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg44dbSAAwQashEnY9lwxd2CFx9Zn6FhA7VEgQzDuIsEjC_v1JeoGlM3b4TSvQ6fqaJoS1uzRtGLZ6Lgd3g_9gLE5w9MhnGR6udsKdojLAmwP90uRlzRU9m6CcCaCZWAodQ8vGbVGsesuT1x62Cd6vNt9sII3qwzvpVAbo6jJKyUSl0B7JhtRWS3o0g/w300-h400/IMG_3156.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chioggia </i> and butternut squashes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzltKCamHNJzjM1YP7NX89RXKWWTnJUyL3FQed0Cq6PlpR8tgHX1QgGdrXMS19zwLaxirEI1DOkZkl4c9rtIqUETqUJC_L-NaHOTG2pePFvmVpndQUNoN7RRp_cvL4byYr8hOlxVkfaw1_K6xHPYpuxM0f_MMG039aog1ptUfttAOinrDpRf44hL34g/s976/D42FEC18-8AF5-4F0D-88C7-1BA83557EAA1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="976" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzltKCamHNJzjM1YP7NX89RXKWWTnJUyL3FQed0Cq6PlpR8tgHX1QgGdrXMS19zwLaxirEI1DOkZkl4c9rtIqUETqUJC_L-NaHOTG2pePFvmVpndQUNoN7RRp_cvL4byYr8hOlxVkfaw1_K6xHPYpuxM0f_MMG039aog1ptUfttAOinrDpRf44hL34g/w400-h400/D42FEC18-8AF5-4F0D-88C7-1BA83557EAA1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chioggia </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZkDBSU76v201tph5RZeO8wJ-aD3FiyM-WXTE7yYfXZbHcKmko44aVYC2s3tuuT9T9FfPI3plmOElYthnlSWI2KjKjV_m144n1IjtAilz2iy3PY0FNXqtWGoGkgRRMt3seuQj_r7WNUr25ExpMdHaOghZFijVcR32aI73esr6SFLOp1VHypPlTrMogQ/s4032/IMG_3158.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZkDBSU76v201tph5RZeO8wJ-aD3FiyM-WXTE7yYfXZbHcKmko44aVYC2s3tuuT9T9FfPI3plmOElYthnlSWI2KjKjV_m144n1IjtAilz2iy3PY0FNXqtWGoGkgRRMt3seuQj_r7WNUr25ExpMdHaOghZFijVcR32aI73esr6SFLOp1VHypPlTrMogQ/w300-h400/IMG_3158.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn planted garlic covered with fleece</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I planted the first of the shallots in some spare space where the leeks were growing and covered them with fleece.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNR5jeLbjXXo-j7R5UJVFrTlmDEhKGgutb1grFvcTZ1r_iIUj6bdupE0KVT62kjl5g0PwVbJh3LoK0CuDUg7sxikZRZr4VxXsKghHHo9O4YnHMW4d_DApvrvqi9KhaAmqsNI9OvQ2pXoLmPiymnNCS6jKsrbLk9lTMp3rPrVwIhRFie8rAIJ5Z00ZQA/s4032/IMG_3159.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNR5jeLbjXXo-j7R5UJVFrTlmDEhKGgutb1grFvcTZ1r_iIUj6bdupE0KVT62kjl5g0PwVbJh3LoK0CuDUg7sxikZRZr4VxXsKghHHo9O4YnHMW4d_DApvrvqi9KhaAmqsNI9OvQ2pXoLmPiymnNCS6jKsrbLk9lTMp3rPrVwIhRFie8rAIJ5Z00ZQA/w300-h400/IMG_3159.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallots planted among the leeks</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were still harvesting tomatoes from the garden on <b>5 October </b>and there are lots more to come. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think we have seen the last of the </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Marmande, </i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">beefsteak variety but the large </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Santa Mama </i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">and the yellow varieties are just ripening and the cherry tomatoes are still producing on a daily basis.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcyq11Csxxfi0OXQHyIVhRVRfkujlJ1ML789Fint9EH5rMoIjTbShsLugLRTWA4kqArc6lPIFIPIOvIAeK-yAZVfs48cC3CCVkWYIjv0GCH3V9mzI0NgkwOU90EVPgdK_37WAhEWTEgn5uXmDve39KrMFp83FrU_NdsqAmzRxIxSyRaWroN7x4hrn2g/s3030/IMG_3172.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3030" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcyq11Csxxfi0OXQHyIVhRVRfkujlJ1ML789Fint9EH5rMoIjTbShsLugLRTWA4kqArc6lPIFIPIOvIAeK-yAZVfs48cC3CCVkWYIjv0GCH3V9mzI0NgkwOU90EVPgdK_37WAhEWTEgn5uXmDve39KrMFp83FrU_NdsqAmzRxIxSyRaWroN7x4hrn2g/w638-h640/IMG_3172.jpg" width="638" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 October - today's tomato harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We also have a good supply of chilli peppers, from the fiery hot <i>habanero </i>and <i>Scotch bonnet </i>to less hot, but still very spicy, <i>Basket of Fire </i>and <i>Cheyenne.</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwfKMPdvMSPimTnyIXr_wSSm-cMzO37m-ZB9mBOwIFDuOTXyTy9PGkXtzE5biNvUOrd72xN-XGvRG25fZM_v2m4eXsXYD9JfDHJL_xFNSMcjsTTP2cKFGEAwWhQYTYrzjF2cWeZ9bCzpaOe0hsrNo9gDsqWWDvrJqpc9CbIQUPVYxh5DzC0cYd147lw/s2048/Image-1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwfKMPdvMSPimTnyIXr_wSSm-cMzO37m-ZB9mBOwIFDuOTXyTy9PGkXtzE5biNvUOrd72xN-XGvRG25fZM_v2m4eXsXYD9JfDHJL_xFNSMcjsTTP2cKFGEAwWhQYTYrzjF2cWeZ9bCzpaOe0hsrNo9gDsqWWDvrJqpc9CbIQUPVYxh5DzC0cYd147lw/w640-h640/Image-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Clockwise from top left<br /><i>Habanero, Scotch bonnett, Cheyenne, Basket of Fire</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hb5j70662F6xp07ItmUqnMrg339veX-cYp8bT1lH0Lm3DvX0b43YSbU3Mxjz9Z_c8lKbocTHIBu0qRTswH9oWouz-g5RrSM-_0S0bfdUBOLevwFNCr6Ax-hkafjpW8QXr1d9kgWkBC_wLq89AotMk42Qk1pm53OcsA2MMhKc7A0AXxG70U3SypCWng/s1904/IMG_3173.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1636" data-original-width="1904" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hb5j70662F6xp07ItmUqnMrg339veX-cYp8bT1lH0Lm3DvX0b43YSbU3Mxjz9Z_c8lKbocTHIBu0qRTswH9oWouz-g5RrSM-_0S0bfdUBOLevwFNCr6Ax-hkafjpW8QXr1d9kgWkBC_wLq89AotMk42Qk1pm53OcsA2MMhKc7A0AXxG70U3SypCWng/w400-h344/IMG_3173.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Habanero - </i>ready for the freezer</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">On <b>9 October </b>I continued to clear weeds from the area around the raised beds and put down a layer of cardboard and also removed weeds by hand-weeding in the beds themselves.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyEFy4gFwOpsRxVFjB8W10-f2sllGbi2OAJdJ5J_RHTuIrfnx7G1aafY44Fyr5aFdgOq5dvVRKYVgqIw83MVYWdkhDU1hPmF5TObd_fhZf341yoiit2f7O9_dFgVB5Vwr8HwGJE3-zZB_0uQxMHhImaugABggytfganxggP6_RVseQ6w768SGD4G6pw/s4032/IMG_3184.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyEFy4gFwOpsRxVFjB8W10-f2sllGbi2OAJdJ5J_RHTuIrfnx7G1aafY44Fyr5aFdgOq5dvVRKYVgqIw83MVYWdkhDU1hPmF5TObd_fhZf341yoiit2f7O9_dFgVB5Vwr8HwGJE3-zZB_0uQxMHhImaugABggytfganxggP6_RVseQ6w768SGD4G6pw/w300-h400/IMG_3184.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The large bed, partially cleared of weeds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHbSPoPU96dTYd_a7-mKnF9-elAqYATGuGdIT4SWPfEw29dJwUafcBnD529ZbOV2biY8V1agUFVRvbBeVPTH71_BjPFkPSRL0S8hBkdcm4_plOmyN4YkRctDb6tdHRCl_aWTIJej6JDu5b64nC5Xqjih1En4EZJeK31QeA4iDTLtWhF1VxDdjcsqGwQ/s4032/IMG_3185.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHbSPoPU96dTYd_a7-mKnF9-elAqYATGuGdIT4SWPfEw29dJwUafcBnD529ZbOV2biY8V1agUFVRvbBeVPTH71_BjPFkPSRL0S8hBkdcm4_plOmyN4YkRctDb6tdHRCl_aWTIJej6JDu5b64nC5Xqjih1En4EZJeK31QeA4iDTLtWhF1VxDdjcsqGwQ/w300-h400/IMG_3185.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardboard laid between the beds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGRj8Hg0oxWJ4OmbEiT2EbRF9JtFnl1kSvZk11-9O8DvKxFHh99KTVSyS6fgd0p-7FYDMIcmdpeXfVl-iVzNw_xtQB313t_rszBgla6qntilbhJgSlbOPxR-NDc7cv1sIg6ofizqop90bXtQB9vJBhnbchVJBovc_KVU2z3Uc_ti_DtY25z7WLRKE-Q/s4032/IMG_3186.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGRj8Hg0oxWJ4OmbEiT2EbRF9JtFnl1kSvZk11-9O8DvKxFHh99KTVSyS6fgd0p-7FYDMIcmdpeXfVl-iVzNw_xtQB313t_rszBgla6qntilbhJgSlbOPxR-NDc7cv1sIg6ofizqop90bXtQB9vJBhnbchVJBovc_KVU2z3Uc_ti_DtY25z7WLRKE-Q/w300-h400/IMG_3186.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardboard covered with woodchips </td></tr></tbody></table><br />I harvested most of the squashes, leaving a few, including several <i>tromboncinos, </i>to mature.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4KOYvmF0CZpyOMcjekfpXd_iKZVj-iZvLtUv3Yd7xSuIWiVHMWhx1nnHITvXfAanHOSDJp1_K8V8kptifvX3kYfm6EOUBl3maw_CFhfhr_DEHG8UfIAgG_8Pts7ShLlnyL6-MHt-m2uaqeE1QJtAbfAmiaglZveP1AhG2cTwqo1dV58gEoHf_-H1gg/s2625/IMG_3187.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2440" data-original-width="2625" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4KOYvmF0CZpyOMcjekfpXd_iKZVj-iZvLtUv3Yd7xSuIWiVHMWhx1nnHITvXfAanHOSDJp1_K8V8kptifvX3kYfm6EOUBl3maw_CFhfhr_DEHG8UfIAgG_8Pts7ShLlnyL6-MHt-m2uaqeE1QJtAbfAmiaglZveP1AhG2cTwqo1dV58gEoHf_-H1gg/w400-h371/IMG_3187.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">9 October - a squash harvest</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On <b>11 October </b>I lifted my first parsnip just to see how they were doing. It looked reasonable but the flavour will be improved with the arrival of colder weather.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ9f8ybc9ViKxkaXt7Xhjrt-m_RNXSm-JSt8DfkXYcT-fT-VANy0y_hcS8jDxOPsLoFWXyojk9hXEwZjoGRu9VLUAPPVB-W82ptt8MCNaRMF1vGsyvMgAVqyUke7IoQLZOXwzdI1GLqVLXlvEed2YBUYU70d7WTiJhkN5N_ixXpZFXJQNyNP5ReeiBw/s640/IMG_3194%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ9f8ybc9ViKxkaXt7Xhjrt-m_RNXSm-JSt8DfkXYcT-fT-VANy0y_hcS8jDxOPsLoFWXyojk9hXEwZjoGRu9VLUAPPVB-W82ptt8MCNaRMF1vGsyvMgAVqyUke7IoQLZOXwzdI1GLqVLXlvEed2YBUYU70d7WTiJhkN5N_ixXpZFXJQNyNP5ReeiBw/w300-h400/IMG_3194%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First parsnip of 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;">I had decided to make the large raised bed a "no dig" bed using the <i>Hugel </i>method. (</span></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3766818355047577898/4022695683981631070">Hügelkultur</a></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">)</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I calculated that I could fit three trenches in the bed so started on the first one. (A lot of initial digging to achieve a "no dig" bed but, hopefully, it will be worth it in the long term.)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPW6jWdEITkBo-k_QkNwiPZZ5i04KXE7PSsmUIXOIpeOJ1TctA58W_UOIKoTYS7Tp1qBycOjxIKFz5JrVlWJICOMuqP6JdMNMnQr64lMWvE5I8ZvhSqP_Zp2KRa4l57BczN1uo3pJJ80JLroeV2TGNbv_aI8sjdC1TQtxzHd_bu-4WDTY2liFWwuHyA/s640/IMG_3195%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPW6jWdEITkBo-k_QkNwiPZZ5i04KXE7PSsmUIXOIpeOJ1TctA58W_UOIKoTYS7Tp1qBycOjxIKFz5JrVlWJICOMuqP6JdMNMnQr64lMWvE5I8ZvhSqP_Zp2KRa4l57BczN1uo3pJJ80JLroeV2TGNbv_aI8sjdC1TQtxzHd_bu-4WDTY2liFWwuHyA/w300-h400/IMG_3195%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st trench</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the bottom of the trench I laid some logs from a tree that we had cut down last year.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBti0wvsZtYttabBNLA2tVdvnLAXPlKX-6IZLB8J6xwAIlOSI6-ucnYAAim-Lq8ii8fWe0GQogvVw_PlWV8O-j5p0T2QgQVmZO5_g8LBiR9A4sSZP8igk5XP2gSCu3hkgkG2XY4Okt5TY3NNkLixTuy-yPv4y-X5_H1tPrVH-uKCpzrfiIL48FsOfVUw/s640/IMG_3196%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBti0wvsZtYttabBNLA2tVdvnLAXPlKX-6IZLB8J6xwAIlOSI6-ucnYAAim-Lq8ii8fWe0GQogvVw_PlWV8O-j5p0T2QgQVmZO5_g8LBiR9A4sSZP8igk5XP2gSCu3hkgkG2XY4Okt5TY3NNkLixTuy-yPv4y-X5_H1tPrVH-uKCpzrfiIL48FsOfVUw/w300-h400/IMG_3196%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st trench - burying logs</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I covered the logs with half rotted organic matter from one of the compost bins.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo3VVrrFIShhkdwfThozKlRFtsT6EOz1UJARb0vMpyBZfrmeR-FZKqYhtRTuWatTHIw_JKWIvruEL0rxmTOZWZwCTauJL5CFLbwmBqCK3MrLHpBXtjvDoMNvKHDTXsAoN4ujhcPZrFuLcD3ZJeSTIp-P3WDvV_dUdMS_ygr-RaTNub1Qb14WyBG-3OQ/s640/IMG_3197%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPo3VVrrFIShhkdwfThozKlRFtsT6EOz1UJARb0vMpyBZfrmeR-FZKqYhtRTuWatTHIw_JKWIvruEL0rxmTOZWZwCTauJL5CFLbwmBqCK3MrLHpBXtjvDoMNvKHDTXsAoN4ujhcPZrFuLcD3ZJeSTIp-P3WDvV_dUdMS_ygr-RaTNub1Qb14WyBG-3OQ/w300-h400/IMG_3197%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st trench - filling with organic material</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I then topped this with fresh green material.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHvjohttKFIGfLg67SJ9KmMuarREVstDruB2SoEHiB7qjYz2VOu3Re5cXZtxehqDGADjy9-KhkPXdSq0yQWLBf54zBgcd2Va77v_CdyQXLH4MXZIf6Yqs_WBypXTNM04BO05CrA1Fb16OtFeGUtY2sQ8pbUCe4obMiNp4xA36Gq-j0KktQOsfuyj_WA/s640/IMG_3198%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHvjohttKFIGfLg67SJ9KmMuarREVstDruB2SoEHiB7qjYz2VOu3Re5cXZtxehqDGADjy9-KhkPXdSq0yQWLBf54zBgcd2Va77v_CdyQXLH4MXZIf6Yqs_WBypXTNM04BO05CrA1Fb16OtFeGUtY2sQ8pbUCe4obMiNp4xA36Gq-j0KktQOsfuyj_WA/w300-h400/IMG_3198%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st trench - green waste</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I then managed to dig and fill a second trench.<b></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On <b>12 October, </b>I made my first sowing of Broad Beans (<i>Aquadulce</i>) in two double rows in one of the vacant beds. I didn't add any compost or additional nitrogenous material at this stage as broad beans add nitrogen to the soil through the organisms on their roots. Adding more nitrogen would encourage the beans to produce leaves rather than bean pods. I did add a layer of organic compost in the middle of the bed between the double rows of broad beans where I planted some more garlic. I then covered the bed with horticultural fleece to protect the garlic from the birds and the beans from squirrels and other rodents.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0OZC1cGdoz5F3PNV7vSeaaZBvGcopLGh_o9YUbAoa8YBufxeakKo5ds6x1_-FKLKZrxjIOcdi4F5FG1T-elh9ho-rLIy3Q_3e3u8Yl5B2FRtymy-r0F554KoTeii865KYKRqfee0sTLGyuyVvP_rcI_iNqNUcmQAZIiPwfR7itftDsU0xpANd85VMA/s4032/IMG_3203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN0OZC1cGdoz5F3PNV7vSeaaZBvGcopLGh_o9YUbAoa8YBufxeakKo5ds6x1_-FKLKZrxjIOcdi4F5FG1T-elh9ho-rLIy3Q_3e3u8Yl5B2FRtymy-r0F554KoTeii865KYKRqfee0sTLGyuyVvP_rcI_iNqNUcmQAZIiPwfR7itftDsU0xpANd85VMA/w300-h400/IMG_3203.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A double row of garlic between<br />2 double rows of broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEUdM8euVBGy1qnjTRKIOAh1l9q0aeVY655PG4kJqtN7JMSue60i_UxHVlLnFPpkHsVE2ngQeGhn46xZXj-0firPHx7Axd3XKKJBwFXfZVPtVhWmVd61c1o71jcn4c13J5Eid4qIseKGdLdOhTz_GhrCjctabLsyfvH6Oa7UfRKN1KFKRLCG8bbr4ag/s4032/IMG_3204.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMEUdM8euVBGy1qnjTRKIOAh1l9q0aeVY655PG4kJqtN7JMSue60i_UxHVlLnFPpkHsVE2ngQeGhn46xZXj-0firPHx7Axd3XKKJBwFXfZVPtVhWmVd61c1o71jcn4c13J5Eid4qIseKGdLdOhTz_GhrCjctabLsyfvH6Oa7UfRKN1KFKRLCG8bbr4ag/w300-h400/IMG_3204.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Beans and garlic protected with fleece</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We picked some chard and <i>Cavolo nero </i>as well as some <i>nasturtium </i>leaves with which we made some individual <i><a href=" https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3766818355047577898/3340292789176663424">Spanokopita </a></i>pies. We are familiar with using nasturtium leaves in salads - as they have a taste similar to water cress - but I have not cooked with them before. One of our neighbours said she uses them instead of spinach so we gave it a try. It worked fine.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFCWx0wsVsopX84EaJ_bSIm32s1ngXgcavIXKy0exn306aLhCoszAiEfwIFaAJak1y4wJiwzg_xavgXg4q5h4Csf1rqADYj8rubur6zXbaU48QmtsjUTFJInQmGDvR3niWcJPnuABy5riat6F9PiPiV9OCwEfdAWWmEHVRbu6PtSKRZc4Q1UORSN3Bw/s4032/IMG_3205.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFCWx0wsVsopX84EaJ_bSIm32s1ngXgcavIXKy0exn306aLhCoszAiEfwIFaAJak1y4wJiwzg_xavgXg4q5h4Csf1rqADYj8rubur6zXbaU48QmtsjUTFJInQmGDvR3niWcJPnuABy5riat6F9PiPiV9OCwEfdAWWmEHVRbu6PtSKRZc4Q1UORSN3Bw/w400-h300/IMG_3205.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Individual <i>Spanokopita </i>pies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We also made roast stuffed <i>patty pan </i>squash with ricotta and parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. We have a plentiful supply of oregano in the herb bed in our garden.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sckXiFuwrdmg4yVVh3av0w6arqAaBSRR05hi1vJn93ut8TtU--o76aAUMLZnO98L3dxCCXuD41yRkmT4ebStina1Un1i_kMf85yMSS6YBx67Q8iD1jZsvpRud2V5u5_Uh-pRXB-b2nO12JQpC0eXo91x2FyTsbvLVrEDDH9thmV3vfgFSSi074oIOQ/s3418/IMG_3206.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="3418" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sckXiFuwrdmg4yVVh3av0w6arqAaBSRR05hi1vJn93ut8TtU--o76aAUMLZnO98L3dxCCXuD41yRkmT4ebStina1Un1i_kMf85yMSS6YBx67Q8iD1jZsvpRud2V5u5_Uh-pRXB-b2nO12JQpC0eXo91x2FyTsbvLVrEDDH9thmV3vfgFSSi074oIOQ/w400-h221/IMG_3206.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Stuffed <i>patty pan </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>14 October : </b>Earlier in the year, I had planted some "blue" potatoes in a container at home and decided to see how they were doing. The skins were purple rather than blue. Some blue varieties have blue skins with white flesh but this variety has blue flesh as well.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIXCRRzDRQn2LI_sMr2Z-JMj1Bav2Nuv5B74nnvET0LJNS_rC5kxH4_xXr4Y3Jvq7YZZH_Bgj38zshMa8zVdLfQWTDCeEyWYPAL9G8dN5zn18USf6LH6MTtf8x-wbVYmh8D7w1avCm5spARUXnT_6HdJhffU_d3e9qg3qTDGPAckp23PmelmrjF40kw/s4032/IMG_3241.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRIXCRRzDRQn2LI_sMr2Z-JMj1Bav2Nuv5B74nnvET0LJNS_rC5kxH4_xXr4Y3Jvq7YZZH_Bgj38zshMa8zVdLfQWTDCeEyWYPAL9G8dN5zn18USf6LH6MTtf8x-wbVYmh8D7w1avCm5spARUXnT_6HdJhffU_d3e9qg3qTDGPAckp23PmelmrjF40kw/w300-h400/IMG_3241.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue potatoes</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Cutting the potatoes in half revealed that the flesh was indeed also coloured. It was more purple than blue but when cooked was definitely blue. They were a floury variety and very tasty.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnyrOQ-fstWXsFcJ2G5u3RqgQLDUUmCprEivCCNVs621-LWap66LYbJANsYn5lRA5t631cl65qRKjAvJNEtiiS0iZT9cyy2Ws3cMYOdjcZpaKygMALZbOwSogWBXg9brKvF8uX1E1pSYNOowoFUroLsTMRCAx5sEM5qZhqVbCupzVjmyHWc15e_069g/s3001/IMG_3242.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2639" data-original-width="3001" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnyrOQ-fstWXsFcJ2G5u3RqgQLDUUmCprEivCCNVs621-LWap66LYbJANsYn5lRA5t631cl65qRKjAvJNEtiiS0iZT9cyy2Ws3cMYOdjcZpaKygMALZbOwSogWBXg9brKvF8uX1E1pSYNOowoFUroLsTMRCAx5sEM5qZhqVbCupzVjmyHWc15e_069g/w400-h351/IMG_3242.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue potatoes cut in half</td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Sunday 16 October </b>was cloudy but dry during the day but followed by heavy rain in the evening. I started on my third and final trench in the large bed.....</span></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs_XiVCaDXTaiIL8xdfm1CZgLhek8PbTg042kt-i_tRbb3umLRKjGhJ1EHLsj29SvKTzPECYRevTASJJtYDWSPO-UqzE3SlfrtOGviZfrWi9isTK7c_6RsW_-jYqZT5mSp1JYYXbMoKe3rGN3tPpIWaJ86Ew5G488gFGIWN3QaQrxXksEp1IUSKmAwA/s4032/IMG_3252.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVs_XiVCaDXTaiIL8xdfm1CZgLhek8PbTg042kt-i_tRbb3umLRKjGhJ1EHLsj29SvKTzPECYRevTASJJtYDWSPO-UqzE3SlfrtOGviZfrWi9isTK7c_6RsW_-jYqZT5mSp1JYYXbMoKe3rGN3tPpIWaJ86Ew5G488gFGIWN3QaQrxXksEp1IUSKmAwA/w300-h400/IMG_3252.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The third trench for my new <i>Hugel </i>bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">....then filled it with logs and managed to retreat before the rain came down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS5YAjDRMjQ7ODVe5UFERx5SYEWn0nrVlNkKio89fbfdWMSXAEWcBxmvZSQbK9VIUC67-UpZVEAd7cNIip12_OxEodrEt2i7tHKYRegwRZKp_suRqaWjqeQX0FNdmmn2L6Kd0quh5uorPQyTMVDrugLNr7jCP2WokUs0wgcUU-yaNAwmtf_Lp-QIeEw/s4032/IMG_3253.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOS5YAjDRMjQ7ODVe5UFERx5SYEWn0nrVlNkKio89fbfdWMSXAEWcBxmvZSQbK9VIUC67-UpZVEAd7cNIip12_OxEodrEt2i7tHKYRegwRZKp_suRqaWjqeQX0FNdmmn2L6Kd0quh5uorPQyTMVDrugLNr7jCP2WokUs0wgcUU-yaNAwmtf_Lp-QIeEw/w300-h400/IMG_3253.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The beginnings of a no dig <i>Hugel </i>bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: black;">Monday 17 October </b><span style="color: black;">reached a maximum of </span><span style="color: black;">14C. It rained heavily in the early hours, was cloudy but dry during the morning but then quite sunny although cool in the afternoon.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By contrast, <b>Tuesday 18 October </b>was dry, sunny and hot with a high temperature of 18C although it felt much hotter than that in the sunshine. I completed filling the third trench in the large bed </span><span style="font-family: arial;">with partly composted material and fresh green material on top of the logs.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I topped all three trenches with torn up egg boxes, which are good for water retention and will eventually rot down. Sylvi was busy with the wormeries, recovering the worm compost - there were 6 trays of fully composted material,rich in worms, which I used to top the three trenches and then covered the whole bed with the soil that had been removed to create the trenches.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbBwBKLIQyvv_BGveXS57z7ngJSV0Qk7MAcUgY2Ff85G_yBZzn2RIcTDaIIdZykVcqB7KAbtaYI5-dwK0BT4pEbmBeIdfBZPr_lAdTbFmBheQES2B8624ij3IKo9SG8DzSoHM8gKVVdYp73w_kYTEv79aiSM_mCBZdwxhslG7nqys3qH3qor3neTRyQ/s4032/IMG_3267.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbBwBKLIQyvv_BGveXS57z7ngJSV0Qk7MAcUgY2Ff85G_yBZzn2RIcTDaIIdZykVcqB7KAbtaYI5-dwK0BT4pEbmBeIdfBZPr_lAdTbFmBheQES2B8624ij3IKo9SG8DzSoHM8gKVVdYp73w_kYTEv79aiSM_mCBZdwxhslG7nqys3qH3qor3neTRyQ/w300-h400/IMG_3267.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">filling the final trench with egg boxes & worm compost</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOQnQ0jf1H4eLEwFfe7QlkzRBSBUJXv7HypaYXCeAxcnX9gIa7b-9d_ND8RGa4F_EVhqhNkenSOcyazfB-wLizgwmdUUYTX8k1zMAXrh4E2q8BIthUW4OBybOUoDl5dmw_Oj68IuXE6YR0UCC2W52Y7Z3evwQMQketb8Eba7VjfjgZKaWiUOhZigNBg/s4032/IMG_3270.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOQnQ0jf1H4eLEwFfe7QlkzRBSBUJXv7HypaYXCeAxcnX9gIa7b-9d_ND8RGa4F_EVhqhNkenSOcyazfB-wLizgwmdUUYTX8k1zMAXrh4E2q8BIthUW4OBybOUoDl5dmw_Oj68IuXE6YR0UCC2W52Y7Z3evwQMQketb8Eba7VjfjgZKaWiUOhZigNBg/w300-h400/IMG_3270.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large bed, trenches filled, topsoil returned</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I will now leave the bed over winter and apply another layer of compost in the spring before planting brassicas. In the meantime I will look out some cardboard or tarpaulin to cover it.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I picked the last of the <i>Crown Prince </i>and took it home to store. The </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">squashes were all smaller than last year but at least this one was a reasonable 3.6kg.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7ZOyimgWwTV1HCmmNWuH0KICcLF94lqXlMyLb1xCWRSlu1aPAxgWMzkIj6yphJKrOSSUAE8AtYEAdalgskK23B1c7JBts1KY5vTDtfG0P-PWplI5zkzuMfP-qjrilksp0k7cdAWjiA5pnoY_Ck1KQYjaassrhFz4i-_N2fqn0j-bKYI1Y0jtkNZ3PQ/s2606/IMG_3276.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2593" data-original-width="2606" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7ZOyimgWwTV1HCmmNWuH0KICcLF94lqXlMyLb1xCWRSlu1aPAxgWMzkIj6yphJKrOSSUAE8AtYEAdalgskK23B1c7JBts1KY5vTDtfG0P-PWplI5zkzuMfP-qjrilksp0k7cdAWjiA5pnoY_Ck1KQYjaassrhFz4i-_N2fqn0j-bKYI1Y0jtkNZ3PQ/w400-h398/IMG_3276.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 October - <i>Crown Prince </i> weighs in at 3.6kg</td></tr></tbody></table><b style="font-size: large;"><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Wednesday 19 October </b><span>was cloudy with intermittent clear, sunny, blue skies and a temperature of an unseasonal 19C, although the wind was quite strong. At home I sowed some broad beans indoors in deep trays for planting out later and as a safeguard in case the rodents get the ones sown outdoors. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There certainly weren't any blue skies the following day with continuous heavty rain all morning, easing off in the afternoon. Not a day to be out and about, but the rain will be good for the broad beans that I planted, helping them to germinate, and for the onions and garlic to encourage strong roots. The rain will also be good for the <i>Hugel </i>beds that I have just created. Friday was another rainy day but the morning of <b>Saturday 21 October </b>was bright and clear.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">After the heavy rain, the trenches which I had filled on the newly created <i>Hugel </i>bed had sunk considerably and will need topping up with more organic material and/or top soil before the winter sets in. I took the opportunity of a rain free morning to hand weed the asparagus bed and around the blackcurrants before applying a heavy mulch of wood chips.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Marmande </i>tomato that I had planted out on the allotment rather late in the season showed no sign of the fruit ripening and the foliage was now dying back. There were a few huge, green, unripe fruits. Had they ripened, they would have been magnificent. Sadly slugs, snails and other creatures had also decided they like tomatoes!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecg48cr3P03JJLm5-tpDCwiEK-fCPsv2DA2VkxrQEvN7CR4yWAc0bcA_fMqPTi04AZIOyTV_J-7Q5vnEHV3eZmAunz7Iy7FsSG44rirHy6JBT3UIGly2_PRtlIfT3lvxECeb_R69a8MzTI77ndpayiDg-rOyQ-ZyrayjhHmSltH8vBz32gxKoav5JAQ/s2466/IMG_3280.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1891" data-original-width="2466" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecg48cr3P03JJLm5-tpDCwiEK-fCPsv2DA2VkxrQEvN7CR4yWAc0bcA_fMqPTi04AZIOyTV_J-7Q5vnEHV3eZmAunz7Iy7FsSG44rirHy6JBT3UIGly2_PRtlIfT3lvxECeb_R69a8MzTI77ndpayiDg-rOyQ-ZyrayjhHmSltH8vBz32gxKoav5JAQ/w400-h306/IMG_3280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 October <i>Marmande - </i>beefsteak tomato full of promise</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tyw0v3eaWKyGQ-RceOM3U9MOrv4-KIlwZ2WQkeb6de4-oiGerLUoNJyskpDEgAGPpYZXNmeyazausPwXksONIcAHC6OH0s4ChQRx4siXEttrsPDY_gswj7dJYa6ygC9YhMXMkIm2DQZB9JBlcVzpOugEJ4-eLAo37VSro0nue7epOFyG_HOgtYrS-Q/s1895/IMG_3282.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1637" data-original-width="1895" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tyw0v3eaWKyGQ-RceOM3U9MOrv4-KIlwZ2WQkeb6de4-oiGerLUoNJyskpDEgAGPpYZXNmeyazausPwXksONIcAHC6OH0s4ChQRx4siXEttrsPDY_gswj7dJYa6ygC9YhMXMkIm2DQZB9JBlcVzpOugEJ4-eLAo37VSro0nue7epOFyG_HOgtYrS-Q/w400-h345/IMG_3282.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">21 October - <i>Marmande </i> disappointment</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following day there was torrential rain most of the day, and overnight there was thunder and lightning which continued into the early hours of the morning. On <b>Monday 24 </b>the heavy rain continued through the morning with strong blustery winds for most of the day, but surprisingly the afternoon was sunny with higher than average temperature of 17C, although it felt much colder due to the continuing high winds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">School half-term brought a visit for a few days of my younger son and family (who are all vegetarian), and a visit later in the week by my daughter and her crew so the allotment was neglected for a few days. On the plus side, with a house full, it gave me an opportunity to develop my culinary skills in using the allotment produce.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">With a plentiful supply of chard, <a href="http://www.johnaust.in/2020/03/recipes-spanokopita.html"><i>spanokopita </i></a>was an obvious choice, but I also stuffed a <i>Chioggia </i>and a <i>Crown Prince </i>squash, one with a ricotta and parmesan based stuffing and the other with vegetables and mixed grains and roasted them whole. I am pleased they both proved a success.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00Bw_HZj_6tqFk7yvB9PxS5fzyg4nfIL0Bfz6k30beBBggpZd_dro94rxLLQzJqbKhFGjGuCJZC8B_c0h9gJnPTycloxnlM-3M_v7X6xgtP6ACSfffWlMq8DNjRRAoZ_-0C5pia_GShanpjnlwOM9CggBLEOVbE2OgZn9rkfTGeo6Bg6uZvj7aat4oA/s4032/IMG_3290.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00Bw_HZj_6tqFk7yvB9PxS5fzyg4nfIL0Bfz6k30beBBggpZd_dro94rxLLQzJqbKhFGjGuCJZC8B_c0h9gJnPTycloxnlM-3M_v7X6xgtP6ACSfffWlMq8DNjRRAoZ_-0C5pia_GShanpjnlwOM9CggBLEOVbE2OgZn9rkfTGeo6Bg6uZvj7aat4oA/w300-h400/IMG_3290.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whole roast stuffed <i>Crown Prince </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On Friday </span><b style="font-family: arial;">27 October, </b><span style="font-family: arial;"> I took the grandchildren to Hove Park and for a walk in the woods at <i><a href="https://www.threecorneredcopse.org.uk/">Three cornered copse</a> . </i>Unsure about what the weather would bring, I had dressed for a normal autumnal day but the temperature rose to an astonishing, summer-like </span><span style="font-family: arial;">21C</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">With the children and grandchildren gone, I returned to the plot on Saturday <b>29 October </b>and there had been significant growth during the few days away. In my planted wheelbarrow, the different mints were in flower and receiving frequent visits by bees, and the basil, tarragon and thyme<b> </b>were looking healthy. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0LzHZQXx7zhNr7VAc_-reHbiEul9KzWQRTpjOxeuP02s3HSSESDr0LlCwvAWNKSLDYtDkc9ObB3T4G9bKsp0C07oyw0TP62gRNgmELPWmFYWMJYaRzyXIvLDNbWG05PxnEdwP3EhF423_2ZO_Dd7ILIcnEmsZHKR-U_KUk17TMAj8m0PMZEkLelrCA/s4032/IMG_3330%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0LzHZQXx7zhNr7VAc_-reHbiEul9KzWQRTpjOxeuP02s3HSSESDr0LlCwvAWNKSLDYtDkc9ObB3T4G9bKsp0C07oyw0TP62gRNgmELPWmFYWMJYaRzyXIvLDNbWG05PxnEdwP3EhF423_2ZO_Dd7ILIcnEmsZHKR-U_KUk17TMAj8m0PMZEkLelrCA/w300-h400/IMG_3330%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My wheelbarrow herb garden</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">The shallots which I had planted next to the leeks had put on significant growth since I removed the fleece earlier in the month.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRPMqBaVM2AiiG2Km_pYKskc5RPOECYLHO6dgkxAmK80rtaie6NwPH_hgpUeSxGS9fOB-vuqaEHjzW9CYEj9XItvZ8Q0WLtM31--EacWdPzVFUBpMzgdWxPpr2vExtC6C05IWzzZqNAZjQNMPJOsK8ul9k8Mo8OXAXRLVY7DUDC7mb-nVPV8_vcaJLA/s4032/IMG_3331.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRPMqBaVM2AiiG2Km_pYKskc5RPOECYLHO6dgkxAmK80rtaie6NwPH_hgpUeSxGS9fOB-vuqaEHjzW9CYEj9XItvZ8Q0WLtM31--EacWdPzVFUBpMzgdWxPpr2vExtC6C05IWzzZqNAZjQNMPJOsK8ul9k8Mo8OXAXRLVY7DUDC7mb-nVPV8_vcaJLA/w300-h400/IMG_3331.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shallots among the leeks</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">And there appeared to be something happening underneath the fleece covering the garlic and onion sets.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g0QpNzkhOBzgvBoxJirfisK3okVWN8gTlOrWbIn0fTtHGj1g3rDGJF0Uj3cfkC6jS5DIxjRQd_TqzZRCulWfuxGFEzol417WkbNoMoBRrUEWqSaGYKJ4oGN61AkMfo7zi3V97tTN_pJJ/s4032/IMG_3332.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_g0QpNzkhOBzgvBoxJirfisK3okVWN8gTlOrWbIn0fTtHGj1g3rDGJF0Uj3cfkC6jS5DIxjRQd_TqzZRCulWfuxGFEzol417WkbNoMoBRrUEWqSaGYKJ4oGN61AkMfo7zi3V97tTN_pJJ/w300-h400/IMG_3332.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">signs of growth beneath the fleece</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Zxn1z-1Wg5J_unjA-aJdIrzvMTsUrha6bfPlIQjwLGVllGZXB-APKNdS8P_JvnthbxRfDYckF6tmCF6lIvubTVtkqsGc6gnHtizic50dM59u93ZklZeC6X8Oti75zmdWrinvQMd6_FB5dFuFFfYl53vDVqkzAjWBY3UqDo6K3ybLHCjvXtA5J575g/s4032/IMG_3333.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Zxn1z-1Wg5J_unjA-aJdIrzvMTsUrha6bfPlIQjwLGVllGZXB-APKNdS8P_JvnthbxRfDYckF6tmCF6lIvubTVtkqsGc6gnHtizic50dM59u93ZklZeC6X8Oti75zmdWrinvQMd6_FB5dFuFFfYl53vDVqkzAjWBY3UqDo6K3ybLHCjvXtA5J575g/w300-h400/IMG_3333.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic sprouting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp0r0rMFM7HYlcDCOGBHak8LbhjAb0msof6yJK3qzILxWehvAV-dEt2B7Lo4TlytX3hLoI3_B1QY9iYkwA0WkULTnNAfVvP8EnC9kje7sWMo6NvLvl0eGa2RdPFLXHMDm-wvH_-xh2vMTLqC032SLkJYlv7mjZw45i-vPR9UlXzrtlZPNXg4eMmoAwQ/s4032/IMG_3334.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghp0r0rMFM7HYlcDCOGBHak8LbhjAb0msof6yJK3qzILxWehvAV-dEt2B7Lo4TlytX3hLoI3_B1QY9iYkwA0WkULTnNAfVvP8EnC9kje7sWMo6NvLvl0eGa2RdPFLXHMDm-wvH_-xh2vMTLqC032SLkJYlv7mjZw45i-vPR9UlXzrtlZPNXg4eMmoAwQ/w300-h400/IMG_3334.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Red winter </i>onions beneath the fleece<br />(and the last remaining <i>patty pan</i>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_HgoMbFwWIBfmknMEReE0_dFIDB9k8FVIhpt1EfjQRWg5jTXGbl-rP4ajTvRVd9SKoVe3lN6Pgdk_A0F4OCunNxDhFG3BTlN7exDgRe2eKElBhZ9-6TiElmL2DMJlWSw-v2ZODwKAoQC/s4032/IMG_3335.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_HgoMbFwWIBfmknMEReE0_dFIDB9k8FVIhpt1EfjQRWg5jTXGbl-rP4ajTvRVd9SKoVe3lN6Pgdk_A0F4OCunNxDhFG3BTlN7exDgRe2eKElBhZ9-6TiElmL2DMJlWSw-v2ZODwKAoQC/w300-h400/IMG_3335.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Red winter </i>onions</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">When I removed the fleece from the broad beans, I was pleased to see that most had germinated and had not been attacked by rodents. The garlic planted between the double rows appeared to have rooted well and was producing its first leaves.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWD0sV_IjGqjUzJ1ifyCB47ftY8fO-vYKg1mXtmFmSp5LiPmZHyLYddDBjMkxvTq_vWUuWb6gAt8abiPNhJxUESMtNEH2AWsuGis6JlfYmZ-9Tovxvbu6t9AjeonMcbvvAvuM8Ac2sN-QY/s4032/IMG_3336.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWD0sV_IjGqjUzJ1ifyCB47ftY8fO-vYKg1mXtmFmSp5LiPmZHyLYddDBjMkxvTq_vWUuWb6gAt8abiPNhJxUESMtNEH2AWsuGis6JlfYmZ-9Tovxvbu6t9AjeonMcbvvAvuM8Ac2sN-QY/w300-h400/IMG_3336.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic between the broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>30 October </b>was not a day to be outdoors! There was persistent heavy rain and gale force winds with a storm threatening.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The last day of the month there was intermittent rain during the day but I managed to pick a few tomatoes from the garden. We put our carved pumpkin in the front garden and awaited the usual Halloween callers - we had more than 50 in several groups and ran out of treats, despite the intermittent rain.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">October ended with a great deal of rain, which </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">was welcome</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> following the summer drought, but it was accompanied by unseasonal high temperatures which has resulted in some trees and shrubs budding or coming into flower in the autumn instead of spring. It has also produced a proliferation of slugs and snails which have attacked our brassicas and chard. I have even spotted some cabbage white caterpillars on the broccoli and my neighbours have reported a new crop of runner beans and the return of blackfly! Climate change is a real longterm threat to our environment but is already affecting ecosystems and presenting gardeners with new challenges now. The meteorologists tell us that temperatures will be near normal in November - we shall see!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><i>John Austin</i></span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Hove, October 2022</span></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-19635605110949921312022-10-16T07:42:00.001-07:002022-10-16T07:43:31.582-07:00Life on The Weald - September 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - September 2022</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: red;">and in the garden and kitchen</span> </span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The days are getting shorter and there is an autumnal feel in the air. It was hotter than usual on <b>1st September </b>with bright sunny periods but the temperature dropped in the early evening followed by distant thunder and heavy rain in the night. The day before I had picked more than a kilo of plums and I had begun the process of making some plum jelly by stewing the plums with the addition of a few apples and blackcurrants and had left them to drain in a jelly bag overnight. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrwqZHWoSst33qbnKgyBNm0tsqM1ebrjQGyuZlZBXOuYOOkLTePHuOPc1svjAODIg-xut-q3TbIRjk3us4-QH2T6nC3APV81iBCqAKGYGCXlKWG3gpz7z1nRwwIyfT55ZKiTDF5jPhphez4c8DZ5XARXc8iKpV-WNxIt6L1gD-g49wB97wkkOe9euCA/s3195/IMG_2821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrwqZHWoSst33qbnKgyBNm0tsqM1ebrjQGyuZlZBXOuYOOkLTePHuOPc1svjAODIg-xut-q3TbIRjk3us4-QH2T6nC3APV81iBCqAKGYGCXlKWG3gpz7z1nRwwIyfT55ZKiTDF5jPhphez4c8DZ5XARXc8iKpV-WNxIt6L1gD-g49wB97wkkOe9euCA/w379-h400/IMG_2821.jpg" width="379" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 September - Plum jelly in the making</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the morning we had manged to harvest another 2kg of plums! Sylvi spent the morning clearing the long grass, bindweed and brambles from around the apple tree and I continued relaying the pathway with wood chips and it was very hot work with the temperature in the mid twenties. The afternoon was spent making the plum jelly.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2nd September </b>was very much cooler and overcast with the temperature reaching only 17C by early afternoon. After the heavy overnight rain, there were showers in the morning so I decided to spend some more time in the kitchen with the plums. I used half to make some Chinese plum sauce. Around 2pm, however, the showers stopped and the clouds cleared and by mid-afternoon the temperature had risen to 23C, 4 degrees higher than the seasonal average (the seasonal average over the past 30 years for our area is 19C).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>Wednesday 5th </b>it was sunny all day until late afternoon when there were thundery showers. The weather forecast for the following day was</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> thunder and lightning and heavy showers but the morning was bright and sunny. The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">French beans coming to an end but there were still quite a few to be picked.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz69cGmzZhgHWFYQDZSavO1TvPbcC18EBISA9I-WA0-LUL8tlpiVIvpSRmggCrdBsZfw6QOqF6-JCL7TzNQ3_gWkPpWNLKwUedDAIE7I05_F7lyKp336Oorj7FQbeMBmoxVQfsbbLb-OYvBskeXjM2YBjhrB27yqfukyGjA2ZbhAVCA-x4mzW9hh7RHw/s3033/IMG_2880.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3033" data-original-width="2406" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz69cGmzZhgHWFYQDZSavO1TvPbcC18EBISA9I-WA0-LUL8tlpiVIvpSRmggCrdBsZfw6QOqF6-JCL7TzNQ3_gWkPpWNLKwUedDAIE7I05_F7lyKp336Oorj7FQbeMBmoxVQfsbbLb-OYvBskeXjM2YBjhrB27yqfukyGjA2ZbhAVCA-x4mzW9hh7RHw/w318-h400/IMG_2880.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French beans - 6 September</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As there was a plentiful supply of wood chips I continued to repair the path.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjV55nk2Nfv6FH64DuiWIzEJO0T8sxwodjAGtEE-k-6yWsqgAHvlBVEEtFxNjmYqlstkICsKebQOoByYuBFmfTYCgKu0_csIZC0X8SDzDZHjSUZic9xZ5eip57ZhlrKgvGQvIyUs4AzYVKj9rQ7HOkQF5ULHQaSMSSzu7G-gaGwttCA-VZ6MPAuJiCQ/s4032/IMG_2881.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinjV55nk2Nfv6FH64DuiWIzEJO0T8sxwodjAGtEE-k-6yWsqgAHvlBVEEtFxNjmYqlstkICsKebQOoByYuBFmfTYCgKu0_csIZC0X8SDzDZHjSUZic9xZ5eip57ZhlrKgvGQvIyUs4AzYVKj9rQ7HOkQF5ULHQaSMSSzu7G-gaGwttCA-VZ6MPAuJiCQ/w300-h400/IMG_2881.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">6 Sept - relaid path</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There was rain later that afternoon, but I managed to harvest some <i>patty pan </i> squashes, a cucumber and a beetroot and I had also picked quite a few tomatoes from the pots in the garden at home.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: large; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJLPGEI0E3wvdDQ3T1_cwMlad4aLMcn6tzOOgQowqk0804DaoY_VY55x0NWdcf21L6ukahPy_aLGdolep02c-j7_T2Jx9Gu84SQHAhmqhG7hzDGMz6zcQi5ndycthP_2QZAJRJGyXykuNu2RsSDSPxYODdgjKrELMEmS-54mMrIzNrOfFcxkce8iP8w/s2842/IMG_2885.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="2842" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJLPGEI0E3wvdDQ3T1_cwMlad4aLMcn6tzOOgQowqk0804DaoY_VY55x0NWdcf21L6ukahPy_aLGdolep02c-j7_T2Jx9Gu84SQHAhmqhG7hzDGMz6zcQi5ndycthP_2QZAJRJGyXykuNu2RsSDSPxYODdgjKrELMEmS-54mMrIzNrOfFcxkce8iP8w/w400-h374/IMG_2885.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatoes, French beans, squash,cucumber and courgette</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Thursday <b>8 September </b>was dry. I handweeded the leeks....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvdHgTvD4FB3eta4KGE8Vb2pUT88DtKfmG0flxe6QThCQ908nAKokvqhZGseFTuqBwhMPeP1-ANCt05j0iKOSTbV3mo84ds9JQkn9TShfoad-_kIPcVKIMiwHzxU1CjSUPKsiBzPawhVVpEXWuYxNngXqRd1Wp9X1u1aMl7PRR9H2-CJZjMfiycfBMg/s2831/IMG_2887.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2525" data-original-width="2831" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfvdHgTvD4FB3eta4KGE8Vb2pUT88DtKfmG0flxe6QThCQ908nAKokvqhZGseFTuqBwhMPeP1-ANCt05j0iKOSTbV3mo84ds9JQkn9TShfoad-_kIPcVKIMiwHzxU1CjSUPKsiBzPawhVVpEXWuYxNngXqRd1Wp9X1u1aMl7PRR9H2-CJZjMfiycfBMg/s320/IMG_2887.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 September - leeks</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>....and also lifted some beetroots.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk1hlcjs86oYq8t5mYEFF_HGzpHOySaHV6VS2-W2RVxB3QpVXoxNGE3ECWkoekmP9Ml-QMTcwOGCGYiSR4m1D4shrVcni3yu3UsHEWZV_5HBFmi9wVBYd_vJlAvh4QGOJLI-4SJPtwreOd8XpCUxgwL8i8Ky-owHd-7uIvwOWL8U07FyvmIU_5ciClA/s4032/IMG_2888.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk1hlcjs86oYq8t5mYEFF_HGzpHOySaHV6VS2-W2RVxB3QpVXoxNGE3ECWkoekmP9Ml-QMTcwOGCGYiSR4m1D4shrVcni3yu3UsHEWZV_5HBFmi9wVBYd_vJlAvh4QGOJLI-4SJPtwreOd8XpCUxgwL8i8Ky-owHd-7uIvwOWL8U07FyvmIU_5ciClA/w300-h400/IMG_2888.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 September - beetroot</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The garlic chives were in full flower and attracting bees.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ty6VhZS9m-_8hPpZDMraaH7fCeOqkicjagGmDrmkZdbnTN9W9cSyxrQEs_3xuimmKf9h0WrjNHmYNjzIxk0zpldu7bRCVEbDTDe6xkAGw966XPPa7e6_eU2My7iX2sEKJOVigbYxmfkYyMuzxAL-PB01kV8EkEVx-ZRZuWZibXYuyvPrvpq-gf79kQ/s2351/IMG_2894.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2351" data-original-width="1619" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ty6VhZS9m-_8hPpZDMraaH7fCeOqkicjagGmDrmkZdbnTN9W9cSyxrQEs_3xuimmKf9h0WrjNHmYNjzIxk0zpldu7bRCVEbDTDe6xkAGw966XPPa7e6_eU2My7iX2sEKJOVigbYxmfkYyMuzxAL-PB01kV8EkEVx-ZRZuWZibXYuyvPrvpq-gf79kQ/w275-h400/IMG_2894.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 September - Asian garlic chives</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">On <b>12 September, </b>it was raining so I stayed at home and picked several of the chillies that were in the garden. I had already picked some of those from the mini-greenhouse on the plot. They varied from the extremely hot to quite hot. The </span><span style="font-size: medium;">Habanero paper lantern were supposed to be 350,000 - 500,000 units on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale">Scovile scale</a>, the Scotch bonnet 100,000-250,000 and the Cheyenne 30,000-50,000. I have lots of chillies in the freezer, some from last year, so decided to make Habanero sauce. It was far, far hotter than the commercial Habanero sauce that I had in the cupboard. It was intended for presents so it will have to go with a heat warning - I tested it and immediately had to go for the honey and yoghourt to cool down as it was quite a shock to the system!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div>The rain and cloudy weather continued that week. <b>Tuesday 13th </b>was cloudy all day with some rain, although the temperature was around 18C. It rained heavily in the morning of <b>14th. Thursday 15th </b>was damp and cloudy but the temperature rose to 21C but <b>Friday 16th </b>was dry and much colder with a maximum of 17C.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was able to harvest a few beetroots and some <i>Patty Pan </i>squashes and a small <i>Crown Prince.</i></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5ndUnU1ncvV4IaNAMIsHOiBuProkH3ya3WZy2sDBheWFqRATMslu1j3v5tqgr8euy-kLwAtwbxbBfC_pNbzd0jODJ3b0hF3OECRj_0KjYGByal-0L02RIQaCpis3XNmkOhu8r1amn29kzjPQkNy_FHzNQkjwJpqnNLOIglQIuAL12X2kKob5Wx0I1g/s2650/IMG_2941.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2650" data-original-width="1988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz5ndUnU1ncvV4IaNAMIsHOiBuProkH3ya3WZy2sDBheWFqRATMslu1j3v5tqgr8euy-kLwAtwbxbBfC_pNbzd0jODJ3b0hF3OECRj_0KjYGByal-0L02RIQaCpis3XNmkOhu8r1amn29kzjPQkNy_FHzNQkjwJpqnNLOIglQIuAL12X2kKob5Wx0I1g/w300-h400/IMG_2941.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 September - <i>Boltardy </i>beetroot</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngQLOqZbsbArTngcK-oKPfW8It16wEy3wPSGpPLe6NC_QVKB0tnsPloA5jXAjK15FQJOgPf55NfJ7IEwurjsnvW4UgTxBw0PSAlC5Ir6umY4D4B6cFT8fek2tp44n521ym_uWKQW_E_sX1BDBY7ciBedA7mydUmxaBqhFDctT1F8GVmLvnk5zeYXUBQ/s3510/IMG_2942.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3510" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngQLOqZbsbArTngcK-oKPfW8It16wEy3wPSGpPLe6NC_QVKB0tnsPloA5jXAjK15FQJOgPf55NfJ7IEwurjsnvW4UgTxBw0PSAlC5Ir6umY4D4B6cFT8fek2tp44n521ym_uWKQW_E_sX1BDBY7ciBedA7mydUmxaBqhFDctT1F8GVmLvnk5zeYXUBQ/w345-h400/IMG_2942.jpg" width="345" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 September - <i>Patty pan </i>& <i>Crown Prince </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The purple French beans were still producing</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjyGCB7iOHx3_QspR-wI9Z57g8HCa7uwxMgpXL39OdOeMXA-fjdaBJml087nvQnxRrcCb5zuSj4pBAme7eKjeLYNeFpTL2yB6okoBbMwhCAfm5T5f3c_KMJXJ1plMz8qmLEoxpNdip0cLgQMW9goElkCbdkl8wMlOuY4LF_Hoi7xDn8ghap18VSdCag/s4032/IMG_2943.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjyGCB7iOHx3_QspR-wI9Z57g8HCa7uwxMgpXL39OdOeMXA-fjdaBJml087nvQnxRrcCb5zuSj4pBAme7eKjeLYNeFpTL2yB6okoBbMwhCAfm5T5f3c_KMJXJ1plMz8qmLEoxpNdip0cLgQMW9goElkCbdkl8wMlOuY4LF_Hoi7xDn8ghap18VSdCag/w300-h400/IMG_2943.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 September - purple French beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Cavolo Nero is usually at its best after the first frosts, but there was so much I decided to pick some early. There was also a plentiful supply of Chard.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXBtIV3QOjphjSrFPJDI7N-RTEpq7EU90owIgssi1PpwOrSf4riqPqD1pZf3Vot7v3ZUEohpUKrYLuXQ50iqhgOqNMWGXrPxZMX25FYDVSNhKcSJcPnvNXUMFgFjZDWQRqHQUIsmM8trQCC6qVwEMsji3eEgT_V_mzSx_OXDRrLM471uRhjhPIn-K0A/s4032/IMG_2944.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXBtIV3QOjphjSrFPJDI7N-RTEpq7EU90owIgssi1PpwOrSf4riqPqD1pZf3Vot7v3ZUEohpUKrYLuXQ50iqhgOqNMWGXrPxZMX25FYDVSNhKcSJcPnvNXUMFgFjZDWQRqHQUIsmM8trQCC6qVwEMsji3eEgT_V_mzSx_OXDRrLM471uRhjhPIn-K0A/w300-h400/IMG_2944.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 September - <i>Cavolo Nero</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbHY1tCLwsNrz7RsecQlbAYZJIzWXAcM2OS1b7jz2qXPnhPGn2YTqqtIOQJPbSAXTkoxe2u-O_CEthaLFf4tRRDToAqgJ-A-Qfo23qUUmgsbaGmmRXCJMLQTF7C2WZ_qDR7u-bvJ9LSd_TiUlkVC7rhur2w3g6Z5y43eDVojus6IOy3_KMaOo9f8n0g/s2752/IMG_2945.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2733" data-original-width="2752" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbHY1tCLwsNrz7RsecQlbAYZJIzWXAcM2OS1b7jz2qXPnhPGn2YTqqtIOQJPbSAXTkoxe2u-O_CEthaLFf4tRRDToAqgJ-A-Qfo23qUUmgsbaGmmRXCJMLQTF7C2WZ_qDR7u-bvJ9LSd_TiUlkVC7rhur2w3g6Z5y43eDVojus6IOy3_KMaOo9f8n0g/w400-h398/IMG_2945.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 September - Chard</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On Monday <b>17 September, </b>I did some serious weeding around some of the beds. The soft annual weeds could be pulled up and added to the compost bins but I also dug out a lot of creeping couch grass and bind weed around some of the beds and removed the annual weeds from the beds, which I did not wish to dig.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAtK0rAaj1_VtW-EMd44u2PZA20d4cLop5lcw0uYViIHgETdquiPeWdMxPU5DtZWToNG60limquQdOjPwkApIOKsdjz4YSMV8iP_HM1BzyhY7d51Q855poc-oU208JGkCliH1-Rfr_5eFTcqncuaxDv3iqpTWja0lfqM1iATMsLjXFzMdGCW_jmhF6w/s4032/IMG_2948.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAtK0rAaj1_VtW-EMd44u2PZA20d4cLop5lcw0uYViIHgETdquiPeWdMxPU5DtZWToNG60limquQdOjPwkApIOKsdjz4YSMV8iP_HM1BzyhY7d51Q855poc-oU208JGkCliH1-Rfr_5eFTcqncuaxDv3iqpTWja0lfqM1iATMsLjXFzMdGCW_jmhF6w/w300-h400/IMG_2948.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17 September - clearing weeds</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">At home we were harvesting tomatoes daily.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAruRMwlD9NGCJL0sNI0cBuXio0_0MNWLwOq6YwDD85Nf3NgsV0J9DSNqZNFalQwtwsSjTgQBIKi8nrXjlN1g_0LykkHUQRVJPz-ksm4YHiyo83zrcAoQmzQf8zZVBIX6FaJdN5ToCqoQj6q5GRSPFk2uVIPvemESNjHu56Km7MWFTdPi12nHcUwk7rQ/s4032/IMG_2949.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAruRMwlD9NGCJL0sNI0cBuXio0_0MNWLwOq6YwDD85Nf3NgsV0J9DSNqZNFalQwtwsSjTgQBIKi8nrXjlN1g_0LykkHUQRVJPz-ksm4YHiyo83zrcAoQmzQf8zZVBIX6FaJdN5ToCqoQj6q5GRSPFk2uVIPvemESNjHu56Km7MWFTdPi12nHcUwk7rQ/w300-h400/IMG_2949.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17 September - today's tomato harvest</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrRQdntS8dvttLMg8bjIDn8RiFryC8_kQ5HbF5LlTB2Y-ueQF7OqWYoZOBQj8b6YSiS5wIU5DV7mEFCtfL9ZdNi1BFC0OL6F7IwcCpQ_zqOIvvAgLlvkK4TcYn3PRORk8QDPHGIEv5d7ct8MBZ_ZlW9vyS5F9OFJX2_r0_V8aptgCzKdaN_maejR9bA/s4032/IMG_2950.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrRQdntS8dvttLMg8bjIDn8RiFryC8_kQ5HbF5LlTB2Y-ueQF7OqWYoZOBQj8b6YSiS5wIU5DV7mEFCtfL9ZdNi1BFC0OL6F7IwcCpQ_zqOIvvAgLlvkK4TcYn3PRORk8QDPHGIEv5d7ct8MBZ_ZlW9vyS5F9OFJX2_r0_V8aptgCzKdaN_maejR9bA/w300-h400/IMG_2950.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17 September - <i>Marmande </i>ripening</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On Monday <b>19 September</b>, I began to prepare the beds for the onions and garlic. I am gradually developing all the beds as "no dig". I hand weeded the beds by just pulling up any annuals, which went to the compost bins, but I dug out as best I could, with a hand fork and hand trowel, any persistent bindweed and couch grass. I did dig around the beds to remove bindweed and couch grass and put down a layer of cardboard topped with wood chips/prunings.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNyi8Me49H6O9j8sXDMMXgMgsTEviH3CIBs6k30SnzpVAkCxuVudY6Vz8CwyAIsyNfeTldjQ2nN_ymaxGgfgVsPag9ueVbPpVcQoGSPTv1lIh5nYhyYpzaUfaEPgrA_EsQ8MpGuQdg-cAMKf07gDuhgatKQ0Nl_eeVTr2tEyI1ErxYnsLVDNwQBP-kg/s4032/IMG_2963.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNyi8Me49H6O9j8sXDMMXgMgsTEviH3CIBs6k30SnzpVAkCxuVudY6Vz8CwyAIsyNfeTldjQ2nN_ymaxGgfgVsPag9ueVbPpVcQoGSPTv1lIh5nYhyYpzaUfaEPgrA_EsQ8MpGuQdg-cAMKf07gDuhgatKQ0Nl_eeVTr2tEyI1ErxYnsLVDNwQBP-kg/w300-h400/IMG_2963.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing a bed for the onions/garlic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQYbkIuZKHyRcgR-plcbjhIRFsuAfIl1xJDRLRci5W7hez3t62NzCbmSJPvxhp_T0tD9-ulkVu3095uo-0pKDN3bBQMCM0NbI3aLSQoNycdqz6I1eZ7sLiANueRsM3hDtzqi25uyNkYwcXqlfIRI2cdADyxAKZIL9Mctyi2L4WNmr4AtABAWqCJz2-A/s4032/IMG_2967.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQYbkIuZKHyRcgR-plcbjhIRFsuAfIl1xJDRLRci5W7hez3t62NzCbmSJPvxhp_T0tD9-ulkVu3095uo-0pKDN3bBQMCM0NbI3aLSQoNycdqz6I1eZ7sLiANueRsM3hDtzqi25uyNkYwcXqlfIRI2cdADyxAKZIL9Mctyi2L4WNmr4AtABAWqCJz2-A/w300-h400/IMG_2967.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 September - a top layer of compost</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I thought it was also a good time to try to clear the pond, before anything began to hibernate. One end of the pond had become completely engulfed with couch grass which was now growing in the pond and choking the irises.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfUr1Wh1_9bgn9vKD57N642RM91apat4FUFnR2b09cg1ggLKlK6skR7UrNQ9_Gp7EoDe8AMcg1ZyTPSmAHLnvkH0KhdwcRZa5PsXDHt3YmgSxJEGhhsNE1E4zx_MTExG-DGAYy4u5SIfYSNKJCVTCpKvlw-nIgv6CiauNZjmVT64Srb5KQq5L1EyTZA/s4032/IMG_2968.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfUr1Wh1_9bgn9vKD57N642RM91apat4FUFnR2b09cg1ggLKlK6skR7UrNQ9_Gp7EoDe8AMcg1ZyTPSmAHLnvkH0KhdwcRZa5PsXDHt3YmgSxJEGhhsNE1E4zx_MTExG-DGAYy4u5SIfYSNKJCVTCpKvlw-nIgv6CiauNZjmVT64Srb5KQq5L1EyTZA/w300-h400/IMG_2968.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 September: Pond - couch grass removed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfNdazG2cqF6pWrTCoRQX4wLpKSiQsIfa_2Dx2u8icRoby1rlOKoJe-tUowxlnwzPfkQtmrQ9BXcKE6YyyTgMoFQ28OftX4qbgHiaOrREkKONLeqd5WsiIHwtB1uksFu1AOmrOEQyZreBDp9Cr6KimCBAvFKfe9KPLpqlBOXpmsIL_k8NC0p4hvEGVA/s4032/IMG_2969.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfNdazG2cqF6pWrTCoRQX4wLpKSiQsIfa_2Dx2u8icRoby1rlOKoJe-tUowxlnwzPfkQtmrQ9BXcKE6YyyTgMoFQ28OftX4qbgHiaOrREkKONLeqd5WsiIHwtB1uksFu1AOmrOEQyZreBDp9Cr6KimCBAvFKfe9KPLpqlBOXpmsIL_k8NC0p4hvEGVA/w300-h400/IMG_2969.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 September - matted roots of couch grass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>I removed the growing basket containing the iris and put in a bucket of water awaiting removal of any remaining couch grass.</div><div><br /></div><div>At home, I had a completely own grown salad of tomatoes, beetroot, and potato salad of <i>Charlotte </i>potatoes with chives.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_JucRVf9D4K-QemrNS6ZnzVIeRlVFHN4vSSN0prs3LlM_ldKL-sJEBL2JYiI2-kQ61-dG070A1OPSnTrjoduLiDhn8itr4iv6z7ipVrdhu6Id9UC-7A0eACuzlK-JKOgba-lqE2Vc15mBpIjnI0rQjlL1Vh466RyUmMhGAFMf-mfveV6txev-EhG8Q/s3227/IMG_2970.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3227" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_JucRVf9D4K-QemrNS6ZnzVIeRlVFHN4vSSN0prs3LlM_ldKL-sJEBL2JYiI2-kQ61-dG070A1OPSnTrjoduLiDhn8itr4iv6z7ipVrdhu6Id9UC-7A0eACuzlK-JKOgba-lqE2Vc15mBpIjnI0rQjlL1Vh466RyUmMhGAFMf-mfveV6txev-EhG8Q/s320/IMG_2970.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 September - Home grown salad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">In the garden, the chilli peppers were thriving.</span></div><div><span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDqYh05sojrMJ1SsoXNuDGp50h7g3X_W6l8Yh-R3ZAdygP9omIR1gpK7LstsSrhll1O62UYa4bFZKjUh7OaSzjdHG5LzGJU3IcskNhTdViuoVtKsih259X61i-bweCFkbI7sBYMJG2VMPYkBCojgeHg50UITPXfGWf9KUEtqx4TfncjR0niBbZ4XjGQ/s3545/IMG_2971.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3545" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsDqYh05sojrMJ1SsoXNuDGp50h7g3X_W6l8Yh-R3ZAdygP9omIR1gpK7LstsSrhll1O62UYa4bFZKjUh7OaSzjdHG5LzGJU3IcskNhTdViuoVtKsih259X61i-bweCFkbI7sBYMJG2VMPYkBCojgeHg50UITPXfGWf9KUEtqx4TfncjR0niBbZ4XjGQ/w341-h400/IMG_2971.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 Sept - <i>Scotch bonnet </i>chilli</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNRoRS7iyvTesSSH_zussmlTZolwkg64DDqNuWPASoAGt561rmCuxNKZU74sgrHOH66saUvcVJz0iPwqLaxwG7hWAWxvGsdOithheK7fUro7QGe44gfnWe2C0FIb6q-HLsuidho891eMPDny7uGzDKZzh2sehnQCLuFMzx65n0B73Rd9Iod2XGUAtMA/s4032/IMG_2972.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNRoRS7iyvTesSSH_zussmlTZolwkg64DDqNuWPASoAGt561rmCuxNKZU74sgrHOH66saUvcVJz0iPwqLaxwG7hWAWxvGsdOithheK7fUro7QGe44gfnWe2C0FIb6q-HLsuidho891eMPDny7uGzDKZzh2sehnQCLuFMzx65n0B73Rd9Iod2XGUAtMA/w300-h400/IMG_2972.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 Sept - <i>Orange habanero </i> chill</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIultBB5rxtR-xbHP02wlpnEGFv_ibV_-YEcEeDk8m69691Y6eaq_Gix8PfKpbZ_j6YBrMQ3liKTe4PoXjmKS9XrTB5sOeGnv5VFFCwXvByjw9RUFKYHP1Yi9wDcK067wf4x4IJ61JoNEQEg6hIJl4gphi5JVUA9R80TV5yQI57qcL9fzYYB6F8-fMIg/s4032/IMG_2973.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIultBB5rxtR-xbHP02wlpnEGFv_ibV_-YEcEeDk8m69691Y6eaq_Gix8PfKpbZ_j6YBrMQ3liKTe4PoXjmKS9XrTB5sOeGnv5VFFCwXvByjw9RUFKYHP1Yi9wDcK067wf4x4IJ61JoNEQEg6hIJl4gphi5JVUA9R80TV5yQI57qcL9fzYYB6F8-fMIg/w300-h400/IMG_2973.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 Sept - <i>Basket of Fire </i>chillies</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="font-size: large;">The allotment was looking a lot tidier.</div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkhr6gwsWLu3dxx0axdNeRWFezzF7zE0azwgPMdAokBrUxXqpn0aAH7NJzUMR6MTxnTxItshiBReQvShH7t6fU1cEK3IvIC5WzPR5zQ37qE9ZYvGcnHq55CeS_gmLAVLQzOIineijtHGtj2G5YTOPOXyAzK2kLlfRIvnUalsSAeFWbycEGh1tgc-Weg/s4032/IMG_2981.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkhr6gwsWLu3dxx0axdNeRWFezzF7zE0azwgPMdAokBrUxXqpn0aAH7NJzUMR6MTxnTxItshiBReQvShH7t6fU1cEK3IvIC5WzPR5zQ37qE9ZYvGcnHq55CeS_gmLAVLQzOIineijtHGtj2G5YTOPOXyAzK2kLlfRIvnUalsSAeFWbycEGh1tgc-Weg/w300-h400/IMG_2981.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 September - plot 247/2</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u20gLwiDgnU5oMDKLb90-IxmjEvsZRd8cimOatj22PHZNpDIDbYXfz1oq56fO19PX9NyoyT6OhL03OZcRlLvavVr6Tqx05prMwZRJT0jaGyd8d2bB4eXD00XwjHz_Da83H8CYV7wiOBAKw6GDc5XbULFs_6xArw0ifHGlqeCiOQE-Musmm6zXAeANA/s4032/IMG_2983.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u20gLwiDgnU5oMDKLb90-IxmjEvsZRd8cimOatj22PHZNpDIDbYXfz1oq56fO19PX9NyoyT6OhL03OZcRlLvavVr6Tqx05prMwZRJT0jaGyd8d2bB4eXD00XwjHz_Da83H8CYV7wiOBAKw6GDc5XbULFs_6xArw0ifHGlqeCiOQE-Musmm6zXAeANA/w300-h400/IMG_2983.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 September - Plot 247/1</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: large; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQe2FeYVD243-3XrZKMvbbWd__RLrDJIFAx5il-zeLEg2CmBEyTnZCjoOv2Cc3ueei-oJlEfzT3xKKzM12_ykvwfJh5zybKDE_IFMPLmmFQMrhSZADpfQTQHuwpschWPwfKt3MnShwEO0XCoK0ZtVEA6GNaEvudas6HIcQHN_oPb7xjiN2BGaSsmiew/s4032/IMG_2984.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQe2FeYVD243-3XrZKMvbbWd__RLrDJIFAx5il-zeLEg2CmBEyTnZCjoOv2Cc3ueei-oJlEfzT3xKKzM12_ykvwfJh5zybKDE_IFMPLmmFQMrhSZADpfQTQHuwpschWPwfKt3MnShwEO0XCoK0ZtVEA6GNaEvudas6HIcQHN_oPb7xjiN2BGaSsmiew/w300-h400/IMG_2984.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">20 September - Plot 247/2</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The following week started cooler with a maximum of 17C during the day and down to 9C at night. The allotment was neglected for a while as we had visitors staying and we didn't return until <b>Wednedsay 28th. </b>The squashes were nearing harvest time but were not as large as last year, probably as a result of the drought.</span></div></div><div style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKijXnQbJNq4Jv-xjaJkxgz7bQ-Dx5lciDq0aSE1At-9Zw24RNsEk_KQCWH7aU5TdjAO9jnRHfp1IHKFV8NjnwZ217WZ1JZV3nKWhrx7xNNyaB-VwT0OY_czLDnpW9bHYN3z4DSMALJ93SN2ORFb1RgBG5itJpYtSOjh2gcxsp2P16kdNvQIWldoVOg/s4032/IMG_3066.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKijXnQbJNq4Jv-xjaJkxgz7bQ-Dx5lciDq0aSE1At-9Zw24RNsEk_KQCWH7aU5TdjAO9jnRHfp1IHKFV8NjnwZ217WZ1JZV3nKWhrx7xNNyaB-VwT0OY_czLDnpW9bHYN3z4DSMALJ93SN2ORFb1RgBG5itJpYtSOjh2gcxsp2P16kdNvQIWldoVOg/w300-h400/IMG_3066.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 September - <i>Butternut </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRVvWUmsvP5llTdWcwJC6QaCkcwf-xklgiTJ_ms5rbC59fKEDcnWEA5OJQ41hd4M8_5wuasXuAnm6woMZ8v5u0S8KW8qX22w5GAFyLU3b5UjwjwoQKuNgWIANEu_NjlUnLlwSNaNEB4lOe5too94QlnEVKAdTMZUffT_mCdhMP9NTWqFJmdpzPihL5g/s4032/IMG_3068.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRVvWUmsvP5llTdWcwJC6QaCkcwf-xklgiTJ_ms5rbC59fKEDcnWEA5OJQ41hd4M8_5wuasXuAnm6woMZ8v5u0S8KW8qX22w5GAFyLU3b5UjwjwoQKuNgWIANEu_NjlUnLlwSNaNEB4lOe5too94QlnEVKAdTMZUffT_mCdhMP9NTWqFJmdpzPihL5g/s320/IMG_3068.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 September - <i>Butternut </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZRGE5-e2lx6S3x6NjIT5jv-gq89x_E30117aVFeDV2JA1obKMcqENMy00QpF0r17rJt74Jr8keDA-LmQksA-f4v27928hHq4Re0dD5P6XE-fvk-HnjWMocVxXbdQ5s2cmrfNP0EQlrCGOTG3YFRrPVU9jNGWMX7dhGiIjD7lXjePLWd_NGr8eZe5Vw/s4032/IMG_3069.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZRGE5-e2lx6S3x6NjIT5jv-gq89x_E30117aVFeDV2JA1obKMcqENMy00QpF0r17rJt74Jr8keDA-LmQksA-f4v27928hHq4Re0dD5P6XE-fvk-HnjWMocVxXbdQ5s2cmrfNP0EQlrCGOTG3YFRrPVU9jNGWMX7dhGiIjD7lXjePLWd_NGr8eZe5Vw/w400-h300/IMG_3069.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 September - <i>Butternut </i>& <i>Chioggia </i>squashes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HqVJDgKU5vvclL44iEgbijFhlyqzkI6qh9-WcVvl6rPD7kzYskP4y8p2ucbaWvcBUDd2Al7js78sz3s9pmIUin8sPuVQTlC8AJft45m6i0cBive-N79JufXLidD98m-x6ir02gLMHY2peKCGYfxseMAoGDtwmwDY3o-EH_aF3q0yEJFUkQi6bna2Pw/s4032/IMG_3070.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HqVJDgKU5vvclL44iEgbijFhlyqzkI6qh9-WcVvl6rPD7kzYskP4y8p2ucbaWvcBUDd2Al7js78sz3s9pmIUin8sPuVQTlC8AJft45m6i0cBive-N79JufXLidD98m-x6ir02gLMHY2peKCGYfxseMAoGDtwmwDY3o-EH_aF3q0yEJFUkQi6bna2Pw/w400-h300/IMG_3070.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 September - <i>Crown Prince </i>squash</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This was our last visit in September as we were off to London for the weekend for the London Marathon.</div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: large;">It was definitely feeling autumnal, quite sunny with clear blue skies during the day but feeling chilly with the night temperature down to 8C. Summer is definitely over.</div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><h2 style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="color: red;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180;">Hove, September 2022</span></h2><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div><div style="font-size: large;"><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-62822288375705438022022-09-20T06:29:00.001-07:002022-09-20T06:29:44.363-07:00Life on The Weald - August 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - August 2022</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">& in the garden and kitchen</span></h2><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLB4mk70W8oTtEByCfSWbZE9AS5-iVlPCNDsjhl-qjOMJ5RnpC4Nom1BRRUsR0o25S5LjTkMlU__WKG-NnCTlnan5QbqYYZQyoxfJyE0If-5JGo0dBq-S1QbOcFa3nYuvbynI9Rv-gruvTEaTTjFZRBD147yeLrJjWLMYPTub9oZFsTb3xhPDA8fkWKg/s4032/IMG_2816%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLB4mk70W8oTtEByCfSWbZE9AS5-iVlPCNDsjhl-qjOMJ5RnpC4Nom1BRRUsR0o25S5LjTkMlU__WKG-NnCTlnan5QbqYYZQyoxfJyE0If-5JGo0dBq-S1QbOcFa3nYuvbynI9Rv-gruvTEaTTjFZRBD147yeLrJjWLMYPTub9oZFsTb3xhPDA8fkWKg/w480-h640/IMG_2816%20(1).jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Weald allotment, Hove - August 2022</span></td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">July was the driest and hottest on record and August started in the same vein with hose-pipe bans in some parts of the country and an official drought declared by the Environment Agency in several regions (including the South East) on </span><b style="font-family: arial;">12 August.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The butternut squashes had not fared well during the drought but the <i>Crown Prince, Tromboncinos </i>and <i>pumpkins</i> seemed to be surviving but smaller and less prolific than previous years, and the Courgettes and cucumbers were doing well. We also had a reasonable crop of climbing French beans</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdi1-VwPMHW0lBYzDDYVjm6U83LxmB_BQY_qd_k6KcHmg9tPxlGglJwat-QhGqZoK7-Mn2PRXWQv_G_qWGhEyAa8utuWIbP9f50mmfDCbZfX2DZVO6ed4TNZ7ZKRB3xqbnuV-i8h5B6D05HotYNqVEsP3g0kjX1BI7hf7MIF7F7XtYs8w6oj-YGRBKQ/s4032/IMG_2375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdi1-VwPMHW0lBYzDDYVjm6U83LxmB_BQY_qd_k6KcHmg9tPxlGglJwat-QhGqZoK7-Mn2PRXWQv_G_qWGhEyAa8utuWIbP9f50mmfDCbZfX2DZVO6ed4TNZ7ZKRB3xqbnuV-i8h5B6D05HotYNqVEsP3g0kjX1BI7hf7MIF7F7XtYs8w6oj-YGRBKQ/w300-h400/IMG_2375.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 August - pumpkin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_Ym753bucHVBNgwumbW-RC7x8zEbZVUbI2ZNfQsHPNB5IeQRAZhtT_pkwL2Hwr-Zg-YmGgiS3Gpg3w9NViJcp2wXSIk2XfYJurbdwSCRFhBuQhBZIRjgjxxEk-YS6sKFoSUm4xdbP0gBR9Ddka1YA-PoaiU7LhSrZ0771_SXaVD7H_aeykCT0rMCoQ/s4032/IMG_2376.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_Ym753bucHVBNgwumbW-RC7x8zEbZVUbI2ZNfQsHPNB5IeQRAZhtT_pkwL2Hwr-Zg-YmGgiS3Gpg3w9NViJcp2wXSIk2XfYJurbdwSCRFhBuQhBZIRjgjxxEk-YS6sKFoSUm4xdbP0gBR9Ddka1YA-PoaiU7LhSrZ0771_SXaVD7H_aeykCT0rMCoQ/w300-h400/IMG_2376.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 August - tromboncinos</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqp5gJNtPbIsIPjUE4MBClFZaQJFyEqrXmHqyf0hSJkrFSuM7udLS5TokA0RUqyoUKRhTYLc4a2_3VmIzPDkBw8ChQLHHO5rLY1xs_s_WPy3-LkUrI_wRhllAGlGH_z4MluISbppVhAceamK8bV-OYt74-B-8yqPgaL-6s7yf6B8bRfeylhhKrdnbMg/s3453/IMG_2377.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2546" data-original-width="3453" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIqp5gJNtPbIsIPjUE4MBClFZaQJFyEqrXmHqyf0hSJkrFSuM7udLS5TokA0RUqyoUKRhTYLc4a2_3VmIzPDkBw8ChQLHHO5rLY1xs_s_WPy3-LkUrI_wRhllAGlGH_z4MluISbppVhAceamK8bV-OYt74-B-8yqPgaL-6s7yf6B8bRfeylhhKrdnbMg/w400-h295/IMG_2377.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 August - French beans, cucumbers and courgettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I picked some of the Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella) that had gone to seed. I saved the seeds and used the dried stems for decoration at home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gKEFQ0CW7MyEiVkwTxy9HI44N39Wi3iwhBYTZqEy8SYdiMUmGVg_9D-n6pe43ATgKnMISoGAyfD42Tygq8vuKs8rkbcshjvuXiVkj1NN3_3e2qBImR9xaC9MccIZ8rIPONpY51_NQsXAp1Xa944AR93UMY_OTV3XYbTe3emUhpZEWQEr3jq6Io8CHw/s4032/IMG_2380.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9gKEFQ0CW7MyEiVkwTxy9HI44N39Wi3iwhBYTZqEy8SYdiMUmGVg_9D-n6pe43ATgKnMISoGAyfD42Tygq8vuKs8rkbcshjvuXiVkj1NN3_3e2qBImR9xaC9MccIZ8rIPONpY51_NQsXAp1Xa944AR93UMY_OTV3XYbTe3emUhpZEWQEr3jq6Io8CHw/w300-h400/IMG_2380.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 August - Love-in-a-mist <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also picked some of the <i>Banana chillies (yellow wax)</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MLZe4BAx-TiSrC0OJsBYRqL4kXvojZgN4jrWEjdVBNIbJVNsPmQffoaQrmm8NFandcJpW5FgGapEuy_xQFRvdFMDk8z8W4DYihAOejvtUP_Ix0FijJ829L4zqMuwg89op9t3XlFKnPkGAnZug-RofAxPUQzHgWU8lPvdLKAkPSjnNzeeWbUpTVqhmQ/s2855/IMG_2383.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2855" data-original-width="2551" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MLZe4BAx-TiSrC0OJsBYRqL4kXvojZgN4jrWEjdVBNIbJVNsPmQffoaQrmm8NFandcJpW5FgGapEuy_xQFRvdFMDk8z8W4DYihAOejvtUP_Ix0FijJ829L4zqMuwg89op9t3XlFKnPkGAnZug-RofAxPUQzHgWU8lPvdLKAkPSjnNzeeWbUpTVqhmQ/w358-h400/IMG_2383.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 August - Banana chillies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I will leave the <i>Crown Prince </i>squashes until next month but in the meantime, the <i>Patty Pan </i>can be harvested.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_QY-qVk1gQHxyDu1kC2GcwII14pHBpITiUhQpG4KqciRM8JiEZrSIIlzjEIV1bV3TEPYADuJPx8AlTB29s4Ipey_aSJMII0iVbHByiamo9hlgNTho5sapY1Vx34lrqxh-1ZDXjwNjRQUpQqNIJwmYxvwI6fDuvkpldKLmSGGPjAakgAquaU2HDmPmw/s4032/IMG_2384.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_QY-qVk1gQHxyDu1kC2GcwII14pHBpITiUhQpG4KqciRM8JiEZrSIIlzjEIV1bV3TEPYADuJPx8AlTB29s4Ipey_aSJMII0iVbHByiamo9hlgNTho5sapY1Vx34lrqxh-1ZDXjwNjRQUpQqNIJwmYxvwI6fDuvkpldKLmSGGPjAakgAquaU2HDmPmw/w400-h300/IMG_2384.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 August - <i>Crown Prince squash</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrn4xArX361sV01wtl5igvGGmNb_P4PUNOQzwlIdovCuQFlFMBya-3xnMEUZFoYr74jv3RfVcCFb3WAtOidAR7EpttRDbdWP_qxscV2iXoavEGBBALX5u6S5VOyg9iZAPeOuu8kaacyc7qgXzp0XpMdTpa4GROns2cu3R_rmB9oh_l7_Qsze3hjR4GQ/s4032/IMG_2385.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJrn4xArX361sV01wtl5igvGGmNb_P4PUNOQzwlIdovCuQFlFMBya-3xnMEUZFoYr74jv3RfVcCFb3WAtOidAR7EpttRDbdWP_qxscV2iXoavEGBBALX5u6S5VOyg9iZAPeOuu8kaacyc7qgXzp0XpMdTpa4GROns2cu3R_rmB9oh_l7_Qsze3hjR4GQ/w300-h400/IMG_2385.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 August - Patty pan squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, some of the tomatoes were showing signs that they might ripen soon - its a bit like watching paint dry! Or what's that saying about watched kettles?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVW_o5SuOmf1Gr5YZq2KhZNBDWKgSQFX-zV_q34ENH6ea8mOFPdXYBSMr1Rid8yydYGlEyznh55tkufxoBGB1PdcRW2kbQgf-vbpbDzoK9TeJWiULimYnZx75W3VpFxJlHCRdCeLvAeJNdiJXvLpkXKVi3e1on678RLvqW4aYGlKTeHqg7iIvo9wOFIA/s2500/IMG_2391.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1910" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVW_o5SuOmf1Gr5YZq2KhZNBDWKgSQFX-zV_q34ENH6ea8mOFPdXYBSMr1Rid8yydYGlEyznh55tkufxoBGB1PdcRW2kbQgf-vbpbDzoK9TeJWiULimYnZx75W3VpFxJlHCRdCeLvAeJNdiJXvLpkXKVi3e1on678RLvqW4aYGlKTeHqg7iIvo9wOFIA/w305-h400/IMG_2391.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 August - tomatoes (<i>Marmande)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxb0NMLDBJ4FURYgaZz5WvFXveX_obgUvkC1tG3SWyDCu46_4AOoxn7BJdcLOrb7L7AQf7bpN607zJdWCUM-k-OBvwhnlmfLZo1dsZK6MafYkpmmgmVhswA6Ze8pSYjVzj3WzJR_848E2PM1-uK3kl3T28Pv1yTNwQv_QGYdCYqmv0nwXFP8soxh3Lw/s2555/IMG_2392.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2555" data-original-width="2526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxb0NMLDBJ4FURYgaZz5WvFXveX_obgUvkC1tG3SWyDCu46_4AOoxn7BJdcLOrb7L7AQf7bpN607zJdWCUM-k-OBvwhnlmfLZo1dsZK6MafYkpmmgmVhswA6Ze8pSYjVzj3WzJR_848E2PM1-uK3kl3T28Pv1yTNwQv_QGYdCYqmv0nwXFP8soxh3Lw/s320/IMG_2392.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4 August - tomatoes (<i>Super Mama)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We had family visiting for a few days in August and then there was <i>Pride </i>weekend so the allotment got a bit neglected. I did manage to lift some of the 2nd Early <i>Nicola </i>potatoes and was very pleased that they were pest free and showed no signs of blight or scab. I am hoping that the <i>Charlotte </i>will also have fared well. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gt89wwSWtastyRXumN7oe7FkIsSLD_RhunkTCIfsYZTqskOMlLe_qDZHSvL-tbztsIPxmXGlYLkPw2ng6tCWd9wV3GcV9pVUWXnjO5PTxAUWIz4F32zN7VqKfU6OJSU2fWscs7q4RA-W-S15WfLq2QeDca9Asumoek4uy4AiPbPelhDoCnfYg52TRw/s2645/IMG_2411.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2645" data-original-width="2186" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gt89wwSWtastyRXumN7oe7FkIsSLD_RhunkTCIfsYZTqskOMlLe_qDZHSvL-tbztsIPxmXGlYLkPw2ng6tCWd9wV3GcV9pVUWXnjO5PTxAUWIz4F32zN7VqKfU6OJSU2fWscs7q4RA-W-S15WfLq2QeDca9Asumoek4uy4AiPbPelhDoCnfYg52TRw/s320/IMG_2411.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 August - <i>Nicola </i>potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the mini-greenhouse on the plot, the chillies were doing well but I noticed brown lines on the <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">jalapeños and wondered what the cause might be so I looked it up and found that it was both significant and common. The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">jalapeño heat level varies from mild to hot depending on growing conditions and can be from a few thousand to over 10,000 </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Scoville scale">Scoville</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> heat units.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"> The number of brown scars on the pepper is known as 'corking', and is an indicator of heat level. Growing conditions which increase heat level also cause the pepper to form scars.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS_hwFckOSiWBHhlGatQH9olhBlYHzRfZsHKPX-OCw7ncLVFXORvGP006oTXxEi_otfxJfPE7XEHvEq2ItPFsAuKxa0FDU9D7C6d6SjPFTalGZUhj5jdAHB7RbnZyNMnvxDcX-1vqT7d2-Mzku3omcFftcB6cFylStolU9OZ6TUEkg6hCrINLx0Qbhw/s4032/IMG_2412.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS_hwFckOSiWBHhlGatQH9olhBlYHzRfZsHKPX-OCw7ncLVFXORvGP006oTXxEi_otfxJfPE7XEHvEq2ItPFsAuKxa0FDU9D7C6d6SjPFTalGZUhj5jdAHB7RbnZyNMnvxDcX-1vqT7d2-Mzku3omcFftcB6cFylStolU9OZ6TUEkg6hCrINLx0Qbhw/w300-h400/IMG_2412.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 August - Orange Habaneros</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEsl1WiL4SPtDGRSfiDKnP35zzT7TXnuo_-3Iyq3cXAaII1QQ1gqACO9GytBiHcQXjEXVatwcksnCrJwFg0bacBq7VIF8cMG95R4fkIDsA4CNP40bRgBaJ6Q4z68FgqBDTkYvIai47DtCdsCC0cgKXMFRCb40JVVYUuLEn7K0F5-hiaPgTGV_N1KM7A/s4032/IMG_2413.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEsl1WiL4SPtDGRSfiDKnP35zzT7TXnuo_-3Iyq3cXAaII1QQ1gqACO9GytBiHcQXjEXVatwcksnCrJwFg0bacBq7VIF8cMG95R4fkIDsA4CNP40bRgBaJ6Q4z68FgqBDTkYvIai47DtCdsCC0cgKXMFRCb40JVVYUuLEn7K0F5-hiaPgTGV_N1KM7A/w300-h400/IMG_2413.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">7 August - Jalapeño </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk-Fdbl8sOZOH7wZIKl1V7xxM0V3YiiyLK1dlywY7eeykQbamd9kdp1oFfZrUeUd-HMBBwKkD_EruihGal8goqddsHCsE-L2bp4HvGqdhPgB6Tnoaqm9qG5L9a6-Zwv-ug1DTyJtZSKxc-_GwSwyooCA8YQjmte78D7Hcfl_QS-CQDD5cvaqE65QJfg/s1002/IMG_2413%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="752" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHk-Fdbl8sOZOH7wZIKl1V7xxM0V3YiiyLK1dlywY7eeykQbamd9kdp1oFfZrUeUd-HMBBwKkD_EruihGal8goqddsHCsE-L2bp4HvGqdhPgB6Tnoaqm9qG5L9a6-Zwv-ug1DTyJtZSKxc-_GwSwyooCA8YQjmte78D7Hcfl_QS-CQDD5cvaqE65QJfg/w300-h400/IMG_2413%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<span style="font-family: arial;">Corking</span>"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I picked the yellow wax (banana) chillies that were growing outside. There were courgettes and <i>patty-pan </i>squashes to harvest and I also picked some of the climbing French beans and some purple dwarf ones.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-h-L87TsoQ7JSsONWUM8RCaQ98WHhK-ZAkVVS1OyGYOpiwfsbCTSY5uZ4_Uk5QFkkcIYoSRLX97zeAbg26B5ey-GcG2XSDCjxj6TCb0LTo3_kZbNTqCWCTgLAOvMWhsbOkVCGxr8b0Ij4jmGANcAgHTDfXvZSWVr2QA91gcWk7kwcpotIiMTzvloUw/s4032/IMG_2463.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-h-L87TsoQ7JSsONWUM8RCaQ98WHhK-ZAkVVS1OyGYOpiwfsbCTSY5uZ4_Uk5QFkkcIYoSRLX97zeAbg26B5ey-GcG2XSDCjxj6TCb0LTo3_kZbNTqCWCTgLAOvMWhsbOkVCGxr8b0Ij4jmGANcAgHTDfXvZSWVr2QA91gcWk7kwcpotIiMTzvloUw/w300-h400/IMG_2463.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">7 August -Courgettes, beans, peppers & squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, the Orange Habaneros were ripening</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd-3I79Z9hjgecM-eoEzrvc2_GQ1OhtzPQoBkbJQgbClZPggbaQ2_tVonFIneq7lZrS_UIyJ9q5Is28V_-zy3M-z_WV-MgwxgxT4moMxOVorovqg7ocNJqoMbxmuuODsagOXnfciHjdgx32O6UEMt_8PQZvmSEfiE5VcGWaE_moV7KBEbeQiop5GfNQ/s1440/E818C52B-7B07-4473-84FD-85F2BBBBF791.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd-3I79Z9hjgecM-eoEzrvc2_GQ1OhtzPQoBkbJQgbClZPggbaQ2_tVonFIneq7lZrS_UIyJ9q5Is28V_-zy3M-z_WV-MgwxgxT4moMxOVorovqg7ocNJqoMbxmuuODsagOXnfciHjdgx32O6UEMt_8PQZvmSEfiE5VcGWaE_moV7KBEbeQiop5GfNQ/s320/E818C52B-7B07-4473-84FD-85F2BBBBF791.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 August - Orange habanero</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>10 August </b>beefsteak tomatoes seemed resistant to ripening, despite all the sunshine we have had - am I being too impatient? (It's the watched kettle phenomenon again)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3bLSMZSxVg-CUtMLp-A547E7nvpJ4AE7r8FvR88h5VJV3P6_HKDk8L38-_c3--4-UGsKohhdSktJaqBGsc2UWZ1YOop4nODC_0zJtGrXv0XLT4uuLzYBH7Y-XqyE11V1sjoUcZyrjEfoyRA1HauMZ1WVawSdYx1ydECxdDqEVGNyLxsPfHW0ArZNlw/s2886/IMG_2499.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2886" data-original-width="2732" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3bLSMZSxVg-CUtMLp-A547E7nvpJ4AE7r8FvR88h5VJV3P6_HKDk8L38-_c3--4-UGsKohhdSktJaqBGsc2UWZ1YOop4nODC_0zJtGrXv0XLT4uuLzYBH7Y-XqyE11V1sjoUcZyrjEfoyRA1HauMZ1WVawSdYx1ydECxdDqEVGNyLxsPfHW0ArZNlw/s320/IMG_2499.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 August - <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There had been a delivery of tree prunings and woodchips on the allotment, so this was a cue to take advantage of the good weather and renew the central path and the paths between the beds. There was, however, a lot of couch grass and bindweed to be removed.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZzG5hKaEEb7wRw_ACabChWQWP1Lmn7Icyw4c6A6MckDBm2lSfsoPe4lJH5x8vQv_wdkjcFW_jZ_gvDs0iq2mkSgFusf-ztFQp_ei2pMBB6obvPVX1MuViuP3YxqdTn4FEVFccjd7JkHxeYoQpjd-ilpdghTS5r4ukOKTwGfWrDrhEvkSHySY9xbsoA/s1662/IMG_2502.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1438" data-original-width="1662" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ZzG5hKaEEb7wRw_ACabChWQWP1Lmn7Icyw4c6A6MckDBm2lSfsoPe4lJH5x8vQv_wdkjcFW_jZ_gvDs0iq2mkSgFusf-ztFQp_ei2pMBB6obvPVX1MuViuP3YxqdTn4FEVFccjd7JkHxeYoQpjd-ilpdghTS5r4ukOKTwGfWrDrhEvkSHySY9xbsoA/w400-h346/IMG_2502.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 August - bindweed and couch grass roots</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Having removed the weeds, I laid a layer of cardboard and spread the wood chips on top.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS9NfcefyHOCfeo0CNLZfLWcQqrkyaylTZCLY75vKIgpOsNlPjYLQVhbrtYnGBFYIQ0-RdpdJKRWuB2f2u-b5r4YB6inPJMG1M0GwNmL2N389Evdu3obVgrLLxJ1taP8IOx1G-eV03uL63_mMD93VP8oOQ37aFQY4wBJCxlNOmwk0SoWfPQqIz9mwuw/s4032/IMG_2501.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS9NfcefyHOCfeo0CNLZfLWcQqrkyaylTZCLY75vKIgpOsNlPjYLQVhbrtYnGBFYIQ0-RdpdJKRWuB2f2u-b5r4YB6inPJMG1M0GwNmL2N389Evdu3obVgrLLxJ1taP8IOx1G-eV03uL63_mMD93VP8oOQ37aFQY4wBJCxlNOmwk0SoWfPQqIz9mwuw/w300-h400/IMG_2501.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 August - footpath renewal</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykc3PfDKEdqUi_VmUIQuj3S5arb-L7CPfnScbV-XHEf8RhJeJ-P2UcllK90YFWw2G5gIL5ScE411Y19kIS818t96SD3BTM6ceXK7eRpFmL3jOJZj5gyL_B1WlEpW9pe1WpdmfwFX_Vxm7yYZIFDp7eOudeBcBZMKMg1OtukiPUqZabXdf742g4c6P9Q/s4032/IMG_2503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiykc3PfDKEdqUi_VmUIQuj3S5arb-L7CPfnScbV-XHEf8RhJeJ-P2UcllK90YFWw2G5gIL5ScE411Y19kIS818t96SD3BTM6ceXK7eRpFmL3jOJZj5gyL_B1WlEpW9pe1WpdmfwFX_Vxm7yYZIFDp7eOudeBcBZMKMg1OtukiPUqZabXdf742g4c6P9Q/w300-h400/IMG_2503.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">10 August - footpath renewal<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On arrival on the plot on <b>13 August </b>I was confronted with swarms of flying ants - it must be "flying ant day"! Contrary to popular myth, however, there is no such thing as "Flying ant day" but the pehenomenen does occur around the same time each year, between July and August and follows a period of hot weather. The actual day will vary in different parts of the country and it is when the emerging new "queens" leave the nest with swarms of male ants, with whom they mate, and then go on to form a new colony.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Flying ant day is fairly harmless to humans but not very pleasant to experience.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeS3loG5nhTV2AchWCwNH_1pKPeo3NlWwzImb08C-14OW_YyG6GpRRYTcBZXs2qY_gVwesVM4oHnbFVTdEYy0ED4OPLoCaideSQfCuVRmZbhSKBQeDhtDWGe96EEmKHjiEN7eeUTHB3hMzQLk4MGjMT5XN_SoBREdgEGd8uisdgjJd5UA_PQbFhu_6Q/s1924/IMG_2534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1924" data-original-width="1326" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeS3loG5nhTV2AchWCwNH_1pKPeo3NlWwzImb08C-14OW_YyG6GpRRYTcBZXs2qY_gVwesVM4oHnbFVTdEYy0ED4OPLoCaideSQfCuVRmZbhSKBQeDhtDWGe96EEmKHjiEN7eeUTHB3hMzQLk4MGjMT5XN_SoBREdgEGd8uisdgjJd5UA_PQbFhu_6Q/w276-h400/IMG_2534.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Flying ant day"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was another warm dry day on <b>16 August </b>with temperatures in the low twenties. It was hot work, but I continued to renew the paths.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBse_PC2pxm0R0ssK9ih2L5_edzXUkCxD68ihBxzUBOXMwYeN4OwqX391VbRf9HcnOmY-xSd0A3XZN8J1Tyt6-_1weDaoQSSA1VgDZF6CWk0g0k9vTYKSDLGyRNnwfk5xcbkoWJwzosZzcBTUO82XSaPDQE-Y6CK0e80iMvYrzgb97BeZItxBrtro_Yw/s4032/IMG_2548.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBse_PC2pxm0R0ssK9ih2L5_edzXUkCxD68ihBxzUBOXMwYeN4OwqX391VbRf9HcnOmY-xSd0A3XZN8J1Tyt6-_1weDaoQSSA1VgDZF6CWk0g0k9vTYKSDLGyRNnwfk5xcbkoWJwzosZzcBTUO82XSaPDQE-Y6CK0e80iMvYrzgb97BeZItxBrtro_Yw/w300-h400/IMG_2548.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 August - path renewal</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was also time to harvest the <i>borlotto beans.</i></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmjpNdrjc9iAkr46v8IOsgcMrMkKc6iOmWV4ipp_g0gI2NAq9fq1dg1_BCbZw6EO7F46Yll4mqKKGvXKstWJkkZkW3KXSvsh5B_PGGlsSf-FJCM5Ty5ZpcHwTWeV-1rzqxgECFRjSntUBI--jE3qw95j7MZNzz0l8yMF3CN50IBX3lMHAs2qwNBGhwA/w300-h400/IMG_2552.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 August - <i>Borlotto </i>beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmjpNdrjc9iAkr46v8IOsgcMrMkKc6iOmWV4ipp_g0gI2NAq9fq1dg1_BCbZw6EO7F46Yll4mqKKGvXKstWJkkZkW3KXSvsh5B_PGGlsSf-FJCM5Ty5ZpcHwTWeV-1rzqxgECFRjSntUBI--jE3qw95j7MZNzz0l8yMF3CN50IBX3lMHAs2qwNBGhwA/s4032/IMG_2552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I took these home and laid on trays and left them in a sunny place indoors to ensure they were fully dried<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbjglrz6dnGJGPqJLyChuEKeM12OxmXiHtVTqDMTifztjin0hvtME_MfoIh6317oHT44ZmeDYR2FW1Qx_GCVlGRmjUmoQiN-4mBjjLcSOhviZVw6jxrCAqt5mscB9v3SGw9ps6SiOJ5i5w1wlh0ok7pzelrqlTUlm8lEa8iUrV8YBU0j2Vilq-4eabg/s3844/IMG_2557.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3844" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmbjglrz6dnGJGPqJLyChuEKeM12OxmXiHtVTqDMTifztjin0hvtME_MfoIh6317oHT44ZmeDYR2FW1Qx_GCVlGRmjUmoQiN-4mBjjLcSOhviZVw6jxrCAqt5mscB9v3SGw9ps6SiOJ5i5w1wlh0ok7pzelrqlTUlm8lEa8iUrV8YBU0j2Vilq-4eabg/w315-h400/IMG_2557.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Borlotto </i>beans drying</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst on the plot, I also lifted some more <i>Nicola </i>potatoes.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7K5JqjbCJMuPsR0PmjEHpLxN6IDzas-PdfqY2ttUdDh5qKwumWUwK0jwbr5v-PeUXz0keUiINqxHjsJXldRSV0HCHnUSARt-IXvIKuCoIq93IY4lluq0PwMdBF2TUM2lJaldPl7lK66qi72egI0jyDqdyNtXqO3jOEdi1kCvnHqBd0paDha8JIpvjEg/s4032/IMG_2551.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7K5JqjbCJMuPsR0PmjEHpLxN6IDzas-PdfqY2ttUdDh5qKwumWUwK0jwbr5v-PeUXz0keUiINqxHjsJXldRSV0HCHnUSARt-IXvIKuCoIq93IY4lluq0PwMdBF2TUM2lJaldPl7lK66qi72egI0jyDqdyNtXqO3jOEdi1kCvnHqBd0paDha8JIpvjEg/w300-h400/IMG_2551.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2nd Early <i>Nicola </i>potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At last, on <b>17 August</b>, the beefsteak tomatoes appeared to be ripening.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxm0RxQvrWMdhFdWQiJADubThsYqPx4j72qLjSkVlVtffwfIAmkZzyY9piEeMQlZ6cv7g2abx9PVyNzpk2q1nKcD53_EaHCFF6w7vViXckXbJ3EMZ4GqUkpa_pMasgBDdRMZ-Jeavn5-2sj8fGj-NhLB34jAq12jn38P6RMElxkurJt-GgoHP80s-yQ/s4032/IMG_2564.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSxm0RxQvrWMdhFdWQiJADubThsYqPx4j72qLjSkVlVtffwfIAmkZzyY9piEeMQlZ6cv7g2abx9PVyNzpk2q1nKcD53_EaHCFF6w7vViXckXbJ3EMZ4GqUkpa_pMasgBDdRMZ-Jeavn5-2sj8fGj-NhLB34jAq12jn38P6RMElxkurJt-GgoHP80s-yQ/w300-h400/IMG_2564.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">17 August - <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were about to go away for a few days to celebrate my 78th birthday so I gave the plot a good watering before we left in case the dry spell continued. We were spending a week in Holland and had glorious hot weather, although I was pleased to hear that there was some rain back home!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On our return on Friday <b>26 August </b>it was great to see that the tomatoes were ripening nicely and we had a good haul of both <i>Super Marmande </i>and <i>Yellow perfection </i>cherry ones.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkrekfR_dbVnxD8uSg7U-e9e4iQFEySLre0ZB_bmWVU-iCB3w9GlBlQWqDEDF7Nyju9PNKJCCqilJ9GNxSWV7VZaSuF7nMUALoohNdvWTr1DapVUlu0B92j6OlKLNme07sYMGb_0H-H7O9qE6LALVrR2MSptLDrrgk--HC_zDVNBmCpVAqmcPIwZVrA/s4032/IMG_2767.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkrekfR_dbVnxD8uSg7U-e9e4iQFEySLre0ZB_bmWVU-iCB3w9GlBlQWqDEDF7Nyju9PNKJCCqilJ9GNxSWV7VZaSuF7nMUALoohNdvWTr1DapVUlu0B92j6OlKLNme07sYMGb_0H-H7O9qE6LALVrR2MSptLDrrgk--HC_zDVNBmCpVAqmcPIwZVrA/w300-h400/IMG_2767.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - <i>Marmande </i>& <i>Yellow perfection </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The earlier sown beetroots were looking healthy and might be ready soon and the later sown ones had germinated.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzyZCtGcY7drzrlN8cGu4M7FKKaFoe66DlOzS_R8z-D-1sOOWNjQ8G3aTU4Mv4tk4taw30JHw_l60z2IF9ODCBRUuPN_pE9ZP0rAZriZ9Eb44l-jF_brxJbD2Txg6qRX3h5s07AjsKwJ9eF6EZD77r2hSEE-mqtDf7ClTb0c8j5Cu3XwdoVgCwD1q1w/s3311/IMG_2773.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3311" data-original-width="2936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzyZCtGcY7drzrlN8cGu4M7FKKaFoe66DlOzS_R8z-D-1sOOWNjQ8G3aTU4Mv4tk4taw30JHw_l60z2IF9ODCBRUuPN_pE9ZP0rAZriZ9Eb44l-jF_brxJbD2Txg6qRX3h5s07AjsKwJ9eF6EZD77r2hSEE-mqtDf7ClTb0c8j5Cu3XwdoVgCwD1q1w/w355-h400/IMG_2773.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - beetroots</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Crown Prince </i>squashes and pumpkin had benefited from the recent rain and had increased in size</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yyeHxwNdbEjN7MWOTTbtsU7AeNfyPIJaa-8KHhnTb-5d-g9cgefi-JSk5M_NNbI2DZHoQMZcCovWFZ_WPN0XBu7Txarxrlfnrbney31K2WvhtAg-acsxI6wuAo9ZWUKvq0UiEbp6ShtjyUfLRtlhoz4y-XSjtLoXlG1naTnMbkr0JEhqj2idqBT7gQ/s4032/IMG_2774.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yyeHxwNdbEjN7MWOTTbtsU7AeNfyPIJaa-8KHhnTb-5d-g9cgefi-JSk5M_NNbI2DZHoQMZcCovWFZ_WPN0XBu7Txarxrlfnrbney31K2WvhtAg-acsxI6wuAo9ZWUKvq0UiEbp6ShtjyUfLRtlhoz4y-XSjtLoXlG1naTnMbkr0JEhqj2idqBT7gQ/w300-h400/IMG_2774.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - <i>Crown Prince </i> squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBqmduUbjZyFvzJvVKBIJz0x_ZM9w9YCPVj3JNRbViSCavyBHB1py-YzjV9DI0ll-9xkkjMvXkPP_YjC-m_GpHFjD4G0B4rD-zBFi8KxuMYgKBvdT-OqUMWwEnKN8ylhNMePyrDeZc9OPsR2rA5XVZU4iL4ohqYlQlID5WoKFCz4jPlRd4UGmnfx5TA/s4032/IMG_2775.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiBqmduUbjZyFvzJvVKBIJz0x_ZM9w9YCPVj3JNRbViSCavyBHB1py-YzjV9DI0ll-9xkkjMvXkPP_YjC-m_GpHFjD4G0B4rD-zBFi8KxuMYgKBvdT-OqUMWwEnKN8ylhNMePyrDeZc9OPsR2rA5XVZU4iL4ohqYlQlID5WoKFCz4jPlRd4UGmnfx5TA/w300-h400/IMG_2775.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - Pumpkin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The purple dwarf French beans were flowering again so there are hopes of a new crop.</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tfj8RCPrBwSMqAvjX8ZH1GbhNbmm9Ppz8-G9dSkAxhRh-e5ELwecTmQJY_nB2jmxoUkVWtmxDqJRH4BbdJw7GEpqG4rgPyVixZgOwrIheMg_Gr1kiYAvo98_kkN5cExH-VkQKaxDy3i20ivBv903NDFFXCcWYPJzcAgIAtAcUSU3yK2TZowxDHKzbg/s4032/IMG_2776.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tfj8RCPrBwSMqAvjX8ZH1GbhNbmm9Ppz8-G9dSkAxhRh-e5ELwecTmQJY_nB2jmxoUkVWtmxDqJRH4BbdJw7GEpqG4rgPyVixZgOwrIheMg_Gr1kiYAvo98_kkN5cExH-VkQKaxDy3i20ivBv903NDFFXCcWYPJzcAgIAtAcUSU3yK2TZowxDHKzbg/w300-h400/IMG_2776.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - French beans flowering</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There were also more plums to be picked.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IJtzYItYgMKzI45Fds28T3O_UW6YKbLH_TPbKnSgqeo3Yib6nSRy9OUGl901lJPWZZXwEx4Vqto_Nrbr4yq6qIvb7j9l_4GsClgW5xnXqUvn3UC7OXKVLiyilKAsIvVBlPpsnsCYXwSi-LM0rQGzh5WAkbKRmIk8kkb4tg9M-izb5kFZNevnOC7mrA/s4032/IMG_2778.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IJtzYItYgMKzI45Fds28T3O_UW6YKbLH_TPbKnSgqeo3Yib6nSRy9OUGl901lJPWZZXwEx4Vqto_Nrbr4yq6qIvb7j9l_4GsClgW5xnXqUvn3UC7OXKVLiyilKAsIvVBlPpsnsCYXwSi-LM0rQGzh5WAkbKRmIk8kkb4tg9M-izb5kFZNevnOC7mrA/w300-h400/IMG_2778.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - plums on the tree</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupkHN1P3fVXcgwyDXLEpz-qDbMc4hUkDkXahr_9DhzH5uLDlXytPqQWCKyLGw9-RnXJQhk9H7FNOBSnU9wtxFc5oV4tkBFz_eXxgxYtwY_y2k35xyVU0yLeIHPu7qzARH_l1jARkJ5zfcF4n3P8yLJ7SBgDMHbQtBqGV1iLcE6sqN0jruMTJRUzCKTQ/s3195/IMG_2777.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="2199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupkHN1P3fVXcgwyDXLEpz-qDbMc4hUkDkXahr_9DhzH5uLDlXytPqQWCKyLGw9-RnXJQhk9H7FNOBSnU9wtxFc5oV4tkBFz_eXxgxYtwY_y2k35xyVU0yLeIHPu7qzARH_l1jARkJ5zfcF4n3P8yLJ7SBgDMHbQtBqGV1iLcE6sqN0jruMTJRUzCKTQ/w275-h400/IMG_2777.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - Plums for the eating<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXsjVQMd2vik2t4ZULP3cFs5tNQ61pG97BCDrYE15EtUDS7M-UM3rdxA8dqClt-E5ce4K28djSUxNqN57DttQiuBCHPts_UefxtLeu_dYuGKRTpzPB1Jlctjbv1Yh2qAYKdHmIVqwcRl7UhV2G8Uvw4UfqESg1bweMGWPsR-Ejvoj_fWlOtyrB7yISQ/s4032/IMG_2782.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXsjVQMd2vik2t4ZULP3cFs5tNQ61pG97BCDrYE15EtUDS7M-UM3rdxA8dqClt-E5ce4K28djSUxNqN57DttQiuBCHPts_UefxtLeu_dYuGKRTpzPB1Jlctjbv1Yh2qAYKdHmIVqwcRl7UhV2G8Uvw4UfqESg1bweMGWPsR-Ejvoj_fWlOtyrB7yISQ/w300-h400/IMG_2782.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - Cucumber on the vine</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz6SXZvxK9fljNcFIvySEDXqLSSCC1aO66sTBJns1mMlFzOww68l2qBhu3FFthjt3EXMEd9U7XY-TFvCZH8mXsdWLc7o-DunVnk7PG09sjtPefgznl6Pi-3Kqv-KfgpQjxGnNu3lfUCijZDtPx2mqWchtQdO8RB_OntR7qAOAy3I9_CGP6l1MqcsXdw/s2938/IMG_2786.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2540" data-original-width="2938" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAz6SXZvxK9fljNcFIvySEDXqLSSCC1aO66sTBJns1mMlFzOww68l2qBhu3FFthjt3EXMEd9U7XY-TFvCZH8mXsdWLc7o-DunVnk7PG09sjtPefgznl6Pi-3Kqv-KfgpQjxGnNu3lfUCijZDtPx2mqWchtQdO8RB_OntR7qAOAy3I9_CGP6l1MqcsXdw/w400-h346/IMG_2786.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - <i>Patty pan</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohpuV9y82lWbj-JCZVLJm9PT7fgEbsFdVYz2uhFgA-zwu5qxKCb_SMYP336oSsGny8aamT7WdP0TvdcOoPKldPMYYnGcMYkYucbOGWjh6SGfLEwEGNiSTW-lciNzue8fyBLMmi7Dr9a1UQ82VRski7yH-1Wey7tk5Ayqy_LqUjwA-EEpfGOEr5_5nAQ/s4032/IMG_2788%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohpuV9y82lWbj-JCZVLJm9PT7fgEbsFdVYz2uhFgA-zwu5qxKCb_SMYP336oSsGny8aamT7WdP0TvdcOoPKldPMYYnGcMYkYucbOGWjh6SGfLEwEGNiSTW-lciNzue8fyBLMmi7Dr9a1UQ82VRski7yH-1Wey7tk5Ayqy_LqUjwA-EEpfGOEr5_5nAQ/w300-h400/IMG_2788%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">26 August - good harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The month was drawing to a close and autumn is approaching but the temperature on <b>27 August </b>was still in the twenties. At home I was waiting for more tomatoes to ripen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJHGLVKMYpnHDPBFbX6EK7azIFOFP3cGyiRJEkoaToUFnb1Qm6VIjQVh3iZ8Jm-HjBFgW4NWaJjWL9q3H3cAC27DQr0uUZpjNmZwZEBuz8TYeR4M4m71EubLnJKJlFaYwDz_iuIeEEh28O3d0RzhIvPQ50FDR4iua23-6o-biVhyMBgjb9ctuOP01TQ/s1976/IMG_2789.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="1889" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJHGLVKMYpnHDPBFbX6EK7azIFOFP3cGyiRJEkoaToUFnb1Qm6VIjQVh3iZ8Jm-HjBFgW4NWaJjWL9q3H3cAC27DQr0uUZpjNmZwZEBuz8TYeR4M4m71EubLnJKJlFaYwDz_iuIeEEh28O3d0RzhIvPQ50FDR4iua23-6o-biVhyMBgjb9ctuOP01TQ/s320/IMG_2789.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 August - <i>Super Marmande</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But there were lots of other tomatoes to be picked as well as chillies</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYeJxyBLFOv6mgTmpLJX_bNMvYe48Yh7wU1HRYVHariUVZsDzOiHf4VERM4_SzadUN3sdW_naHSY-zSqfgKXcsBOvC9ucRC1Z0ysXQK8lNFEU1wU9HynT6V35twFnJMYyQn3chHSFJzztKbewC9m_I4khgiXLUMOkp1oyoPMMcvIOncHFnoBAkyClOw/s4032/IMG_2791.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYeJxyBLFOv6mgTmpLJX_bNMvYe48Yh7wU1HRYVHariUVZsDzOiHf4VERM4_SzadUN3sdW_naHSY-zSqfgKXcsBOvC9ucRC1Z0ysXQK8lNFEU1wU9HynT6V35twFnJMYyQn3chHSFJzztKbewC9m_I4khgiXLUMOkp1oyoPMMcvIOncHFnoBAkyClOw/w480-h640/IMG_2791.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 August - <i>Chocolate Cherry </i>tomatoes and <i>Habanero </i>chillies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7x6NJ5ePdQpSEEyj2pSqs8I-nOZNSBqZZ_49t_iOAq_zjsCU9BW7nnCh4H4MkKqH_7itoxsABCf-Lgd60snZNmnzHTGzMmNuM5vbK_hlDE6Osnv2WZiptJbkhD8mGvdu_okNxya4j-_yBxUmKkaAlPmR__6hh9Z0DKgpLd9CBVOrYi83XHa__y3xQQ/s2978/IMG_2796.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2869" data-original-width="2978" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI7x6NJ5ePdQpSEEyj2pSqs8I-nOZNSBqZZ_49t_iOAq_zjsCU9BW7nnCh4H4MkKqH_7itoxsABCf-Lgd60snZNmnzHTGzMmNuM5vbK_hlDE6Osnv2WZiptJbkhD8mGvdu_okNxya4j-_yBxUmKkaAlPmR__6hh9Z0DKgpLd9CBVOrYi83XHa__y3xQQ/w400-h385/IMG_2796.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 August - Tomato harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was decision time about the plums - and I decided to try a plum tarte tatine.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MKRaAn4rWP6lOMZUzJLBgdlb_Bm8QFKw4oEfJ9az8j5cfiMQ80vYbPDJzLQnOK7BEmI7QEGizElXjLXrTDz8cmV58xTVMUZv0cYT1kItjWkRjauW0amJD_Jhs46gxjpqIwQCpG6vPeUwi0YtPbhsGuUdl9YeZmsrFHQ3oiCxdbmDiqe22RWPg56T5A/s1676/1195B736-5319-478A-841F-EC98E41028F9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1676" data-original-width="1430" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7MKRaAn4rWP6lOMZUzJLBgdlb_Bm8QFKw4oEfJ9az8j5cfiMQ80vYbPDJzLQnOK7BEmI7QEGizElXjLXrTDz8cmV58xTVMUZv0cYT1kItjWkRjauW0amJD_Jhs46gxjpqIwQCpG6vPeUwi0YtPbhsGuUdl9YeZmsrFHQ3oiCxdbmDiqe22RWPg56T5A/w341-h400/1195B736-5319-478A-841F-EC98E41028F9.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">27 August - preparing for a <i>tarte tatine</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OIJLS7pcCeVhaG2-aPN82cPf-mA6w9iXv7mV_cWGbOosIErbsyupSUyIDO7lYmS5HNqnO5jBCZAFmoyRgzhDCtpKZg3En-DofqyYZPpOZqUOBTKUUis1p9McmLxIKbgXLCqlVRixA8rjZM33nZdw6JjhRfX-xxpziHKgBG8bYi6_SVmVbxvWJhN1qA/s3661/IMG_2800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3661" data-original-width="3012" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OIJLS7pcCeVhaG2-aPN82cPf-mA6w9iXv7mV_cWGbOosIErbsyupSUyIDO7lYmS5HNqnO5jBCZAFmoyRgzhDCtpKZg3En-DofqyYZPpOZqUOBTKUUis1p9McmLxIKbgXLCqlVRixA8rjZM33nZdw6JjhRfX-xxpziHKgBG8bYi6_SVmVbxvWJhN1qA/w329-h400/IMG_2800.jpg" width="329" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tarte tatine before turning!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>28 August </b>I decided to do something with an old redundant wheelbarrow. I had tried , in vain, with WD40 to free the wheel but without success. Should I take it to the dump or find a new use? I decided to convert it to a planter! Firstly, I painted it.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCbzy6hdxrV13xvEG3uYwwWFfg83wBnQwdj5JzuanNEZIOekrWMSoxZ_D85hYerC3-Sp6k6c17EdIRbieZLjue34RDwD_QZPe_TZDMvZCxlzoyCdkvs2VCcAmor2KAGOLiQhCdJSrcsP4/s3176/IMG_2808+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3176" data-original-width="2821" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCbzy6hdxrV13xvEG3uYwwWFfg83wBnQwdj5JzuanNEZIOekrWMSoxZ_D85hYerC3-Sp6k6c17EdIRbieZLjue34RDwD_QZPe_TZDMvZCxlzoyCdkvs2VCcAmor2KAGOLiQhCdJSrcsP4/w355-h400/IMG_2808+%25281%2529.jpg" width="355" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 August - painting the wheelbarrow</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following day, I continued painting, having drilled some holes for drainage.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYuzyOtJlpJNEVzshygndDgHuCKvIw8P10EkZibQFlD97LqbcTx-lD7BH181KTpn3_ZvFMDJsP8YtF4ME-UKpZaugRANrREq-GX9F1ndUtkeahMopqnGCr1iEgaLmIiOgdDwk90WI5h_LCaZPc2Ru5SJPichHSXDr7u2uJeqsy3fk150wdlepwNS5GQ/s2452/IMG_2810%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2452" data-original-width="2057" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYuzyOtJlpJNEVzshygndDgHuCKvIw8P10EkZibQFlD97LqbcTx-lD7BH181KTpn3_ZvFMDJsP8YtF4ME-UKpZaugRANrREq-GX9F1ndUtkeahMopqnGCr1iEgaLmIiOgdDwk90WI5h_LCaZPc2Ru5SJPichHSXDr7u2uJeqsy3fk150wdlepwNS5GQ/w335-h400/IMG_2810%20(1).jpg" width="335" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">29 August - the wheelbarrow project</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 August </b>it was time to plant the new planter. I planted <i>winter savory. pineapple mint, French tarragon, grapefruit mint </i> and some <i>cinammon basil </i> which someone had given as a birthday present. The new trough was more for the bees than for us as we have a plentiful supply of herbs at home.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbSmwg_1r-zVET9wk9BAWNGijeiJn1s1xd8q8LkHUxKhnBUPFxtlrz1EAA3PW63oDA8jeqtQZq112cWpegHAG2r5kSyUZwaeHo8UIPtxdZYxmcNkAQ0KiSXhBcls0LeWRlB7bu7YW3zkOy_LOCNnClCyL1nRDbA8qO4tMYohheF74DQlutjd6Gs8mFQ/s2993/IMG_2813.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2715" data-original-width="2993" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbSmwg_1r-zVET9wk9BAWNGijeiJn1s1xd8q8LkHUxKhnBUPFxtlrz1EAA3PW63oDA8jeqtQZq112cWpegHAG2r5kSyUZwaeHo8UIPtxdZYxmcNkAQ0KiSXhBcls0LeWRlB7bu7YW3zkOy_LOCNnClCyL1nRDbA8qO4tMYohheF74DQlutjd6Gs8mFQ/w400-h363/IMG_2813.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 August - the wheelbarrow planted</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMgHVRq01Ot38Xi14vyr-01Ff_OEkuvBunfz5JQmn0xoeTsjF_L24eXAZtY2dc4Z32boDNJllr0vf4LwSoTcpEKszjWGjBL5Vs1TwYDSufRE3pvJZem4FkkVXEOOWB_dVCiKqR25iKGJz5ZRC_0Mu2yCY6Kb2bi-h81hj--HGuUVkGP0j3FHCeckXug/s4032/IMG_2815%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMgHVRq01Ot38Xi14vyr-01Ff_OEkuvBunfz5JQmn0xoeTsjF_L24eXAZtY2dc4Z32boDNJllr0vf4LwSoTcpEKszjWGjBL5Vs1TwYDSufRE3pvJZem4FkkVXEOOWB_dVCiKqR25iKGJz5ZRC_0Mu2yCY6Kb2bi-h81hj--HGuUVkGP0j3FHCeckXug/w300-h400/IMG_2815%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 August - the wheelbarrow planted<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There were still more plums to be picked!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRBTVyyJoeCti8LH4oGzbkGT5gg_MU8y1r7Dtzghf_sulwSLauODh2pwu7Lq5qi-BKJvERZ6uMLuBoTjtHkSBwfadntqR84vRrAw34e0z6DaBfsq4LLoM9th_W1Bfzi6XnEkhiiCaxa4ddGPD4APc6hN1i2zgcx9qAtGLS9Oq8obkBiI-2yn7H1ZkSw/s4032/IMG_2817.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRBTVyyJoeCti8LH4oGzbkGT5gg_MU8y1r7Dtzghf_sulwSLauODh2pwu7Lq5qi-BKJvERZ6uMLuBoTjtHkSBwfadntqR84vRrAw34e0z6DaBfsq4LLoM9th_W1Bfzi6XnEkhiiCaxa4ddGPD4APc6hN1i2zgcx9qAtGLS9Oq8obkBiI-2yn7H1ZkSw/w300-h400/IMG_2817.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 August</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I began to make some plum jelly and put it to strain overnight</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjQp2zxItADxM5eQ3A-Lga1sn60bf5IgSFzdurOQ5q1J92djb6ygrO8rHjZpq-AtOUJOFR5y8wjMTawU7aUOz0_sR722A2RXdTEPonG0Ip118nyJTIKMcF44CBHH2_vGMl_Dfag2LuegYsdUMVBkv-DH0DUWuvR4eHKp3zZxoJu9uUzgZq9GtRhJJ9w/s3195/IMG_2821%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZjQp2zxItADxM5eQ3A-Lga1sn60bf5IgSFzdurOQ5q1J92djb6ygrO8rHjZpq-AtOUJOFR5y8wjMTawU7aUOz0_sR722A2RXdTEPonG0Ip118nyJTIKMcF44CBHH2_vGMl_Dfag2LuegYsdUMVBkv-DH0DUWuvR4eHKp3zZxoJu9uUzgZq9GtRhJJ9w/w379-h400/IMG_2821%20(1).jpg" width="379" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">31 August - Jelly making day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It has been a strange year so far and the weather forecast is that temperatures will drop in September with quite a lot of rain. The garden certainly needs the rain but I hope we see enough sunshine to ripen the rest of the tomatoes, peppers and squashes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hove, August 2022</b></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-26502570145267604892022-08-17T15:10:00.001-07:002022-08-17T15:10:31.697-07:00Life on The Weald - July 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - #Plot247 - and in the garden and kitchen - July 2022</span></h1><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9utwCsmJhPKp849TSmkqgKu5rf8K3FRI112u8mXDPY2geQbYU8Wo2a_4kNRL24kkCDXEIbux8mlsyQrSRT1RQS1rWqgkUWdxBJrzA2TrzFsrKEJSIiudpLae23W_UZcJdpHrgl_4IrCDRAUElfluQkBajfLB5NPbz70vfC0fp2YgJ1g_nDuIIrE9s1w/s1800/74FB6D7E-0CBD-420D-86DC-CE227EA0F564.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9utwCsmJhPKp849TSmkqgKu5rf8K3FRI112u8mXDPY2geQbYU8Wo2a_4kNRL24kkCDXEIbux8mlsyQrSRT1RQS1rWqgkUWdxBJrzA2TrzFsrKEJSIiudpLae23W_UZcJdpHrgl_4IrCDRAUElfluQkBajfLB5NPbz70vfC0fp2YgJ1g_nDuIIrE9s1w/w512-h640/74FB6D7E-0CBD-420D-86DC-CE227EA0F564.JPG" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marmande tomatoes - 2 July</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>2 July </b>At home the beefsteak tomatoes were doing well but the cherry tomatoes were only just coming into flower . At the allotment, l lifted some of the garlic plants and brought them home to leave in the sun to dry out</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXXlYRgJp_WaaeGc7sYFcqBrHAY83SmzLrhyn4OlNAPfx_9N79tgumziei4yY_HiVyIajtGg2QsmTcMvwsbuGmtPS1QRQ11U0k0utJoMrnlXgPZlM8pkJaILA-zOszomXE0b2LdnndyyjraQgnXaIuu2shJkM3ttTepKohf8iZEiApO4M0jWAaToUGA/s1800/F29A5D10-D864-401B-A3E2-C628A40C8E11.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXXlYRgJp_WaaeGc7sYFcqBrHAY83SmzLrhyn4OlNAPfx_9N79tgumziei4yY_HiVyIajtGg2QsmTcMvwsbuGmtPS1QRQ11U0k0utJoMrnlXgPZlM8pkJaILA-zOszomXE0b2LdnndyyjraQgnXaIuu2shJkM3ttTepKohf8iZEiApO4M0jWAaToUGA/w320-h400/F29A5D10-D864-401B-A3E2-C628A40C8E11.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Marmande tomatoes - 2 July </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-olb-MabZfQy3irsRL5UEaxrllvixxkwIsvJtjBp7DEy9Q-mfzzme5VuOT2QduHb0qJ_U0tmE8aIYUcpouG9ecxsy3r9oKzyRpvPrgKCp5ALILbq2SiWxreYOhAmEpYR1zesm9WU7EQtgP6FO5LnIFnCOAYKH3Rfz9CoNCj7GPjNn9W-N5CuSWFyhw/s3433/IMG_2067.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="3433" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-olb-MabZfQy3irsRL5UEaxrllvixxkwIsvJtjBp7DEy9Q-mfzzme5VuOT2QduHb0qJ_U0tmE8aIYUcpouG9ecxsy3r9oKzyRpvPrgKCp5ALILbq2SiWxreYOhAmEpYR1zesm9WU7EQtgP6FO5LnIFnCOAYKH3Rfz9CoNCj7GPjNn9W-N5CuSWFyhw/w400-h275/IMG_2067.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2 July - Garlic harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I</div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div>3 July My home sown <i>Rudolph </i> purple sprouting broccoli had made little progress and looked poorly specimens. I did toy with the idea of getting rid of them but in the end decided to plant them out in one of the empty raised beds. The <i>Akito </i>cucumbers sown last month had grown their second true leaves, so I also planted these out. I put bottle cloches over both the broccoli and cucumbers to give them a fighting chance against pests.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>4 July </b>I harvested the rest of the garlic</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WaqryOwQXZfZnfmPqo_tFpfjwgULZEnJsS-CNGqiYx8Y-tIcCrh4Ws5A_QW2R2x0wfMEcHT9sK66SDNbZZ_pNXKCXD_yAi5BSnX-FZwNDaAxDtVjz9_vfo68kgO5e5SiXv3hkvzwH0kJyYsQwSil7IcrA9PHCBTy8PuKHXU4ueZJZ5yhbJ7MZzJmiA/s4032/IMG_2070.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8WaqryOwQXZfZnfmPqo_tFpfjwgULZEnJsS-CNGqiYx8Y-tIcCrh4Ws5A_QW2R2x0wfMEcHT9sK66SDNbZZ_pNXKCXD_yAi5BSnX-FZwNDaAxDtVjz9_vfo68kgO5e5SiXv3hkvzwH0kJyYsQwSil7IcrA9PHCBTy8PuKHXU4ueZJZ5yhbJ7MZzJmiA/w300-h400/IMG_2070.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remainder of the garlic harvest - 3 July</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>In the garden I had spotted a rather untidy plant which I couldn't identify and assumed was a weed! I did contemplate pulling it up but decided to leave it to see if it would flower to help identify it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GelbmNH-wCxWb8oz9_tQxGxZtVgrU03ioORO8crb6vFrmc7oFVR15utmOKuv2Hvx2AgYvgumrV_38CgAjbE5HNOHMI3tu-VtYs4MGGKj-TsL76b97ODQJwnn3kHmVtHcl1TtEfUFM3cRTAAFl3BuugC5Lh4mnxATk3yTX2J2dSE8cjnPSxnloYRMVw/s4032/IMG_2071%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GelbmNH-wCxWb8oz9_tQxGxZtVgrU03ioORO8crb6vFrmc7oFVR15utmOKuv2Hvx2AgYvgumrV_38CgAjbE5HNOHMI3tu-VtYs4MGGKj-TsL76b97ODQJwnn3kHmVtHcl1TtEfUFM3cRTAAFl3BuugC5Lh4mnxATk3yTX2J2dSE8cjnPSxnloYRMVw/w300-h400/IMG_2071%20(1).jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An untidy weed?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>It was just as well that I left it, because a few days later it burst into flower -</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">a large flowered <i>Evening Primrose (Oenothera). </i>I<i> </i>had completely forgotten that I had planted this a couple of years ago, before the pandemic.<br /><b><br /></b></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-kPHORLZuifL5ASfMiUbrrXfMI8jwSyCiD3ncW_H_rv-r9xgRCytsTKncmsEDsjX3LMUqIsPJ0mdNdkL7y2m9PBsAX7t5H-YzYUkc-OfON6Bi1lxoiFLCZHolDgVcWfmlhOUeshG4qMat-Lu8uL-BlXtKlCKTCZVIZAGjvHK9IHkjUuZeRitREeDdw/s2048/E3E6E759-258C-4C67-AA6E-07EDBA4EA24A.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-kPHORLZuifL5ASfMiUbrrXfMI8jwSyCiD3ncW_H_rv-r9xgRCytsTKncmsEDsjX3LMUqIsPJ0mdNdkL7y2m9PBsAX7t5H-YzYUkc-OfON6Bi1lxoiFLCZHolDgVcWfmlhOUeshG4qMat-Lu8uL-BlXtKlCKTCZVIZAGjvHK9IHkjUuZeRitREeDdw/w400-h400/E3E6E759-258C-4C67-AA6E-07EDBA4EA24A.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Evening Primrose - </i>4 July</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Another strange plant had appeared during the pandemic. It looked vaguely familiar but had now completely taken over a raised bed. I discovered it was <i>Houttuynia.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFgcoLl-5y6Hb05nW5AHNloLxLDuC9bMwoqS_3r_WOsc20cqAreoF9mfJBKqlFPirNNYz9kn9Y04aSZrGwZsbGN1UxCvuDNQA0mw-eVMDkuiskU7Bh69VvBnCNZs5mwkyinWb4g5OkBsZKvvSQjZ06CKQXTxosmsirfclbzEltI9r7k_-7RR0A73afQ/s2693/IMG_2082.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2693" data-original-width="2683" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPFgcoLl-5y6Hb05nW5AHNloLxLDuC9bMwoqS_3r_WOsc20cqAreoF9mfJBKqlFPirNNYz9kn9Y04aSZrGwZsbGN1UxCvuDNQA0mw-eVMDkuiskU7Bh69VvBnCNZs5mwkyinWb4g5OkBsZKvvSQjZ06CKQXTxosmsirfclbzEltI9r7k_-7RR0A73afQ/s320/IMG_2082.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Houttuynia - </i>4 July</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I then recalled that I had bought a very cheap selection of summer flowering plants from <i>Lidl </i>two or three years ago and this was one of them. <i>Houttuynia </i>likes moist shady conditions which is why it is doing so well. It produces adventitious roots and can regrow rhizomes from any part of the foliage and is considered an invasive plant. I think we are stuck with it but am thankful it is in a brick built raised bed so won't take over the garden. I have also learned that one of its common names is <i>"Fish Mint" </i> and that it is widely used in SE Asia as a vegetable, a herb and in chutneys. I have tasted the leaves and have to say that I didn't find it an entirely pleasant experience but I might think about how it might be used in Vietnamese, Chinese or Korean recipes in combination with other herbs and spices.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>5 July </b>I visited a garden centre to get some more potting compost but couldn't resist buying a few sad looking tomato plants which were being sold off and were in need of some TLC. I took them home and potted them up with the addition of a sprinkling of bicarbonate of soda and Epsom salts - fingers crossed that they will recover and survive and hopefully bear fruit. On the allotment the courgettes were looking ready for harvest.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASmvKodVVJAAUk-MPXKx1qHLD1bfeI3XW8c0uC1r6CKdcFs9B5wsZo_Q_DooC1uxMvc76p4Eid_NQ6ZRKBIKG5rein_h7DfwXLhg_dCHZ2TZGWaDAl4w1duPQZ2K1E1yfYcSVwbC76fp_ciRQcaMI_rscmb3X0kyhCQwagLBl6TjmjXuzi_bgCImK6A/s4032/IMG_2085.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASmvKodVVJAAUk-MPXKx1qHLD1bfeI3XW8c0uC1r6CKdcFs9B5wsZo_Q_DooC1uxMvc76p4Eid_NQ6ZRKBIKG5rein_h7DfwXLhg_dCHZ2TZGWaDAl4w1duPQZ2K1E1yfYcSVwbC76fp_ciRQcaMI_rscmb3X0kyhCQwagLBl6TjmjXuzi_bgCImK6A/w300-h400/IMG_2085.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5 July - Courgette</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>6 July </b>I directly sowed a double half-row of purple French beans (<i>Tepee</i>) and harvested half a dozen courgettes and lifted some red <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also spotted a caterpillar of the <i>Cinnabar Moth.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihhJ77_G4OK--_SL3Gz7M63FPRNJkIMxGZTkz4gx4ioD1_V4GtNhlzk77ppj3QpUEdgbnzPuJ4cZVbN4o_Dy0vfioFfR6igShAHJFgAVZ-aYzv03uGQfjxdSTR_In9IxCMxYMXotZtxs0nZOQVFPqxWTnesGl04EvERk2gbqU2GoujzFdgCkj8Y7guQ/s2090/IMG_2087.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="1992" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihhJ77_G4OK--_SL3Gz7M63FPRNJkIMxGZTkz4gx4ioD1_V4GtNhlzk77ppj3QpUEdgbnzPuJ4cZVbN4o_Dy0vfioFfR6igShAHJFgAVZ-aYzv03uGQfjxdSTR_In9IxCMxYMXotZtxs0nZOQVFPqxWTnesGl04EvERk2gbqU2GoujzFdgCkj8Y7guQ/s320/IMG_2087.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catterpillar of the Cinnabar moth</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I mentioned last month that we were not short of <i>ragwort (stinking willie) </i>on the plot and this is the main source of food for the <i>cinnabar </i>caterpillar and they do little damage to other plants. I have also seen them feeding on <i>groundsel.</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Later that week we attended a reception in London, which proved to be a big mistake. On Sunday <b>10 July </b>we were due to attend a friendly cricket match at Windsor and we both took Lateral Flow Tests, which were negative, before setting off. During the course of the day, Sylvi developed flu-like symptoms and barely made it home. The following day she tested positive for Covid and was very poorly and went into self-isolation. I tested negative, however, and nipped to the plot that evening to do some watering.</span></div><div><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">On the morning of <b>11 July, </b>again I still tested negative for Covid so visited the plot again. It was
26C by mid-morning but, as there was no cloud and no wind, it felt much hotter.
Despite having watered the night before, the ground was rock hard and it was
difficult to make any holes with a dibber to plant anything.</span></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">I soaked the ground in my first Hugel bed and with some difficulty, I did manage to sow another half double row of <i>Teepee</i> purple
French beans. I had previously planted out the <i>Tepee </i>beans that I had sown at home and also directly sown some more seeds the previous
week. I also sowed two half rows of green French beans in the raised bed where the
mangetout and sugar snap peas had been earlier. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;">I picked several young courgettes, around 8-10 inches in length plus
a couple of larger ones which were about to become marrows! </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I began
lifting the second row of 1st early red Duke of York potatoes. There was no
haulm as the plants had completely died back and weeds had taken over. If I
hadn’t left the string marking the rows, it would have been difficult to
locate them. </span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The <i>tromboncinos </i> had put on some growth and were beginniong to trail along the ground, so I
constructed a tripod with wooden stakes for them to climb up, (if they ever learn to climb!) and then thoroughly watered everything.</span><span face="Arial, "sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The
following day, <b>13 July, </b>because the ground was so dry, I went
to the plot at 7am to water everything again. Despite the dry weather,
the French beans I had sown a week earlier were beginning to germinate, and they desperately needed water. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekxQLLfrWzgaKAfc0joVIpJNDy2oDDwdD0L1hSO-lWzHSuNB0nAwnQE4w-tKQJnN6Z2SzCfjwh_-0rHGEWmH903WxSX0C7ZlY77IK63Y9HTcw1otajiwdIPCD8ZMcuAUkgfUCQ6WH0tlBKHnU3xH1UQ_80ErPeUYYxOTyWQghz1XmPpCAbw46oG6mew/s1616/IMG_2168.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="1616" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgekxQLLfrWzgaKAfc0joVIpJNDy2oDDwdD0L1hSO-lWzHSuNB0nAwnQE4w-tKQJnN6Z2SzCfjwh_-0rHGEWmH903WxSX0C7ZlY77IK63Y9HTcw1otajiwdIPCD8ZMcuAUkgfUCQ6WH0tlBKHnU3xH1UQ_80ErPeUYYxOTyWQghz1XmPpCAbw46oG6mew/w400-h374/IMG_2168.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">13 July -purple French bean germinated</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I also transplanted a chilli, <i>Hot banana, </i>from a
pot that they had outgrown to a raised bed.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-2fOMX5x1hAZHy9gOCCbQzLrtecJAGzNoVCxZFJ74iJCVe_JwNvoxKVHtuX3tqXv79ub08DvrlzjZVq_yv_e4lZinK1p835ftwRog3XA-cRk9oZnSvkUM5ThtacTtYYKmsykP3p4rc_58jlTiAE9qPxPxd1ZAadMiEqURN44E8iSpWcecOdtFpxH5A/s4032/IMG_2174.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-2fOMX5x1hAZHy9gOCCbQzLrtecJAGzNoVCxZFJ74iJCVe_JwNvoxKVHtuX3tqXv79ub08DvrlzjZVq_yv_e4lZinK1p835ftwRog3XA-cRk9oZnSvkUM5ThtacTtYYKmsykP3p4rc_58jlTiAE9qPxPxd1ZAadMiEqURN44E8iSpWcecOdtFpxH5A/w300-h400/IMG_2174.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> </i>13 July - <i>Hot banana</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;">By the time I returned home, around 9am, it was
already 24C.</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Later that day the tempreature reached 30C. I was feeling fairly rough so took another LFT test, which
this time proved positive. I soon developed all of the symptoms
associated with the new <i>Omicron </i>strain of the <i>Coronavirus. </i>So
now both Sylvi and I were isolating at home for several days and unable to
visit the plot or even leave the house.</span><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.5pt;">There continued to be no rain and daytime temperatures remained in the mid to high twenties with a peak of 34-37C on <b>19 July.</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">It was not until <b>22 July </b>that I tested negative and felt able to venture out. Whilst we had been indisposed, Sylvi's son, Luke, had been watering the plot in the evenings and picking courgettes. Apart from a brief shower on <b>13 July </b>there had been no rain for weeks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The squashes had suffered in the drought. The fruits were tiny and a lot of the foliage had turned brown.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG3BvMFL1JPuapwlY3qVpzhOOYPPTHyaIilDTeFVE4r-H78KNQesqa9KBufp2YR_4h2S836BBApkexdyAXzjUsccqcn6Lq7ApFgWWXq7Mbb8sFCYtU6f2ghv0LAlb5ZV7DPb40dtCzFzy4z88dYYNWpbasDCebLEOEIMKI7x70XugYOKhOKsFoJwufA/s4032/IMG_2228.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTG3BvMFL1JPuapwlY3qVpzhOOYPPTHyaIilDTeFVE4r-H78KNQesqa9KBufp2YR_4h2S836BBApkexdyAXzjUsccqcn6Lq7ApFgWWXq7Mbb8sFCYtU6f2ghv0LAlb5ZV7DPb40dtCzFzy4z88dYYNWpbasDCebLEOEIMKI7x70XugYOKhOKsFoJwufA/w400-h300/IMG_2228.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 July - butternut squash<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The pumpkin was looking more healthy. It isn't in a true Hugel bed but is growing where, 2 years earlier, we had dug a hole and buried a lot of organic material.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO6B4RKP1TS0CslN-XaCX9PhDRIq9dxsm9UJM5_EjV0_cMyKUBdbPYnongaw6JiZOg19DKNmgIujfGThK4wFVSR8qO-P1_xWC7VnklGJik8Fbedbu94SeVcDYDlBwUEIQdcivZm5zMPHHz2EEPzJE73Buge4S2Hn-jvWHRhwLd1_oUekQWWFaTLvdlA/s4032/IMG_2227.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbO6B4RKP1TS0CslN-XaCX9PhDRIq9dxsm9UJM5_EjV0_cMyKUBdbPYnongaw6JiZOg19DKNmgIujfGThK4wFVSR8qO-P1_xWC7VnklGJik8Fbedbu94SeVcDYDlBwUEIQdcivZm5zMPHHz2EEPzJE73Buge4S2Hn-jvWHRhwLd1_oUekQWWFaTLvdlA/w400-h300/IMG_2227.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">22 July - pumpkin</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">The French beans also seemed to be surviving the drought (thanks to Luke's evening watering).</span></div><div><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_VAxxqSm22wRysAX24PssKLGTnvUkOytIEAkJAOtlCFo_ak5JDS-eNhhBEFSPQf1l8jh25TYox6KlUxW_YoAH6eVrjiGnkY8ixDRq2UbCyGe_MFi1UjtEvAMrXH4mkCkMqrhb6D26dKDRjYJSN8fBecBAFYIv4Z3DEi4pBN9bpcFETiVHZhevRX9KQ/s4032/IMG_2225.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH_VAxxqSm22wRysAX24PssKLGTnvUkOytIEAkJAOtlCFo_ak5JDS-eNhhBEFSPQf1l8jh25TYox6KlUxW_YoAH6eVrjiGnkY8ixDRq2UbCyGe_MFi1UjtEvAMrXH4mkCkMqrhb6D26dKDRjYJSN8fBecBAFYIv4Z3DEi4pBN9bpcFETiVHZhevRX9KQ/w300-h400/IMG_2225.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 July - purple French beans (<i>Tepee</i>)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I had been offered a tumble compostor by the plot run by a local nursery school. The only problem was transporting it as it was much larger than I had anticpated.</span></span></div><div><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;">Thankfully, Luke came to the rescue and we (well, he) managed to move it successfully.<br /></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrHhCxBGTFfa5YH3ZNbnIXrOPg7gZO2K-OI04u0d149A46JVtAEW3ZJcS_WF7mVuh2pc6SMlI1meIpOwrw3vySnYMOskXXLdeV0EfQCc2UjwMT8J6dQLVriVbdqLl-N-4aRNkYDpb85sX7DSi61n7dp8k3KUuzrxLy48nEXdpKLN72zGagTh1P_pguQ/s4024/IMG_2231.jpg" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="1992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzrHhCxBGTFfa5YH3ZNbnIXrOPg7gZO2K-OI04u0d149A46JVtAEW3ZJcS_WF7mVuh2pc6SMlI1meIpOwrw3vySnYMOskXXLdeV0EfQCc2UjwMT8J6dQLVriVbdqLl-N-4aRNkYDpb85sX7DSi61n7dp8k3KUuzrxLy48nEXdpKLN72zGagTh1P_pguQ/w317-h640/IMG_2231.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 July - transporting the compostor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yVzwL-iYDgqYZn7m6lOKioZGB8EoQjkOxuzCqlDsvr_2zFhJnSwEbddcwnAF4rFcOckzfL7FwU4OH155U8SZE-LKZ2XDo1De5bPNjPrQ5gjDwpxTy1rTpZbEGcC2E_W3FnZphQ10piDW6199fpm6TF2wWSmAF8GX8gomsjrQpI5EsIfF110yfJMkZg/s4032/IMG_2233.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yVzwL-iYDgqYZn7m6lOKioZGB8EoQjkOxuzCqlDsvr_2zFhJnSwEbddcwnAF4rFcOckzfL7FwU4OH155U8SZE-LKZ2XDo1De5bPNjPrQ5gjDwpxTy1rTpZbEGcC2E_W3FnZphQ10piDW6199fpm6TF2wWSmAF8GX8gomsjrQpI5EsIfF110yfJMkZg/w300-h400/IMG_2233.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">moving the beast!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The problem then was where to put it. My plan is that it should be out of sight at the back of the plot but that requires a bit of reorganisation. It has been placed, temporarily in the middle of the plot where the <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes had been growing.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X-EjbD-vD4awBbX4xmh9d_rPPKyaSirmF98Slrng2x1yg6ZvplDH6xRXiFGik4fAtaUPezJ5g5vD9I_yfj5hZ9a4MsHUZbTygJdX11m1niQhUn-rCY5qCubJoFZvw3IYdXxiFuRfARyv17cVvb5QmwKocfPof1OJNTtBlQxH5E5FocEeFGBOtN03Gg/s4032/IMG_2235.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X-EjbD-vD4awBbX4xmh9d_rPPKyaSirmF98Slrng2x1yg6ZvplDH6xRXiFGik4fAtaUPezJ5g5vD9I_yfj5hZ9a4MsHUZbTygJdX11m1niQhUn-rCY5qCubJoFZvw3IYdXxiFuRfARyv17cVvb5QmwKocfPof1OJNTtBlQxH5E5FocEeFGBOtN03Gg/w400-h300/IMG_2235.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">successfully in its temporary location</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Whilst on the plot, I harvested some courgettes and climbing French beans for the weekend.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXbprE7tuKCD1WWg5y0Gdk5CPZquHx9FLvkVY5-lF8ozsfo-ECif5fzeOE-PHHy2whmEJEr-uok6Okv9eTmaRvUjvbjHeUuqXtZZ9_eSA2eg4I-B_4HF3qoxo0BFHBHlnDQU8PeVt43lcexemdawIZ34ZIdbiumQF-QEn7ahGkeRzuggHv1NsYSFgYg/s4032/IMG_2230.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXbprE7tuKCD1WWg5y0Gdk5CPZquHx9FLvkVY5-lF8ozsfo-ECif5fzeOE-PHHy2whmEJEr-uok6Okv9eTmaRvUjvbjHeUuqXtZZ9_eSA2eg4I-B_4HF3qoxo0BFHBHlnDQU8PeVt43lcexemdawIZ34ZIdbiumQF-QEn7ahGkeRzuggHv1NsYSFgYg/w300-h400/IMG_2230.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 July - harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"></span></div><span face=""Arial","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the <i>Ornage habanero </i>was beginning to set fruit and there was one large, very healthy looking specimen.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCknCoKYb9fUwk1FW4ioxcqRcXVBjqUdiKHsm1OObE3dyOBzq4xMHVQmU9EkqdP5PVDhK5KfuLrFiNK-i-z27ReRosUDrn3jx29uSMb0tUCgw4ZO4gzfv67xkPTnYk9vNXe_H6DxnRRNFbFyZASiI2uw3w-dvMfnSbxTbZ-mhiOZc50-q2Tja2nY-ZQ/s3180/IMG_2222%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3180" data-original-width="2844" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCknCoKYb9fUwk1FW4ioxcqRcXVBjqUdiKHsm1OObE3dyOBzq4xMHVQmU9EkqdP5PVDhK5KfuLrFiNK-i-z27ReRosUDrn3jx29uSMb0tUCgw4ZO4gzfv67xkPTnYk9vNXe_H6DxnRRNFbFyZASiI2uw3w-dvMfnSbxTbZ-mhiOZc50-q2Tja2nY-ZQ/w358-h400/IMG_2222%20(1).jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 July - <i>Orange habanero</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR39d88F5oBvp4sBsURugYaRvyGsNgjhparoAh6oEB_l7J_I7FP_2DhJZeVEMl5kM9nk8JbzBBOH8IoDLP-oLVQMy8QBsD0txd4wsCzTiziZaC6nX7_REyJ_lUCJXSXH2J16IUZRrQF--NTvyXuw0u9tXowvbrzFthgPxqKJY46RlbB7qlnFiXoCtQw/s2357/IMG_2237.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2357" data-original-width="2184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKR39d88F5oBvp4sBsURugYaRvyGsNgjhparoAh6oEB_l7J_I7FP_2DhJZeVEMl5kM9nk8JbzBBOH8IoDLP-oLVQMy8QBsD0txd4wsCzTiziZaC6nX7_REyJ_lUCJXSXH2J16IUZRrQF--NTvyXuw0u9tXowvbrzFthgPxqKJY46RlbB7qlnFiXoCtQw/w371-h400/IMG_2237.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Orange habanero</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRTeET94uOzzAEBATdy2ZD4a0CtydmlPTjLa-91w_STEmmZuFj7AlmnXbhooyvAPXABrcE403Y5lQxj3Ovv7ymxJuZ2C2Qp-g8b-NwLt5M7NhY-Qp2fiWgiYZguy29TIwkN-iAg24hrtbdB5Aq2G7AyvpUgzzNV3Yz-wCqObPGMmMKLDcEzWF7TV5RA/s2767/IMG_2238.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2767" data-original-width="2402" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRTeET94uOzzAEBATdy2ZD4a0CtydmlPTjLa-91w_STEmmZuFj7AlmnXbhooyvAPXABrcE403Y5lQxj3Ovv7ymxJuZ2C2Qp-g8b-NwLt5M7NhY-Qp2fiWgiYZguy29TIwkN-iAg24hrtbdB5Aq2G7AyvpUgzzNV3Yz-wCqObPGMmMKLDcEzWF7TV5RA/w348-h400/IMG_2238.jpg" width="348" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Orange habanero</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Orange habanero </i>is very hot, measuring between 350,000 and 500,000 on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale">Scoville scale</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The beefsteak tomatoes were beginning to ripen and I picked some to finish ripening indoors to give the others a chance to develop. I also had one lone cherry tomato!</span></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMyYR3y82QgaO-ziiH31Psj7lO5YWEtQWqc3maawrS5dPR8uff-9jTWWgz3f2qCJajh4JasJ6RembQv5-PVmHAOmxVMoJ7xL6cpQUX3HJZPEbbp2Ts8C6wg79f42FwKjeMhTjwVF8zzDCOVBnKAPexCsqbJ7aTOQwdn1TsfVChJ3ZhoD3ZPXSNDC6zQ/s3196/IMG_2239.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3196" data-original-width="2586" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMyYR3y82QgaO-ziiH31Psj7lO5YWEtQWqc3maawrS5dPR8uff-9jTWWgz3f2qCJajh4JasJ6RembQv5-PVmHAOmxVMoJ7xL6cpQUX3HJZPEbbp2Ts8C6wg79f42FwKjeMhTjwVF8zzDCOVBnKAPexCsqbJ7aTOQwdn1TsfVChJ3ZhoD3ZPXSNDC6zQ/w324-h400/IMG_2239.jpg" width="324" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">23 July - Beefsteak, <i>Marmande, </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the plot, the <i>J</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;"><i>alapeño </i>pepper was also ripening. This is a fairly mild pepper, around 4,000-8,000 on the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale">Scoville</a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">scale </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122;">(or so it says on the label!)</span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #202122;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCih9asKfrS5TUM0kYtwqW3SjyGcIZxf6_6YZscwNaJJym5HbuYWrOd4WPtRg8Ondv4C2b_qbNFlw9UX_8Jj9W28pB3Twu-tyBdKu1ii11tHW7JVeNjFkYl18ypDuLS0Mley8-zrXo-AVXPy-Yv-fjX6l_2xPYOmf3d9gHI9onlyUD0gI5ZrIjiXKmAg/s4032/IMG_2317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCih9asKfrS5TUM0kYtwqW3SjyGcIZxf6_6YZscwNaJJym5HbuYWrOd4WPtRg8Ondv4C2b_qbNFlw9UX_8Jj9W28pB3Twu-tyBdKu1ii11tHW7JVeNjFkYl18ypDuLS0Mley8-zrXo-AVXPy-Yv-fjX6l_2xPYOmf3d9gHI9onlyUD0gI5ZrIjiXKmAg/w300-h400/IMG_2317.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;">J</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><i>alapeño </i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPS9hJwiY9wfGbTYpTmUZ6zjcoHJdX-DHnG7f9jcImRhpsw_rAtlmr1yVHuQR1jnpopiIXIFsMKWqBv8FgKYXeBbB4R-ITr-GYqC24PBNEdnqxPMyhP4IArQBQSAI3Kdq5H5-iz7pOW854Dcq9F6gOh9tHXtvqPLFAiOzw8HFGpsZTOlg9_846RkoKg/s3309/IMG_2316.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3309" data-original-width="2798" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAPS9hJwiY9wfGbTYpTmUZ6zjcoHJdX-DHnG7f9jcImRhpsw_rAtlmr1yVHuQR1jnpopiIXIFsMKWqBv8FgKYXeBbB4R-ITr-GYqC24PBNEdnqxPMyhP4IArQBQSAI3Kdq5H5-iz7pOW854Dcq9F6gOh9tHXtvqPLFAiOzw8HFGpsZTOlg9_846RkoKg/s320/IMG_2316.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Marmande </i>tomato</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Picking some of the tomatoes before fully ripe, seems to have paid off as they had fully ripened indoors and the plants were becoming too top heavy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxX4vUEEiv63cSbg8CVRB2Os2KMsCGkn-AvksevbpWFT717cg2JFauYH_M89z5XFE0Bij8ZcM9CozId_ALamM-HSPNDc4qLXTjhG-CkAmQmK4ILZtQHrmEmIc_f7dApQh4Wl0dWXyxb-kOwyX3uTQ1jy9Lgh-HDr1sUXTkdgYoZiBLBmO__SlRqmznw/s4032/IMG_2342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxX4vUEEiv63cSbg8CVRB2Os2KMsCGkn-AvksevbpWFT717cg2JFauYH_M89z5XFE0Bij8ZcM9CozId_ALamM-HSPNDc4qLXTjhG-CkAmQmK4ILZtQHrmEmIc_f7dApQh4Wl0dWXyxb-kOwyX3uTQ1jy9Lgh-HDr1sUXTkdgYoZiBLBmO__SlRqmznw/w300-h400/IMG_2342.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomatoes ripening indoors</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApe2MpvK-mNXgeof3kVlOCz1A9eJnXfLdvhG9AImE1g5WizOBegB2beu5fngRDVhgUtg1uHRClgoyemf-If8eX_W7wdZwPHszTIn33gFJtTosB9XvGUo1wckj2riVfy60Ef0wI5vcelKbfrEkDtyvzbcN70lfvVZVnzlXGLWmf17m64h_GM_ws7VzAA/s3958/IMG_2356.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3958" data-original-width="2968" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApe2MpvK-mNXgeof3kVlOCz1A9eJnXfLdvhG9AImE1g5WizOBegB2beu5fngRDVhgUtg1uHRClgoyemf-If8eX_W7wdZwPHszTIn33gFJtTosB9XvGUo1wckj2riVfy60Ef0wI5vcelKbfrEkDtyvzbcN70lfvVZVnzlXGLWmf17m64h_GM_ws7VzAA/w300-h400/IMG_2356.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">giant beefsteak </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Marmande </i><span style="font-family: arial;">tomato<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaB_cZVciakWe38kZOMCv6PJwlm8lJoTv_FTsM38C08w8OEym3HD7N5wiqSEUynlRT3eGucFMGIdNwFYH6SoyKLISFd7LFOaNzKYG6c8H-0HRvTkon0oWmTfT_iw05jidNTXc3FKCBV6k8ZQILtLqNW8tLU6PzuF5UTRQlIaIZ00Pbs9nvFNEk4jg3g/s2627/IMG_2357.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2627" data-original-width="2429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaB_cZVciakWe38kZOMCv6PJwlm8lJoTv_FTsM38C08w8OEym3HD7N5wiqSEUynlRT3eGucFMGIdNwFYH6SoyKLISFd7LFOaNzKYG6c8H-0HRvTkon0oWmTfT_iw05jidNTXc3FKCBV6k8ZQILtLqNW8tLU6PzuF5UTRQlIaIZ00Pbs9nvFNEk4jg3g/w370-h400/IMG_2357.jpg" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">giant beefsteak </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Marmande </i><span style="font-family: arial;">tomato<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">When leaving the allotment about 2pm on <b>28 July, </b>I spotted this creature in the distance.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzEeHCteN8UKVH-uQicnKZXGfLs8EljN7uLqMjUTBNtNy4q9kodL4mrP0jP10tYxLe5WhKCnMftG3Ghas3gm03-kyQGIJ-BY07X8c47A79zJhwNZKJSKzIOkJYlFWAAkVWLcAkGCo-dciUCx0K8k5annKpCv9hX7_odh-H4y6nklznsYjQ5CPuxe2kg/s1440/7579D9E1-3401-44AE-947C-1938C724D802.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1440" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzEeHCteN8UKVH-uQicnKZXGfLs8EljN7uLqMjUTBNtNy4q9kodL4mrP0jP10tYxLe5WhKCnMftG3Ghas3gm03-kyQGIJ-BY07X8c47A79zJhwNZKJSKzIOkJYlFWAAkVWLcAkGCo-dciUCx0K8k5annKpCv9hX7_odh-H4y6nklznsYjQ5CPuxe2kg/w400-h311/7579D9E1-3401-44AE-947C-1938C724D802.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">28 July - Hedgehog in the distance</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I approached very slowly and the hog froze as I got near.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzUaLqyJz8aRsxbUow1nIhQ43irApoqUbyqeo1WmbrdaFgkRuIMfQf7iYIK-2s_advGqmPrmIxtb86LTf097qsdr_2yYZ7t-550mRkvm7VxTtwMWsgzPwNXCv8e_FS5ShqzwBxII_s1yVrJeDXX_l8PlfUMRU0sPfnF-aQ1J0lO1FiVJnv3lFQgRpIQ/s1440/E82FCB3A-19D7-45BB-9775-723BFC556779.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1440" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzUaLqyJz8aRsxbUow1nIhQ43irApoqUbyqeo1WmbrdaFgkRuIMfQf7iYIK-2s_advGqmPrmIxtb86LTf097qsdr_2yYZ7t-550mRkvm7VxTtwMWsgzPwNXCv8e_FS5ShqzwBxII_s1yVrJeDXX_l8PlfUMRU0sPfnF-aQ1J0lO1FiVJnv3lFQgRpIQ/w400-h311/E82FCB3A-19D7-45BB-9775-723BFC556779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65EV9p4vfcc3NrH_1Vi97gPQEczUzYwUI4bM7tFayWXLN8wgdATgTC2QmbIPnlPtQi0JKH30LmYG4oOFanEmlYWWBF0-HA5iys0j0toA4JlqIjwY1wF23eaEGrVMmX_TTcwKnt5U2evKoYQXqu5919qZS8hFqWDsauIIvMvm1gb3-PhfoMgtgsU_2GA/s1440/E1FE211C-4929-4FC7-A3CB-F6867EF5DA56.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1440" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65EV9p4vfcc3NrH_1Vi97gPQEczUzYwUI4bM7tFayWXLN8wgdATgTC2QmbIPnlPtQi0JKH30LmYG4oOFanEmlYWWBF0-HA5iys0j0toA4JlqIjwY1wF23eaEGrVMmX_TTcwKnt5U2evKoYQXqu5919qZS8hFqWDsauIIvMvm1gb3-PhfoMgtgsU_2GA/w400-h311/E1FE211C-4929-4FC7-A3CB-F6867EF5DA56.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO_Y7zS5Oxa1jul5qTXbQRZnMSUarS0-NJD2m11V79ADlum-jPBSegHksUr5dG43S4e8OOcYPY5DjXJw7LgT1FaWPTu09fEiobsbqPzaMX9fPa40Sv7pAUM63LIfGVDlVwecIp8lx5uRhLINzmklZWt8Th2YDvxNOXvZgG7qDzoVO_cZRQmPqRXrang/s626/9A0BE63A-4792-43CD-877B-01295411C0C3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="626" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO_Y7zS5Oxa1jul5qTXbQRZnMSUarS0-NJD2m11V79ADlum-jPBSegHksUr5dG43S4e8OOcYPY5DjXJw7LgT1FaWPTu09fEiobsbqPzaMX9fPa40Sv7pAUM63LIfGVDlVwecIp8lx5uRhLINzmklZWt8Th2YDvxNOXvZgG7qDzoVO_cZRQmPqRXrang/w400-h310/9A0BE63A-4792-43CD-877B-01295411C0C3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hedgehogs are not usually seen out in the heat of the day and there might be reason to think it was distressed but as I backed away it scampered into the undergrowth. It's possible that it was dehydrated and searching for water. A number of plotholders have encountered hogs in distress and many have now created safe water stations for them and other wildlife during the heatwave. Hedghogs are a gardener's friend as they do no damage to crops but do feed on slugs, snails and other creatures that harm our plants. Most allotment holders are keen to support bio-diversity and encourage a balanced eco-system and other creatures such as bees, which are essential to life, also get thirsty in heatwave conditions and need access to water and there has been a great deal of information shared on our site about ways that we can provide safe drinking for wildlife.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we approach the end of the month, there is no sign of a let up in the heatwave and no rain expected. There is a possibility that a hose-pipe ban may be imposed so it has been important to fill all water-butts and any other containers with water in case the supply is cut off and to ensure a minimal amount of water remains in ponds. Plot holders are discouraged from watering during the day as 90% can be lost in evaporation and water on the leaves in the heat of the day can lead to scorching. It is important to apply water to the base of the plant so that it has more chance of reaching the roots. I have sunk a number of inverted plastic bottles (with the bottom cut off) next to thirsty plants. Filling these with water means the water gets down in the soil to the roots rather than lying on the surface and evaporating.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mulching is also of high priority in these conditions. Luckily we have a good supply of tree prunings and wood chips which I have put round the base of all our fruit bushes to conserve moisture as well as enriching the soil over time with organic matter. Much to do in the coming days, whilst praying for rain!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h3><div><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Hove, July 2022</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-14540589437523392692022-07-19T15:17:00.000-07:002022-07-19T15:17:19.023-07:00Life on The Weald - June 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - plot 247 - </span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in the Kitchen & Garden, June 2022</span></h1><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfqXdz11JDwGwxRJISai9i9OR9r8Wt9JjxhwFrgE1iX7J-bswNI95Y0Qt1feyWuP-FEvehqOq93PaxI6nAzLuZYlcZXevXc4EDFE0OAPjPPOD5u-ehsq1TAP2O37-BFNWH-LEnv6D4NLvsZ8A3qVusKHnE_1fEIrqg-4vhbiJYL7xwpAtXLDxYWOWRA/s1589/IMG_1814.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1589" data-original-width="992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfqXdz11JDwGwxRJISai9i9OR9r8Wt9JjxhwFrgE1iX7J-bswNI95Y0Qt1feyWuP-FEvehqOq93PaxI6nAzLuZYlcZXevXc4EDFE0OAPjPPOD5u-ehsq1TAP2O37-BFNWH-LEnv6D4NLvsZ8A3qVusKHnE_1fEIrqg-4vhbiJYL7xwpAtXLDxYWOWRA/w400-h640/IMG_1814.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 June - Hot lips Salvia at home</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>1st June </b>We were still harvesting the last of the <i>Silver beet </i>chard from last year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaP29m13oWo0rLn3yvbnbayjtMPgWD_IXg7dJ2Hm2fQUXrgGiqHmBZREILJ4iyBzPsQUckbihvfnSQLODTHQGm0fUR3j3JPhw5mO-slnpUq0bS8XUvi0DE_V34vT9Vcq7yQQLd9PDM3FYNSlJh9dG3r184Eo8F1nZE-2qKfEdtMzUjeTQQ-9YH9K6FzA/s1440/070CD91B-8FC5-49FC-AD16-48732C59FDD2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1085" data-original-width="1440" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaP29m13oWo0rLn3yvbnbayjtMPgWD_IXg7dJ2Hm2fQUXrgGiqHmBZREILJ4iyBzPsQUckbihvfnSQLODTHQGm0fUR3j3JPhw5mO-slnpUq0bS8XUvi0DE_V34vT9Vcq7yQQLd9PDM3FYNSlJh9dG3r184Eo8F1nZE-2qKfEdtMzUjeTQQ-9YH9K6FzA/w400-h301/070CD91B-8FC5-49FC-AD16-48732C59FDD2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1 June - Silver beet chard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was time to conduct some repairs and erect a climbing frame for the cucumbers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LnuIR00yDjoAl1ccJnTIiOHgexfpnHgsmt783DsjFFscntPcAZAFDGrZFEP3pz5zu-2fyuCwf06X2iU0DPWhgcpj7YmaHmDN8vXMa0nJ-zWRFgN5d5qcIaUceNy6lGd0bq5WMxO2RGbRERhp-RawxRUzMiQwb9y4fVdch4-fHubqyiypVjHfpcTx4Q/s4032/IMG_1775.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LnuIR00yDjoAl1ccJnTIiOHgexfpnHgsmt783DsjFFscntPcAZAFDGrZFEP3pz5zu-2fyuCwf06X2iU0DPWhgcpj7YmaHmDN8vXMa0nJ-zWRFgN5d5qcIaUceNy6lGd0bq5WMxO2RGbRERhp-RawxRUzMiQwb9y4fVdch4-fHubqyiypVjHfpcTx4Q/w300-h400/IMG_1775.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frame for cucumbers<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was also time to add some poles to the rather rudimentary bean frame</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO0IFyzJsOUNCDvsujP2f9Z01NmYAhrG3lnY-rzNzRgdW1Y9Ix3gygdgsuE8Sk5XvtmqMmYUhnvLNuJEanBbHp7os4FFXSVNzb0Ksrh9E09lkWjPiLKmY45uGcNDv1LupufoIO_fA_1FP3I8BENn33vAFaEXIlBDqMDIyVM9jq_Y5oL0W4-WCyNPK7g/s4032/IMG_1777.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWO0IFyzJsOUNCDvsujP2f9Z01NmYAhrG3lnY-rzNzRgdW1Y9Ix3gygdgsuE8Sk5XvtmqMmYUhnvLNuJEanBbHp7os4FFXSVNzb0Ksrh9E09lkWjPiLKmY45uGcNDv1LupufoIO_fA_1FP3I8BENn33vAFaEXIlBDqMDIyVM9jq_Y5oL0W4-WCyNPK7g/w400-h300/IMG_1777.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Bean frame</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">6 June </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b>As my home sown purple sproutingt broccoli had failed to thrive, I ordered some plugs from a garden centre. I also sowed some more cucumber seeds (</span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Akito) </i><span style="font-family: arial;">at home.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>7</b> <b>June </b>Both the front and back gardens at home were looking colourful.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigik4PVYKDzoWLj-H-cgivIKTbwYeOLQ-O4eqD_3XfoFHoTuVj_tqlM8JK1zQ7CxwyWXCac1SxtH5wGENKkGjPk6VzuHbpDlOxvKs8_b8w8OtIL6u--hoFRYTQVWADOoVLT95lZ9oRbuBmlZUODFIjTvsnGAUhxSSQxyAUuBTSLvJ3pMRgxNTuzVFg4w/s2048/62BA4F49-DBAF-4348-8188-CD8070452609.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigik4PVYKDzoWLj-H-cgivIKTbwYeOLQ-O4eqD_3XfoFHoTuVj_tqlM8JK1zQ7CxwyWXCac1SxtH5wGENKkGjPk6VzuHbpDlOxvKs8_b8w8OtIL6u--hoFRYTQVWADOoVLT95lZ9oRbuBmlZUODFIjTvsnGAUhxSSQxyAUuBTSLvJ3pMRgxNTuzVFg4w/w400-h400/62BA4F49-DBAF-4348-8188-CD8070452609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back garden: <i>Philadelphus </i>(mock orrange blossom)<br /><i>Salvia </i>(hot lips) and <i>Weigela</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDNvmlPZLTuZ0VcA9FPGM6Cta4JWFcPgrm9BnLK5dYfe53WNEbmEOLKTASuQ_4_AOfgnt2DUqFZ8xBNsxn6EEmzFawMIt6i-l3f0Xgw9DrIlvOvbBF5eUNp1aNhDEdANhKcxkNr3s05_ckCU6DyoaJeNRv1lNFT6ESruq-oRQ-lNth1SJasDD58DfKQ/s2048/FC76A98D-1A47-44BE-AE53-507AB05F08E3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEDNvmlPZLTuZ0VcA9FPGM6Cta4JWFcPgrm9BnLK5dYfe53WNEbmEOLKTASuQ_4_AOfgnt2DUqFZ8xBNsxn6EEmzFawMIt6i-l3f0Xgw9DrIlvOvbBF5eUNp1aNhDEdANhKcxkNr3s05_ckCU6DyoaJeNRv1lNFT6ESruq-oRQ-lNth1SJasDD58DfKQ/w400-h400/FC76A98D-1A47-44BE-AE53-507AB05F08E3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Front garden: </span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Iris<br />Anemone & Paeony</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the plot the <i>nigella </i>(Love-in-a-mist) was in full flower.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5DNkLYkwsUUKthqKxwER-4Vfqlv8EYEI4YP7kn_5CESFL-DjqrcZnDsVDPaEfy4llXxuwI-7TZEa10Z9kiVh2OWnfINF_MbeG-BVVIw6tU2iPJ_i7fZOmplXznzbmBSPddqjHsxVSWbFLsU2y_IFQUsCO-MgWJERCQGZLrrIYywXDQivpKBZX_6TbQ/s4032/IMG_1818.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5DNkLYkwsUUKthqKxwER-4Vfqlv8EYEI4YP7kn_5CESFL-DjqrcZnDsVDPaEfy4llXxuwI-7TZEa10Z9kiVh2OWnfINF_MbeG-BVVIw6tU2iPJ_i7fZOmplXznzbmBSPddqjHsxVSWbFLsU2y_IFQUsCO-MgWJERCQGZLrrIYywXDQivpKBZX_6TbQ/w300-h400/IMG_1818.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Nigella - </i>Love-in-a-mist</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But it was not only the flowers that were thriving - so too were the weeds, especially <i>plantain</i>, <i>ragwort</i> and <i>blistery ox</i>-<i>tongue</i>. I say "weeds" but basically a weed is a wild plant growing where you don't want it to grow.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQCu4reMixbsiNZWUo0aFpBkpe2G2riU2GoUWNAHbiFiRDQw9gQKr-WtTgB3cjweAE1LKQBwWp1WysGFKo4X5v0OkHzzrfMltG91urxn3AiakmgmOYh1CHYuuYQQ1fc28DAGgxLF4EDXb7IvNjnGvG5SS6YiAFu6Hc_2dr6PcpHHAkKcAHIVpccCQ-A/s4032/IMG_1820.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQCu4reMixbsiNZWUo0aFpBkpe2G2riU2GoUWNAHbiFiRDQw9gQKr-WtTgB3cjweAE1LKQBwWp1WysGFKo4X5v0OkHzzrfMltG91urxn3AiakmgmOYh1CHYuuYQQ1fc28DAGgxLF4EDXb7IvNjnGvG5SS6YiAFu6Hc_2dr6PcpHHAkKcAHIVpccCQ-A/w300-h400/IMG_1820.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Weeds" around the blueberries</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHPayfsaxzNYONJCfNjgN4MFzRyjhLW8YHcRfZhaIltY_Bnp8liKEGXIJW2Q9qEooONsGshPWkmDPPIS0rpBCNVHLTL7Vc836z-vTl-4px1CvhrHDHVR3GPHp_qAvCnTnjxZOpUPu7SPnGXP5kdHbN-tESfL6QHh0UGaa54stskVkbuah-BUnf0tFGQ/s4032/IMG_1821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHPayfsaxzNYONJCfNjgN4MFzRyjhLW8YHcRfZhaIltY_Bnp8liKEGXIJW2Q9qEooONsGshPWkmDPPIS0rpBCNVHLTL7Vc836z-vTl-4px1CvhrHDHVR3GPHp_qAvCnTnjxZOpUPu7SPnGXP5kdHbN-tESfL6QHh0UGaa54stskVkbuah-BUnf0tFGQ/w300-h400/IMG_1821.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More "weeds"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45r0gEzIdtA7qxSai8m-T2UjYEhxxdJVbbOOkYVQHqAqVHHuQ5QdDIK4tt9HEB5FP-BJvw1fJZ3XdWnFYvQUIcv0d22a_voHH-HYy6xt3yWOJyEKiYgx3zhzCKs8JYVuy8K0ElHhiSRDFsbsxw4O_kffQNlekubJP57BC9PvTMGTMPZj7M-nllOOQYQ/s4032/IMG_1822.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45r0gEzIdtA7qxSai8m-T2UjYEhxxdJVbbOOkYVQHqAqVHHuQ5QdDIK4tt9HEB5FP-BJvw1fJZ3XdWnFYvQUIcv0d22a_voHH-HYy6xt3yWOJyEKiYgx3zhzCKs8JYVuy8K0ElHhiSRDFsbsxw4O_kffQNlekubJP57BC9PvTMGTMPZj7M-nllOOQYQ/w300-h400/IMG_1822.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> making a start - a little bit clearer</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Many gardeners will get rid of ragwort, thinking it is poisonous to animals - it is if eaten in great quantities by horses and cattle, but we don't have either of those. It has the unfortunate common name of "<i>stinking willie</i>" but is is of significant value for its nectar which feeds insect pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, so I leave it growing in waste areas. (I am told it is in the top ten for nectar production!). It is also a major food source for many beneficial invertebrates, including some threatened species such as the beautiful <i>cinnabar </i>moth as well as the threatened <i>Sussex emerald moth </i>(which hasn't been seen in Sussex since the 1950s and is now found only around the Dungeness area in Kent)<i>. </i>A recent conservation project at Rye appears to have been partially successful in re-introducing the species to the county.</span></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I removed the cloches (made from plastic bottles) from the courgettes that I had planted out earlier, hoping that they were now sufficiently far advanced to avoid being destroyed by slugs/snails.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9xuwzZbuaTlnocSHk7HyTCVpy9vPIaEJEr-mnI6xQ6g3Sg5orMhCSDsaddlVz1gBxytdTjKGIg_y9XJ9_rhIpwxHUTVQIMiTAZsZlYx64C2GXw1tkdUe3YKbGLpEoykJQNnvN8Xi2ld2avWcSKpfhGdqYzIuT5u2dUcJaYOKZNiP05RU5l82gj6HzA/s3012/IMG_1840.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3012" data-original-width="2747" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9xuwzZbuaTlnocSHk7HyTCVpy9vPIaEJEr-mnI6xQ6g3Sg5orMhCSDsaddlVz1gBxytdTjKGIg_y9XJ9_rhIpwxHUTVQIMiTAZsZlYx64C2GXw1tkdUe3YKbGLpEoykJQNnvN8Xi2ld2avWcSKpfhGdqYzIuT5u2dUcJaYOKZNiP05RU5l82gj6HzA/w365-h400/IMG_1840.jpg" width="365" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Courgette (Zucchini)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The black currants have some way to go before they are ripe, but the red currants are almost ready to pick.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo6fph7Di2rTPI7_RFDnxIAU6i3UcPPn3AddnbAeYJnJ_bET1ygwx3ILYJWBv04l5O4wa59_Ag7vmJlcND3p0j2JX2v6UOXz69PL1UN6wTxORfLv-YufhwtdfN0x57UALZ2I0SdSyUF4JYK3lhibiTPLDKSwWSblRNLBg3UAeBHJZ4wiNHolQ5jSZWQ/s2942/IMG_1824.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2942" data-original-width="2249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo6fph7Di2rTPI7_RFDnxIAU6i3UcPPn3AddnbAeYJnJ_bET1ygwx3ILYJWBv04l5O4wa59_Ag7vmJlcND3p0j2JX2v6UOXz69PL1UN6wTxORfLv-YufhwtdfN0x57UALZ2I0SdSyUF4JYK3lhibiTPLDKSwWSblRNLBg3UAeBHJZ4wiNHolQ5jSZWQ/w306-h400/IMG_1824.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Red currants</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>8 June </b>Several plot holders have commented on the absence of bees and butterflies this year. I wonder if they have all migrated to my plot as the bees seem to love the <i>nigella </i>(and the ragwort and dandelions!)<br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKE8IxLZTeSgNwEViDXBGvyg7KaaVJwnHisQ-fjI4c17xH0J0rLKKWoLrYY9nE3fWcJEfwlwNgQ0P5orJKagF7lKJg4gyXVCalUlrM7LNQWO9j7mFCI_Uh1vWoH534_1x6lQle2ZYiIfCvTHeuWFW6WGZIU_RWLIdjiNatyDLBnJvq3tZmoE2Abk2CXA/s1078/IMG_1831.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1033" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKE8IxLZTeSgNwEViDXBGvyg7KaaVJwnHisQ-fjI4c17xH0J0rLKKWoLrYY9nE3fWcJEfwlwNgQ0P5orJKagF7lKJg4gyXVCalUlrM7LNQWO9j7mFCI_Uh1vWoH534_1x6lQle2ZYiIfCvTHeuWFW6WGZIU_RWLIdjiNatyDLBnJvq3tZmoE2Abk2CXA/w384-h400/IMG_1831.jpg" width="384" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">bees visiting the Nigella</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ergOK4BFU3QrOUrcSrhg_oA0EM54qsNg0Qgk0_hSDLXSv8T5IouCztv6IS6e6LtyP7S-v56Ij8cqYGoh3ZdPCOL-NK1lVnM64E5ClxvIqQeavWWMbTSx7-kBBEziTX6jgoV_SII94dhgOxuD8j6NHeA13PYexz8RbOu9z0Ue-HVZAm1yr_Z-TSMJTQ/s865/IMG_1832.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="865" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ergOK4BFU3QrOUrcSrhg_oA0EM54qsNg0Qgk0_hSDLXSv8T5IouCztv6IS6e6LtyP7S-v56Ij8cqYGoh3ZdPCOL-NK1lVnM64E5ClxvIqQeavWWMbTSx7-kBBEziTX6jgoV_SII94dhgOxuD8j6NHeA13PYexz8RbOu9z0Ue-HVZAm1yr_Z-TSMJTQ/s320/IMG_1832.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">bees visiting the Nigella<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Apart from the indigenous self-seeded "Flanders" poppies, a number of garden poppies have found their way to the allotment. If they're not doing any harm to vegetable crops, most people leave them as they are very attractive, but it is best to remove them before they scatter their seeds! When dried they make an attractive addition to a flower vase at home, as do the <i>Nigella </i>seed pods.</span></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxr8iOaCll9lJRWcLqSs2np0F23P9nCLX2jsg5kUWlevrUUIYIFarJtlsUDh0F2rFfpWwcymgUIn2hB9DkCV01sb_hPRw_RQfP1kuj-3RETQZuz8jwUk4TkWLhPTFCaayTDhW1HzDiY3YQAN8KZDB80464sM_Z80SJN_nrAR38w5SgknDXbSXxWKiOA/s2814/IMG_1837.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2814" data-original-width="2372" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxr8iOaCll9lJRWcLqSs2np0F23P9nCLX2jsg5kUWlevrUUIYIFarJtlsUDh0F2rFfpWwcymgUIn2hB9DkCV01sb_hPRw_RQfP1kuj-3RETQZuz8jwUk4TkWLhPTFCaayTDhW1HzDiY3YQAN8KZDB80464sM_Z80SJN_nrAR38w5SgknDXbSXxWKiOA/w338-h400/IMG_1837.jpg" width="338" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Invasive poppies</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>9 June </b>I picked the first <i>mangetout </i>peas.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4XHIClq20AMDlqX6KiDLTQ9WzHZUr69V4j4RDS-MJE4qymtUKkUovXnQlhjQYT3eUJkkUE6z4iqzyQd87BhZ7iaJDM-jZoge6dLKQHuLbU0syw_TyAeNn_NadUPO35S2AICUqrPv3p7EAygFijWiusxX4ncbDL45eDA7ZCyM_Xy1Sas_DXo_r_N0HA/s3756/IMG_1849.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3756" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4XHIClq20AMDlqX6KiDLTQ9WzHZUr69V4j4RDS-MJE4qymtUKkUovXnQlhjQYT3eUJkkUE6z4iqzyQd87BhZ7iaJDM-jZoge6dLKQHuLbU0syw_TyAeNn_NadUPO35S2AICUqrPv3p7EAygFijWiusxX4ncbDL45eDA7ZCyM_Xy1Sas_DXo_r_N0HA/w323-h400/IMG_1849.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Mangetout</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Earlier, I had mixed up the seedlings of <i>Hurst Green Shaft </i>and <i>Kelvedon Wonder </i>peas, but now was the time to harvest them, while young and sweet, without worrying which variety they were.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynn0x-62Ft1TBre5b_SQ1YoekF8PH4VYwUo7Pvz0z3E5C4csrBqq80CGi2tuQ3JH2SwIN2XuQJKFNxpRsEdwmDUllHFztP_OmYvMAgOyDW67Dz31bqw45Rg9nmbLFUTpPCD2SHFobzpqGTbKxSDn6ys64_0d6RQIbwseteF32Lnbb4WGy7jkVmuQjZg/s4032/IMG_1850.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynn0x-62Ft1TBre5b_SQ1YoekF8PH4VYwUo7Pvz0z3E5C4csrBqq80CGi2tuQ3JH2SwIN2XuQJKFNxpRsEdwmDUllHFztP_OmYvMAgOyDW67Dz31bqw45Rg9nmbLFUTpPCD2SHFobzpqGTbKxSDn6ys64_0d6RQIbwseteF32Lnbb4WGy7jkVmuQjZg/w300-h400/IMG_1850.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">a variety of peas</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the pond, the water lily was just coming into flower</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg09SQhLkn_PUwRKtmli4Ph2MGXWjNLiePU6clE3tGWLiAPOMmz1RbiPeklc-XmEVkEtKDpofoFDVt2bHOb1VPSMZZUbV83vXUxI0HE-JcxKcu3nhXRo0tyxIYb7sjNhA7wtNDh27qDryMrEAxRt6W4Y_pyubkHzUK6zsFP3N5QpCCfYYEGLgY_jPHFA/s4032/IMG_1852.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg09SQhLkn_PUwRKtmli4Ph2MGXWjNLiePU6clE3tGWLiAPOMmz1RbiPeklc-XmEVkEtKDpofoFDVt2bHOb1VPSMZZUbV83vXUxI0HE-JcxKcu3nhXRo0tyxIYb7sjNhA7wtNDh27qDryMrEAxRt6W4Y_pyubkHzUK6zsFP3N5QpCCfYYEGLgY_jPHFA/w300-h400/IMG_1852.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Water lily</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Above ground, the foliage on the parsnips looked very green and healthy. I just hope there is as much activity below the surface!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrzU3w3g1xEngja7mxwLPjU6JGyyAVLvFCAzIjZc_y7CRVTx-mpY0LN8uheITOQPZ6a3adL-E13NAgivhLXddAxDtu6am5sqHJRyz6N85N956OmTMYF1bXPvSMH9btrJ7Nyv1zgiKPbcYirO3tHVy5iUelQ7YG0nM-HPQ0PCw_g6WqrFP5Ku-LrzwoQ/s4032/IMG_1853.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrzU3w3g1xEngja7mxwLPjU6JGyyAVLvFCAzIjZc_y7CRVTx-mpY0LN8uheITOQPZ6a3adL-E13NAgivhLXddAxDtu6am5sqHJRyz6N85N956OmTMYF1bXPvSMH9btrJ7Nyv1zgiKPbcYirO3tHVy5iUelQ7YG0nM-HPQ0PCw_g6WqrFP5Ku-LrzwoQ/w300-h400/IMG_1853.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Parsnips</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was time to harvest our first <i>red gem </i>lettuce</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNKJchHCwXe0MQ4rcyKL3wj-0DQnJnvR3kAmS6hc4L7dEwTnSqzkS6gHFKnTTlrVE8WhBxN6320amLEMhmWnkVzO78Ch0XlE7Rb59Nc3lNCj1Ea94q2x5VwW6gIIEKXgoZg0yXoBps8So9sFMi4sUlhbOh3YMaBYQTreL-TTxzHAEZwsBMygQdDWApw/s2430/IMG_1854.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2408" data-original-width="2430" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNKJchHCwXe0MQ4rcyKL3wj-0DQnJnvR3kAmS6hc4L7dEwTnSqzkS6gHFKnTTlrVE8WhBxN6320amLEMhmWnkVzO78Ch0XlE7Rb59Nc3lNCj1Ea94q2x5VwW6gIIEKXgoZg0yXoBps8So9sFMi4sUlhbOh3YMaBYQTreL-TTxzHAEZwsBMygQdDWApw/w400-h396/IMG_1854.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lettuce - red gem</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I don't pull them up, I cut them just above ground level with a knife in the hope that the stump will grow some more salad leaves.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>patty pan </i>squashes were putting on growth....</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3VKuYoCpkzKSEucsyGw68nxJ-1DiFKbB3fmFlambYjUasVOAOIzIlXW6J6CZAV04FXleAqEZgusG_06KgQBJHa2FPjkoxRtkJBvgtou_NIE7wGNx_vy_ZNxmwPa4LM9WXluyJn9hSIPUhEgjv0wfgvPjI7KMLjeBum0Xdq4ffNlhLZKQ0ltQXCcyvA/s4032/IMG_1856.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3VKuYoCpkzKSEucsyGw68nxJ-1DiFKbB3fmFlambYjUasVOAOIzIlXW6J6CZAV04FXleAqEZgusG_06KgQBJHa2FPjkoxRtkJBvgtou_NIE7wGNx_vy_ZNxmwPa4LM9WXluyJn9hSIPUhEgjv0wfgvPjI7KMLjeBum0Xdq4ffNlhLZKQ0ltQXCcyvA/w300-h400/IMG_1856.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Patty pan </i>squash</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">.......and the water lily was now in flower.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a3FzL2I7Q7F2odpVaLrQo8yRBC0RiMz9OAi-zhKw6VWkK2khjqOpZmcSClERdSjG8vPzTwtOMRtnqRQurvs3xahSqYCHBwdMQHqOEZjZFTlOrxjlXb1tyT4gzqKSuJwoPrZ58hPyvmapLsZ2cUz2996CN1TYmNpA0wJFt3kw4XKwkcmIL2YeF82QDA/s1421/IMG_1859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1421" data-original-width="1066" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8a3FzL2I7Q7F2odpVaLrQo8yRBC0RiMz9OAi-zhKw6VWkK2khjqOpZmcSClERdSjG8vPzTwtOMRtnqRQurvs3xahSqYCHBwdMQHqOEZjZFTlOrxjlXb1tyT4gzqKSuJwoPrZ58hPyvmapLsZ2cUz2996CN1TYmNpA0wJFt3kw4XKwkcmIL2YeF82QDA/w300-h400/IMG_1859.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Water lily</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Despite the unreliable weather - we had rain when we should have had dry sunny spells and we had dry windy weather when we needed rain - the garlic had done reasonably well. I raised some up gently with a fork to help them dry off before lifting.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpKjgn6HGtxCMmpwwCpl-ncBTmnkCEGPZa6eymZUutzuDmt1PCwBLfH-Z1vTULROfEtBgNILNNVaGiFgtUSVUwK4QHsuf95QhVFHThqK7SliGwU86LJJ_y3-u1zQUP6TbVxY5f69rFq5T8hTXzyHzfoXGOXJ3VsGkUhnzLw86vpl2ADpaOrguao8pqg/s4032/IMG_1861.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpKjgn6HGtxCMmpwwCpl-ncBTmnkCEGPZa6eymZUutzuDmt1PCwBLfH-Z1vTULROfEtBgNILNNVaGiFgtUSVUwK4QHsuf95QhVFHThqK7SliGwU86LJJ_y3-u1zQUP6TbVxY5f69rFq5T8hTXzyHzfoXGOXJ3VsGkUhnzLw86vpl2ADpaOrguao8pqg/w300-h400/IMG_1861.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD435RPH5Lxv_dB51cIkJNnWOn8FL8d_E6W6LWZj3Az0Q9M6AKLf5KnGaq68xGYXr1F75RsTYK5U9cJsbB3E62l72B44Y4doCa9nV10s_fBZhqpxbrxO7cTeLfWIlqOC57CknaBgi-q8y9c1xB4fHRF6_DXYb5yQ-nNnE5eE-kddr9qu9tmuDqOE0n4g/s4032/IMG_1860.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD435RPH5Lxv_dB51cIkJNnWOn8FL8d_E6W6LWZj3Az0Q9M6AKLf5KnGaq68xGYXr1F75RsTYK5U9cJsbB3E62l72B44Y4doCa9nV10s_fBZhqpxbrxO7cTeLfWIlqOC57CknaBgi-q8y9c1xB4fHRF6_DXYb5yQ-nNnE5eE-kddr9qu9tmuDqOE0n4g/w300-h400/IMG_1860.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Garlic</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We were also able to start lifting the first early new potatoes - <i>red Duke of York</i><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMEXcOqzIOJ5uY-5p0vQPd1m3W_2tN_trMr8rlsp1NpXhDVb_V6_UabMw34NM0zz0sZXN3hTNl75tF4kEy1iH6LQhWzVguMZ3cLzEmLDDt0DDoXYLNU4bu5Fa_Xaxm4y1PHsbLuPpiFgOrf5oB3b2Ua_x30uxtYa_87bTLyisE_Om3P45h7rnIhm81Q/s4032/IMG_1862.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMEXcOqzIOJ5uY-5p0vQPd1m3W_2tN_trMr8rlsp1NpXhDVb_V6_UabMw34NM0zz0sZXN3hTNl75tF4kEy1iH6LQhWzVguMZ3cLzEmLDDt0DDoXYLNU4bu5Fa_Xaxm4y1PHsbLuPpiFgOrf5oB3b2Ua_x30uxtYa_87bTLyisE_Om3P45h7rnIhm81Q/w300-h400/IMG_1862.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Red Duke of York </i>First early potatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>11 June </b>What a difference a couple of days of sunshine make! The <i>patty pan </i>squashes are now flowering - but only male flowers so far.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizijP7cecbhnc6JKB0328qIfex2-otgkeqGbwc4gftu-UC9wGxF8e4QqB4191HodKpRgn8WBG2e8KKiJJlzc5bKCgby3HjCqqw9g701toF2efEzdXGWyp-y8vomodOm3c_ExYlYaoEMh_mHcWI_N-DWpvTJe4f-5wansv--MXUnA3LHmydBj3Funxk1Q/s4032/IMG_1867.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizijP7cecbhnc6JKB0328qIfex2-otgkeqGbwc4gftu-UC9wGxF8e4QqB4191HodKpRgn8WBG2e8KKiJJlzc5bKCgby3HjCqqw9g701toF2efEzdXGWyp-y8vomodOm3c_ExYlYaoEMh_mHcWI_N-DWpvTJe4f-5wansv--MXUnA3LHmydBj3Funxk1Q/w300-h400/IMG_1867.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Male flower on the <i>patty pan</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div>Sylvi managed to pick more than 1.5kg of redcurrants....</div></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmdpLvxPKpdjsUYxSvojCHuEbukJDcEg4cCnk5jDGt79uG_bwnfvll1Z7gAbDNOUTxxYGFPJVpvhOcDjXcUJXVpf6BgkgEz4Tx4M-hgFaMQLdMjdqL8mnhgVAEZJPr7Bkddp8StZIIX2J24ii4Q74aVkQbq0rY4Nc7M-7P61QszdkNItFxXk9XmNMfQ/s4032/IMG_1870.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmdpLvxPKpdjsUYxSvojCHuEbukJDcEg4cCnk5jDGt79uG_bwnfvll1Z7gAbDNOUTxxYGFPJVpvhOcDjXcUJXVpf6BgkgEz4Tx4M-hgFaMQLdMjdqL8mnhgVAEZJPr7Bkddp8StZIIX2J24ii4Q74aVkQbq0rY4Nc7M-7P61QszdkNItFxXk9XmNMfQ/s320/IMG_1870.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">...which we transformed into redcurrant jelly. The raspberries were a lot smaller than last year and many should have been picked earlier when we were away. We did manage to harvest the remains of the chard and spinach though.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihArDxqx2kYSBDHTSewmRMTYTq6I8Jg86ZKuDSUJh3qJIGYbZRZqSZ2pLSOL6E_hRNlRySmnTFx1m05nyKH2gWCbrbOebiigCalRFvjf55rFl-ZdXZnWxExysKDpGinbfU2pPfLBa45syydMLJcN-IJWJ0jqZJVywfHwH61OhhyL1Kyf42imRFyNeM9A/s2670/IMG_1872.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2670" data-original-width="2610" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihArDxqx2kYSBDHTSewmRMTYTq6I8Jg86ZKuDSUJh3qJIGYbZRZqSZ2pLSOL6E_hRNlRySmnTFx1m05nyKH2gWCbrbOebiigCalRFvjf55rFl-ZdXZnWxExysKDpGinbfU2pPfLBa45syydMLJcN-IJWJ0jqZJVywfHwH61OhhyL1Kyf42imRFyNeM9A/s320/IMG_1872.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>12 June </b>saw the flowering of the first <i>corn cockle</i></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzIpBtc9gM3ZdmG_sPAssfz2_fSs5CxJy9P74GuYPl3fIlhh3M9hfrVJ757SV4_ERh-LEzeAoYPRvbmVsX-07mxmfrMxizj1UmTcvzDhp5DnohNZ6R2aWDr2WSH6MMJ5ulBiSQjDiSSI9JM_PfcyUBOvpoejB6MJqCCVkMery7r5vJObOHx6FHZrDw/s2617/IMG_1875.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2617" data-original-width="2510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXzIpBtc9gM3ZdmG_sPAssfz2_fSs5CxJy9P74GuYPl3fIlhh3M9hfrVJ757SV4_ERh-LEzeAoYPRvbmVsX-07mxmfrMxizj1UmTcvzDhp5DnohNZ6R2aWDr2WSH6MMJ5ulBiSQjDiSSI9JM_PfcyUBOvpoejB6MJqCCVkMery7r5vJObOHx6FHZrDw/s320/IMG_1875.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12 June - first <i>corn cockle</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>13 June </b>At home, the broccoli plugs had arrived but they were rather "leggy". I potted them up and put them outside to harden off. I also sowed some more <i>Kelvedon Wonder </i>peas in trays at home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>16 June </b>Back at the allotment, one week after the arrival of male flowers, the first female flowers were appearing on the <i>Patty pan </i>squashes.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMHvYwW7pidn94XJf2vhtfUFdiZd9VVasjeToVBhOStLR4s9X9W4rwgLu2MSGGG7HqR-8KqDGTfrjL796PtK16zMJlGizPjSu3UUFWlf4MD7lW_af6rbKnI4C3iKRWuQfVrCY8N3l4SYzLzshTYqCTTFezGnZv7JN00SA-r_FL2hukexqlnpvbomYzw/s1800/1F6AED7C-2209-4C2B-A323-B1B3EC98036F.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMHvYwW7pidn94XJf2vhtfUFdiZd9VVasjeToVBhOStLR4s9X9W4rwgLu2MSGGG7HqR-8KqDGTfrjL796PtK16zMJlGizPjSu3UUFWlf4MD7lW_af6rbKnI4C3iKRWuQfVrCY8N3l4SYzLzshTYqCTTFezGnZv7JN00SA-r_FL2hukexqlnpvbomYzw/w320-h400/1F6AED7C-2209-4C2B-A323-B1B3EC98036F.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">16 June - <i>Patty pan </i>squash -potential fruits</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>18 June </b>We were about to go away again, so it was time to check on the various plants and give them a good watering (hopefully, if there is a dry spell while we are away, Luke will be able to water them).</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSWI8Vvt_RZy9LIm3Nd9ZDLST7q0mmSwoHme7HlZLUZsY1SPh63FtowR96svJA1F_aR9Q7alBj248lo421Iygvn5ur-PIy40SVdRMfpCRMzvu5ezD0WlDnd8Qtj9-DWY2ozxy1FzhPYP8ZG_fk8zONvy7DPUup7DDK2z_fij2rlXW1CFh2s0_goBScA/s4032/IMG_1911.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSWI8Vvt_RZy9LIm3Nd9ZDLST7q0mmSwoHme7HlZLUZsY1SPh63FtowR96svJA1F_aR9Q7alBj248lo421Iygvn5ur-PIy40SVdRMfpCRMzvu5ezD0WlDnd8Qtj9-DWY2ozxy1FzhPYP8ZG_fk8zONvy7DPUup7DDK2z_fij2rlXW1CFh2s0_goBScA/w400-h300/IMG_1911.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 June - Courgettes with blackcurrants in background</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80OouL5IS5I3eopYxLXd4QH0s4vFEt-xYOP20Ig_lY3Rnc41LVIPJ9Ud168Ac89DbcTVO8AnhIzy4x6fBxhCqeZRKsbxfExi8Xd3XbE6sekCCYy0-JjEUqBDC6hXC7GQHrWheuzcf018sGpPQDv0VUwdxAxQ79zXYZwWTdlHw02b4ILwG7CD0Qfa6Bg/s4032/IMG_1912.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80OouL5IS5I3eopYxLXd4QH0s4vFEt-xYOP20Ig_lY3Rnc41LVIPJ9Ud168Ac89DbcTVO8AnhIzy4x6fBxhCqeZRKsbxfExi8Xd3XbE6sekCCYy0-JjEUqBDC6hXC7GQHrWheuzcf018sGpPQDv0VUwdxAxQ79zXYZwWTdlHw02b4ILwG7CD0Qfa6Bg/w400-h300/IMG_1912.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 June - <i>Butternut </i>and other squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wI0e1IaKUoiEtb4y200zvKbPyOJ_NcZ9YUyvmQKoD6fvKNj2lKCrtZp8BRyGvcvB0xi5Vo0nGfCXqCmWX22ax24acykZjB5BB3IzsJilcV2jZsw4NEq5HQvfCrkl0IwBESUTO7Qisn5Y9WsLF5bemYwwgHxXRMJUqaONfpB9pesiWN185HEAJ89mEA/s4032/IMG_1913.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wI0e1IaKUoiEtb4y200zvKbPyOJ_NcZ9YUyvmQKoD6fvKNj2lKCrtZp8BRyGvcvB0xi5Vo0nGfCXqCmWX22ax24acykZjB5BB3IzsJilcV2jZsw4NEq5HQvfCrkl0IwBESUTO7Qisn5Y9WsLF5bemYwwgHxXRMJUqaONfpB9pesiWN185HEAJ89mEA/w400-h300/IMG_1913.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 June - Courgette with French climbing beans<br />and <i>Borlotto </i>behind</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiuQJmIjTYcUL12WmeaNo0XBWdKfwGh8bPSXqc6bpxfZuF6Xlvs9cBsCRLEDpr53osVzsyeqjVMHiBmfrPLPfDMHH9I8nPKEWKuOFYq_aLgj24ok77VMWUCR6hqVtVLnmJ6WlrPOO9-OHrE-2yV7FAADv2uDWNrIJdNeCJuHcJvuAdQ0Hehd7QqVQrQ/s4032/IMG_1914.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiuQJmIjTYcUL12WmeaNo0XBWdKfwGh8bPSXqc6bpxfZuF6Xlvs9cBsCRLEDpr53osVzsyeqjVMHiBmfrPLPfDMHH9I8nPKEWKuOFYq_aLgj24ok77VMWUCR6hqVtVLnmJ6WlrPOO9-OHrE-2yV7FAADv2uDWNrIJdNeCJuHcJvuAdQ0Hehd7QqVQrQ/w400-h300/IMG_1914.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">18 June - Cucumbers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>30 June </b>Back from a few days away with granddaughters celebrating the end of GCSEs, we returned home to find that the <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes at home had put on quite a bit of growth. We had given them a feed, before we left, with a liquid fertiliser/feed for tomatoes (which we had also given to the courgettes, squashes and peppers on the allotment)</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYZjBBMEzb8_XsIEionhiy6KDn4uMW_oat3QnbmeBYxQjKWkulkQt8-RRFPTLLKKDjw51LlVw8lNtuS1X8ft3Nk4iQR48EIjeQCJy4KkBvGwopCOXJgVtTIti0r1S5qGPZypqtU0ea9NVDQgRHDQqJmTSBdbfaDHUbTuMsL2CS8z8leQPt1uI3G3OA/s4032/IMG_2039.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIYZjBBMEzb8_XsIEionhiy6KDn4uMW_oat3QnbmeBYxQjKWkulkQt8-RRFPTLLKKDjw51LlVw8lNtuS1X8ft3Nk4iQR48EIjeQCJy4KkBvGwopCOXJgVtTIti0r1S5qGPZypqtU0ea9NVDQgRHDQqJmTSBdbfaDHUbTuMsL2CS8z8leQPt1uI3G3OA/w300-h400/IMG_2039.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 June - <i>Marmande </i>tomatoes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7dIyBXmGbURQ2VNWXtvMrSMITuZcs4YxzR83a8mg0hh27rcUhPV8aH4T2ccQKJIRFce4nslT5kbTHBtG4ZXRVb5wU3EJPIFg5lV6YYmxQ11KUR8ea0XNh85xekMaYpAudl2Hzff_HOMq47DoQQVyP6rvhR5yE9tQwq6BMVTfYXs-Ilhfe3H5z81FyQ/s4032/IMG_2041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7dIyBXmGbURQ2VNWXtvMrSMITuZcs4YxzR83a8mg0hh27rcUhPV8aH4T2ccQKJIRFce4nslT5kbTHBtG4ZXRVb5wU3EJPIFg5lV6YYmxQ11KUR8ea0XNh85xekMaYpAudl2Hzff_HOMq47DoQQVyP6rvhR5yE9tQwq6BMVTfYXs-Ilhfe3H5z81FyQ/w300-h400/IMG_2041.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 June - </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Marmande </i><span style="font-family: arial;">tomatoes<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the plot, the courgettes, squashes and cucumbers had also put on some growth<br /></span><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWeSlagoAdFIft94AdKo5x9qTG-A0kNukbwrM6t9C5ZD8bNa0Cn6cN7bffGCAKmZFhZCSH3RuYEX7neafoWNe8_2wpnqdPufNsL-6BcN__j78k_ynk8clYqSRdlAJ8yp6IPtGvjSICmBC0BzNyh5sidiRw4X0frpVXOt4XAqBC6nZxzkH2Bi_yh_URw/s3024/IMG_2057%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="2988" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWeSlagoAdFIft94AdKo5x9qTG-A0kNukbwrM6t9C5ZD8bNa0Cn6cN7bffGCAKmZFhZCSH3RuYEX7neafoWNe8_2wpnqdPufNsL-6BcN__j78k_ynk8clYqSRdlAJ8yp6IPtGvjSICmBC0BzNyh5sidiRw4X0frpVXOt4XAqBC6nZxzkH2Bi_yh_URw/w395-h400/IMG_2057%20(1).jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 June - courgettes and squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXq2VZUrFrLbcuje3I4R3c0W9HSBNcwnqKQaM-X6qMGsAmHrmsmBC7bnTuYwUX2Qa7aVOhlh8Q4OvL-f8u5tg0vNQt6X8IC3PQth7iESwD3dTveCXPZaa6i-TjLToXI5SqEizT8kndaXT9fkmMxdw0Xp9_xzRc-WwtwwCSynSgfUaI-dAAwka1-TjnA/s4032/IMG_2058.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXq2VZUrFrLbcuje3I4R3c0W9HSBNcwnqKQaM-X6qMGsAmHrmsmBC7bnTuYwUX2Qa7aVOhlh8Q4OvL-f8u5tg0vNQt6X8IC3PQth7iESwD3dTveCXPZaa6i-TjLToXI5SqEizT8kndaXT9fkmMxdw0Xp9_xzRc-WwtwwCSynSgfUaI-dAAwka1-TjnA/w400-h300/IMG_2058.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 June - Squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>patty pan </i>squashes in particular are showing good potential.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-OLEv5EFVdbczA1-UnMXT7i0B59_t9Glbf0MlB5B392hoSIx0ha_7ZnBMq85tyCSrjViIwn4Qgz1yJShZAuaUCxogo6yyUwgXfCHkcA2V8MGHkN-j0j4RG4accBm1B8JrJbcc4ITQGlnQsG38lzYPma1w66p5SLM1uQcjRMrcbc3a9PCBwCCexVBLg/s4032/IMG_2060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-OLEv5EFVdbczA1-UnMXT7i0B59_t9Glbf0MlB5B392hoSIx0ha_7ZnBMq85tyCSrjViIwn4Qgz1yJShZAuaUCxogo6yyUwgXfCHkcA2V8MGHkN-j0j4RG4accBm1B8JrJbcc4ITQGlnQsG38lzYPma1w66p5SLM1uQcjRMrcbc3a9PCBwCCexVBLg/w300-h400/IMG_2060.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 June - <i>Patty pan </i>squashes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We seem to have a productive July to look forward to.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2></div></div></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Hove, June2022</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-27156832954164742062022-06-18T13:24:00.003-07:002022-07-17T04:54:11.291-07:00Life on The Weald, May 2022<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - plot 247 - </span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">and in the Kitchen & Garden, May 2022</span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl_QGpu-lfBc5JkS6p9Rh9q3QP_FuNwtE4P_eaIAU8yS-ceq7wNNEZ0PNdnAUfz-e1yGpFeJ4r5-woVK-eoicFJ5kg6Y1rg3F5yU2OY8XsTlkl3YJ_R3skKroDvS1dewfxRHPEtnI_dzjoXdXSTig2o6VnH-1lWlyEmfcgn80CnkRHOQaKNcy4Dg9ag/s3855/IMG_1597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2354" data-original-width="3855" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcl_QGpu-lfBc5JkS6p9Rh9q3QP_FuNwtE4P_eaIAU8yS-ceq7wNNEZ0PNdnAUfz-e1yGpFeJ4r5-woVK-eoicFJ5kg6Y1rg3F5yU2OY8XsTlkl3YJ_R3skKroDvS1dewfxRHPEtnI_dzjoXdXSTig2o6VnH-1lWlyEmfcgn80CnkRHOQaKNcy4Dg9ag/w640-h390/IMG_1597.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ceanothus early June</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The garden at home was coming alive with colour but we have rather neglected the allotment this month. We were up in London at the beginning of the month for the <i>Westminster Mile </i>and the <i>London 10k. </i> Both events were taking place for the first time since Covid lockdown in 2020. Mo Farah was returning to running for the first time since his pre-Tokyo Olympics injury. He returned to the streets of London to defend his title - but it was not to be, and he was beaten to second, outsprinted at the finish, by a relatively unknown club-runner, Ellis Cross from Aldershot and District Club.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Eilish McColgan powered home to win the women's event (beating her mum's Scottish record) and only 2 seconds outside Paula Radcliffe's 19 year old British and European record. The reigning wheelchair champion, Danny Sidbury, won the men's wheelchair race with a dramatic and close fought battle for second between David Weir and JohnBoy Smith.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As we come out of the worst of the Covid pandemic we are beginning to welcome visitors to Hove and we were pleased to welcome my sister-in-law,Siew, and my nephew Gregory later that week - we had a great couple of days visiting the beach and the Downs but it did, of course, keep us away from the allotment.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>8 May </b>I managed to directly sow some <i>Purple French beans (Tepee)</i> which had done so well last year. I will do successional sowings this year to avoid the sudden glut that we had last year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On inspection, the parsnips appear to be doing well above ground! And the peas are beginning to flower. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69FEvMPizMt9Rylux-RfWYl93GaDTPR8Dm_Vc4GYnmivdblxNQhGYqkzMqIC-RP2fBF_GqIm6REBfjfYNO7rqbfbkxue5BAiInwoTr3hTppXGng5LEDaE2Etj3EMdobLWtwp6DYFW4EhlIAswFFTMEDbpg1TZCCplZbSf5bcWq6CTOvluQFwU6D6NAw/s4032/IMG_1625.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg69FEvMPizMt9Rylux-RfWYl93GaDTPR8Dm_Vc4GYnmivdblxNQhGYqkzMqIC-RP2fBF_GqIm6REBfjfYNO7rqbfbkxue5BAiInwoTr3hTppXGng5LEDaE2Etj3EMdobLWtwp6DYFW4EhlIAswFFTMEDbpg1TZCCplZbSf5bcWq6CTOvluQFwU6D6NAw/w300-h400/IMG_1625.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 May - Parsnips</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JBC7f500q9RgrOBtXumt_RXciSsiXN5f3EttxuX14H2yO7R5V586qdM3KZ_mTpTdzecNa5iIPmtKgp9_5gIHsPKMFCa-E7scM9XEgUqPUGBrUa-GzwrlPYnkENCteqjYe-v-06BM0CimS8slm-Jm3iIgBTJRTza7KcUx7BEdvnPs2TMos5oxXEdeNQ/s4032/IMG_1626.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5JBC7f500q9RgrOBtXumt_RXciSsiXN5f3EttxuX14H2yO7R5V586qdM3KZ_mTpTdzecNa5iIPmtKgp9_5gIHsPKMFCa-E7scM9XEgUqPUGBrUa-GzwrlPYnkENCteqjYe-v-06BM0CimS8slm-Jm3iIgBTJRTza7KcUx7BEdvnPs2TMos5oxXEdeNQ/w300-h400/IMG_1626.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 May - peas</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I hadn't provided any sticks for the peas, which were said to be self supporting, and they looked rather tangled and untidy but it is too late to separate them..</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the beds where we had grown <i>Kale </i>last year was now completely overgrown with weeds, mostly <i>Blistery Ox tongue. </i>Fotunately it is relatively easy to pull up (with a good pair of gloves as it is rather prickly). It does take time, hand weeding, however, to ensure there aren't any roots left behind which can grow again.<br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sycOgSLV2xmLAaHxdwoCr1DqDT95fw6bUnUrNbgX6rmUEX-vkz7sTk9je_P4Sk3Bi0oLRakjRq2cMp7zeLYCf0kjBKjXW-x6_t9l8KmFBH7sFR7oRuiE_z7mtIf26NxKDStbsSP8awcl8QQzVOJx6rNSBtJyZr1Nh9X4iAYpzRCWFGrUJUDNoYegtg/s4032/IMG_1628.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5sycOgSLV2xmLAaHxdwoCr1DqDT95fw6bUnUrNbgX6rmUEX-vkz7sTk9je_P4Sk3Bi0oLRakjRq2cMp7zeLYCf0kjBKjXW-x6_t9l8KmFBH7sFR7oRuiE_z7mtIf26NxKDStbsSP8awcl8QQzVOJx6rNSBtJyZr1Nh9X4iAYpzRCWFGrUJUDNoYegtg/w300-h400/IMG_1628.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 May - a weed infested bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was tempted to pick a broad bean to see how they were doing.<br /></span><b><br /></b></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w63SDPyQi2ZjqRZetMqyC5Rf7OXgRvI7pKLImpaHSFkNDKhjWQzfqgQieJlauvYaN_Ln9bHBKdXvF8jVIHkunKtPtu8ssFIDmN_gMrFvcmpzUWoXN2aTYTQ3pOXh2KMy0PRNIfpK-1YjT3jTOvZKMqzy_i8L4RZsKBwOJRvM1dDcSMU4_JMj0KuNHg/s2217/IMG_1627.jpg" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1081" data-original-width="2217" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7w63SDPyQi2ZjqRZetMqyC5Rf7OXgRvI7pKLImpaHSFkNDKhjWQzfqgQieJlauvYaN_Ln9bHBKdXvF8jVIHkunKtPtu8ssFIDmN_gMrFvcmpzUWoXN2aTYTQ3pOXh2KMy0PRNIfpK-1YjT3jTOvZKMqzy_i8L4RZsKBwOJRvM1dDcSMU4_JMj0KuNHg/s320/IMG_1627.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 May - October sown broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">They looked fine and the ones sown in the autumn will be ready for picking in a week or two. Sadly, however, there were signs of <i>blackfly. </i> Normally the autumn sown broad beans mature before the blackfly arrive - but not so this year. One way to deal with them is to regularly hose down the plants to wash them off - but this is wasteful of water and provides only a temporary relief as they soon return. As we don't normally use pesticides, spraying with a solution of soapy water usually does the trick for a while. This year I followed advice on a gardening internet site which suggests adding a few drops of vegetable oil to the soapy water spray. Any vegetable oil will do and you can buy special horticultural oil but it is expensive. Strong smelling oils are recommended such as rosemary or lavender oil or clove oil. As I had some culinary mustard oil in the cupboard I tried this and it was 100% successful.</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At home, I sowed some more <i>borlotti</i> <i>beans</i>, <i>courgettes </i>and <i>cucumber </i>(<i>Ataki</i>) seeds.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On <b>12 May, </b>I planted out some <i>Patty pan squash (Sunburst) </i>plants grown from seed at home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For some reason one of the plants was dug up each night, I think by a squirrel, possibly looking for something in the soil. I replanted it three times, moving it slightly each time until the problem was solved. The seeds were left over from last year and I was pleased they had germinated but I had none in reserve in case the seedlings I had planted failed - or were destryed by squirrels! So I bought a new packet and sowed some more seeds in pots indoors. I also sowed some <i>Crown Prince squash.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">All the <i>Kalettes </i>that I had grown from seed had been eaten and earlier I had bought some plugs from a garden centre which I had potted up. These now looked ready for planting out and a moved and re-erected a net cage to protect them from the pigeons. I also moved and re-erected a second cage in preparation for planting the <i>purple sprouting broccoli </i> which I had grown from seed but which did not appear to be thriving.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At the garden centre, I bought a variety of chilli plants in small pots which seemed a bargain at 5 for £7. I have potted these into larger pots ready to be transferred to the mini-greenhouse when it is finally erected and I also bought a couple of <i>Jerusalem Artichoke </i>tubers (<i>Fuseau) </i>which I directly planted. I did give in to temptation and bought a <i>White Iris water plant </i>which was in the sale and have placed this in the pond.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3O2QdaGXxmKbG-MoEd5tysGa7-9gcz8Bk8P10BtxZpo-sBXaSwr3AyDx-thXzwot0KBF3tZ7xJQJqtaLAF48yZK_m9bmt8ZcPn6BexiGJGM4VeLLUTrXxNCKrAqvEO0GS-tK_XiEIqoy6VFqJ8-jbersDPkZtpizmTpVeGs8Sf7-E1pzko8XevAXJw/s4032/IMG_1641.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm3O2QdaGXxmKbG-MoEd5tysGa7-9gcz8Bk8P10BtxZpo-sBXaSwr3AyDx-thXzwot0KBF3tZ7xJQJqtaLAF48yZK_m9bmt8ZcPn6BexiGJGM4VeLLUTrXxNCKrAqvEO0GS-tK_XiEIqoy6VFqJ8-jbersDPkZtpizmTpVeGs8Sf7-E1pzko8XevAXJw/w300-h400/IMG_1641.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12 May - Kalettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1txgBlhLcg9rhKhn4ek_MMNPp49gThAJYkqEl6pDyes5zq3jvY-N0c5KauVz-_f5NW7PwGfBubOcm50fbu4PAM6KFYkoRc5auxInb-tOW85pRNOlInoL-m51jD1KBqkACQCvB5-KFl85JHg6WSIb2LW3V6w7LqYGCpna1NREnWMbag1Xe6lXdKRqjw/s4032/IMG_1642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1txgBlhLcg9rhKhn4ek_MMNPp49gThAJYkqEl6pDyes5zq3jvY-N0c5KauVz-_f5NW7PwGfBubOcm50fbu4PAM6KFYkoRc5auxInb-tOW85pRNOlInoL-m51jD1KBqkACQCvB5-KFl85JHg6WSIb2LW3V6w7LqYGCpna1NREnWMbag1Xe6lXdKRqjw/w300-h400/IMG_1642.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">12 May - Kalettes</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The front and back gardens at home were showing some spring colours and on <b>13 May </b>the <i>Paeony </i>and the <i>Irises </i>in the front garden was in full flower.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqxVbBg-r8XbAow-OokwzYq_pt2NjNq6x8qDBoOwF-UKtTJZ6NMQmFhQCO4Nx9RqnIc819AcjvhfREmQQ1rp_u6Tz3lPNl-HTv3xKDw3INCt8SQMwbI7x73D2RwCif30f7sUxwY-62Wy4X77PW2ItXPc6SpCr-ugm6pmYotnO7s5KSxSwzABdAVcsLw/s1952/IMG_1644.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1911" data-original-width="1952" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqxVbBg-r8XbAow-OokwzYq_pt2NjNq6x8qDBoOwF-UKtTJZ6NMQmFhQCO4Nx9RqnIc819AcjvhfREmQQ1rp_u6Tz3lPNl-HTv3xKDw3INCt8SQMwbI7x73D2RwCif30f7sUxwY-62Wy4X77PW2ItXPc6SpCr-ugm6pmYotnO7s5KSxSwzABdAVcsLw/s320/IMG_1644.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 May - Paeony</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgH89-T_BOibDUvhYnkYuxYJK6h-1ehzgICxFQ_XtXnqbtZnKXNpFuO8sT-rwfwHvV7YheVPjEjcs3I8VxSuJyYhcFufERUk10ZmkUmyazNaZhxQhGKCV3daove084lIAej-TVvmB4nOemztQ_j3RT_WwSYchsvTgZ3BrkKdNZBZUEAxI2oVzoxZ3t4Q/s3093/IMG_1645.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3093" data-original-width="2809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgH89-T_BOibDUvhYnkYuxYJK6h-1ehzgICxFQ_XtXnqbtZnKXNpFuO8sT-rwfwHvV7YheVPjEjcs3I8VxSuJyYhcFufERUk10ZmkUmyazNaZhxQhGKCV3daove084lIAej-TVvmB4nOemztQ_j3RT_WwSYchsvTgZ3BrkKdNZBZUEAxI2oVzoxZ3t4Q/s320/IMG_1645.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 May - Iris</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The temperature had been a regular 15C for days and the heavy winds had subsided so we thought it was time to re-erect the mini-greenhouse which would give us an opportunity to clear the bedroom shelves and the table in the conservatory of the many seedlings.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbecqF1nmh2FCD-CIXWdgEgXu9Ad4ru_Ybun2-M5Wy8yGSiC2MjL1WDucwXZCPVSzvQi1-DZGI1WgKiD9juZqPgV0Q-gh8H8tp5YKdL14mlAyZzvS3MxyqzBzcqMMXKn2jHil6EJr08LssU4V8zzAcyRuACgfY6bgVTMtsxEbs-aO9CQhtaHj5Db1tCw/s4032/IMG_1646.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbecqF1nmh2FCD-CIXWdgEgXu9Ad4ru_Ybun2-M5Wy8yGSiC2MjL1WDucwXZCPVSzvQi1-DZGI1WgKiD9juZqPgV0Q-gh8H8tp5YKdL14mlAyZzvS3MxyqzBzcqMMXKn2jHil6EJr08LssU4V8zzAcyRuACgfY6bgVTMtsxEbs-aO9CQhtaHj5Db1tCw/w300-h400/IMG_1646.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 May - the greenhouse is up!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There is a constant supply of rhubarb and <i>Rhubarb & Ginger Yoghourt cake </i> is part of our regular diet! We assume we can burn off the extra calories by our physical activity at the allotment!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNBQ8kVkpZUb5M7VBnyqzn06Hodgky3cQk6s9YgHBAXqSNqamJKuxdRPZHAd9RweXnHIdLkGy27fCgYlPC-Qv4J3X0EnppDrrMiU8UkVVVhxVFnu_rO1T8MFSz1yUzu4W8__DUCWWm0A3S5Lkzt42Ho9Y--tHzncSfm9Wswf3ZVOlDWqhhaGB8IrbMw/s2813/IMG_1647.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2647" data-original-width="2813" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNBQ8kVkpZUb5M7VBnyqzn06Hodgky3cQk6s9YgHBAXqSNqamJKuxdRPZHAd9RweXnHIdLkGy27fCgYlPC-Qv4J3X0EnppDrrMiU8UkVVVhxVFnu_rO1T8MFSz1yUzu4W8__DUCWWm0A3S5Lkzt42Ho9Y--tHzncSfm9Wswf3ZVOlDWqhhaGB8IrbMw/w400-h376/IMG_1647.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 May - Rhubarb & ginger yoghourt cake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBNLMZ3LTU3RG4gatx2JUR7tIMiXUcrMvRPC8Z6_MXaCNRsxRownRnV0qYANSTTxX2BnpCA9wamJgtATRV32TyQJbg01p3OQlubDUIvzsgAaviAec7Ja7c5hGFC0a8Vvly32IyjFiS3_EFrIpLGpydi4rIMVnVXQ65QAFI3fUQmwTdtoWi2OnH6IQ4w/s4032/IMG_1648.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBNLMZ3LTU3RG4gatx2JUR7tIMiXUcrMvRPC8Z6_MXaCNRsxRownRnV0qYANSTTxX2BnpCA9wamJgtATRV32TyQJbg01p3OQlubDUIvzsgAaviAec7Ja7c5hGFC0a8Vvly32IyjFiS3_EFrIpLGpydi4rIMVnVXQ65QAFI3fUQmwTdtoWi2OnH6IQ4w/w300-h400/IMG_1648.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">14 May - Rhubarb & ginger yoghourt cake<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>In the back garden the <i>clematis, Hot Lips (Salvia),Weigela & Mock Orange blossom (Philadelphus) </i>were all flowering.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuC0klAmMs-X3HsyTtApzjZ6E8ztm0L6brj_nxYk2xqN8cIoU8zwS3NnK62MTDjgtXi13a5h5MM2v6mfU-2zkwIwsXQIcrauopK9DECp48dnXWRVlJaZ5oQT5B2mIwNEcEh7mQXgxGux8qkEs86L0BLXjazb7Ajs-YMizNCMyH5x_LFpY-xlyyNL5_kA/s2406/IMG_1650.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2104" data-original-width="2406" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuC0klAmMs-X3HsyTtApzjZ6E8ztm0L6brj_nxYk2xqN8cIoU8zwS3NnK62MTDjgtXi13a5h5MM2v6mfU-2zkwIwsXQIcrauopK9DECp48dnXWRVlJaZ5oQT5B2mIwNEcEh7mQXgxGux8qkEs86L0BLXjazb7Ajs-YMizNCMyH5x_LFpY-xlyyNL5_kA/w400-h350/IMG_1650.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 May - Clematis</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06q-j67YjcPsG_pdEZS4RQUsa6tEVm7AChUcUxS2frSSqrkj3BL4VhJDgppwmB_8It7nhi8xtO3FmiLO_ewGW9syE5hu_308i-7BUbsxFQLfDxGfa8uLjNhfYyAuAzwzkzYUGl1LtiSr4Y7o3TttCJ27e6OpO1VHC6jRf2CCiCjNv7u6Od3OxJcpjvg/s4032/IMG_1652.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06q-j67YjcPsG_pdEZS4RQUsa6tEVm7AChUcUxS2frSSqrkj3BL4VhJDgppwmB_8It7nhi8xtO3FmiLO_ewGW9syE5hu_308i-7BUbsxFQLfDxGfa8uLjNhfYyAuAzwzkzYUGl1LtiSr4Y7o3TttCJ27e6OpO1VHC6jRf2CCiCjNv7u6Od3OxJcpjvg/w300-h400/IMG_1652.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 May - Salvia (Hot Lips)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj9lQEgD-7kc48_6VeFNfbA0zQnGPLXCOXMAFzj5Otdo1462vD6fHlDT7UEmOC8qzngjHuv67JlP-WRZcl1Klm9UgV8Kr6ULzoq9TNrGnaNcE2DCIa3CPiDlLx39baFyJ4Va7sc6YJ5pn7d7yE35eFlcsrjAde7n2bV5msdY2P8Y71x0wFf_z5N5QFA/s4032/IMG_1653.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj9lQEgD-7kc48_6VeFNfbA0zQnGPLXCOXMAFzj5Otdo1462vD6fHlDT7UEmOC8qzngjHuv67JlP-WRZcl1Klm9UgV8Kr6ULzoq9TNrGnaNcE2DCIa3CPiDlLx39baFyJ4Va7sc6YJ5pn7d7yE35eFlcsrjAde7n2bV5msdY2P8Y71x0wFf_z5N5QFA/w300-h400/IMG_1653.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 May - Weigela</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjsqYp8SdCfuBkyM5u0Fffu20fyqIFmXThbidjBi6nV5oBxoZYbot0UgNV3XrsWNgbMqJ4HnK9m9KNg7vTREF2WFt-xgVVMSrucLYA0iTRH4KTQRGGa2X_CxHi5TVeMmrnsbnidS5Wwj96hxxyADvx0uQzcEuQlYn_y_aLCaNhbq2XsUaHKe1x1_HVQ/s4032/IMG_1654.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjsqYp8SdCfuBkyM5u0Fffu20fyqIFmXThbidjBi6nV5oBxoZYbot0UgNV3XrsWNgbMqJ4HnK9m9KNg7vTREF2WFt-xgVVMSrucLYA0iTRH4KTQRGGa2X_CxHi5TVeMmrnsbnidS5Wwj96hxxyADvx0uQzcEuQlYn_y_aLCaNhbq2XsUaHKe1x1_HVQ/w300-h400/IMG_1654.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">16 May - Philadelphus</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There had been a long period without rain. The weekend <b>14/15 May </b>was very sunny and 16C + during thew day but Sunday evening brought very heavy rain. The sunny weather returned Monday and Tuesday <b>16/17 May </b> with a temperature of 20C on Monday and 18C on Tuesday but breezy. It clouded over in the evening with showers just as we were about to go away again! We had asked Luke to water whilst we're away but it wasn't necessary as the UK experienced a prolonged rainy spell. We made a final check that all was well before leaving.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVd-Cklm72FC8IKBju_KHyom1E7tDOGLH8D1H1Vn4PWFujDHwhsKfzU3BFd_svecompXI2Kh0q5JsrgrxbVjjsBJNgckfUYYHUI1pnetQ9Qq2DNdwP91Pg6wIksgTqRmrNTogafqXx-oUlKlj8_xLtFp2ey7EY8GtF_9zHWmwqVXBBoR8X80enHT-Lg/s4032/IMG_1659.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVd-Cklm72FC8IKBju_KHyom1E7tDOGLH8D1H1Vn4PWFujDHwhsKfzU3BFd_svecompXI2Kh0q5JsrgrxbVjjsBJNgckfUYYHUI1pnetQ9Qq2DNdwP91Pg6wIksgTqRmrNTogafqXx-oUlKlj8_xLtFp2ey7EY8GtF_9zHWmwqVXBBoR8X80enHT-Lg/w300-h400/IMG_1659.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - peas</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidklKBK_nT5SevUXZFM7N9gpXssdGG9UhL6j_rTOjiPnQiI-wTSqujfrpQocpsBgangD5GmRliM37bbLJcV0zfnSvLp3LfumBU898VpIraGFSqwPOOHXOLz3ELO82TKnanHq-ghggHBjdOY8zWe8y8_YImNhVPgMg5xg2v2WaoLV9E85Iq1wDc-CW7GA/s2176/IMG_1660.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2176" data-original-width="1969" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidklKBK_nT5SevUXZFM7N9gpXssdGG9UhL6j_rTOjiPnQiI-wTSqujfrpQocpsBgangD5GmRliM37bbLJcV0zfnSvLp3LfumBU898VpIraGFSqwPOOHXOLz3ELO82TKnanHq-ghggHBjdOY8zWe8y8_YImNhVPgMg5xg2v2WaoLV9E85Iq1wDc-CW7GA/w363-h400/IMG_1660.jpg" width="363" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - peas are flowering</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsD8BbnEc5NkzFp27JZQIrh7Em15HmG4fT7QH0whfcUAusyLNORrhVo6yY6LiJ6qz5GhebN31PR9TG1kDQ0fl3axogXaZPBtbq1fwxr2VC5vtEmQ4yJO6xYVJguC2ZYtsEJIrTw4CtqJc6eA3lrU5qfpRjPeBseMYz6sfdB8CbnFvQaPSTDRQiyK2AA/s4032/IMG_1662.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsD8BbnEc5NkzFp27JZQIrh7Em15HmG4fT7QH0whfcUAusyLNORrhVo6yY6LiJ6qz5GhebN31PR9TG1kDQ0fl3axogXaZPBtbq1fwxr2VC5vtEmQ4yJO6xYVJguC2ZYtsEJIrTw4CtqJc6eA3lrU5qfpRjPeBseMYz6sfdB8CbnFvQaPSTDRQiyK2AA/w300-h400/IMG_1662.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - spinach</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnngJuWTQh_Cfr_osms1pZUbJDtOISrU7jwJEgDQvLW8DISk2ryAEOcgeh6MO82c8B_KIocYm0SpIXTjjlBnMjUJqsszLBOnzfR2ZjgaEa9kTmd3GGvlzkVGFuK7--XVQk3IeINQ2zjC5b6KoHM-oMNMmZTR-G4fsJ5x847nT0frzYaFJ6HL9apqJ3GA/s4032/IMG_1663.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnngJuWTQh_Cfr_osms1pZUbJDtOISrU7jwJEgDQvLW8DISk2ryAEOcgeh6MO82c8B_KIocYm0SpIXTjjlBnMjUJqsszLBOnzfR2ZjgaEa9kTmd3GGvlzkVGFuK7--XVQk3IeINQ2zjC5b6KoHM-oMNMmZTR-G4fsJ5x847nT0frzYaFJ6HL9apqJ3GA/w300-h400/IMG_1663.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - <i>Butternut squashes</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pbagY231ZhcT0Yk4ZrzQnPlS97i62CrTk7o_GwuzuHRoXFl8c5Lp9cnkWDtEIZrKJyzkJdJfYR6t5y4_dLBBweMV8CxvHgNWFpRpOmuPHko3_IyF7IofNVhW4_WIYyh0Qeq8xuiJdfGmyvusQ9BnRERaTbfSELAqCWcq0UOhLSZp13a7QgoyFD97eA/s4032/IMG_1664.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pbagY231ZhcT0Yk4ZrzQnPlS97i62CrTk7o_GwuzuHRoXFl8c5Lp9cnkWDtEIZrKJyzkJdJfYR6t5y4_dLBBweMV8CxvHgNWFpRpOmuPHko3_IyF7IofNVhW4_WIYyh0Qeq8xuiJdfGmyvusQ9BnRERaTbfSELAqCWcq0UOhLSZp13a7QgoyFD97eA/w300-h400/IMG_1664.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - <i>Patty Pan squash</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqLxtW55l_DoA-9lc6itmwp0aOCKyeGp_urU-gVvxwQ6gZfyeldPhwQ2QpBtV_OEquEJMNUkq6bKUnAh3XDuDw0Y7aguZdBdf83oCB3JIwXYzkwou_v6hEkPo1u9yYP_FBZmblABnTailv9HvGUvVZOLX52yIYPp4SFTVS5qfAeOBJgqfMSioJBcXUQ/s4032/IMG_1665%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLqLxtW55l_DoA-9lc6itmwp0aOCKyeGp_urU-gVvxwQ6gZfyeldPhwQ2QpBtV_OEquEJMNUkq6bKUnAh3XDuDw0Y7aguZdBdf83oCB3JIwXYzkwou_v6hEkPo1u9yYP_FBZmblABnTailv9HvGUvVZOLX52yIYPp4SFTVS5qfAeOBJgqfMSioJBcXUQ/s320/IMG_1665%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - <i>Red Gem lettuce</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The <i>Asparagus </i>bed that we had created two years ago was in a sad state as it had been invaded by <i>raspberry </i> canes which spread from underground suckers. Only three of our six plants had survived. I'm not sure haw we can stop further raspberry invasions so we may have to move the asparagus elsewhere which means waiting another two years for them to establish themselves and produce 😒. We did manage to pick another 8 spears and they were superb.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before we left we harvested some broad beans (about 5kg) which when shelled produced over 1kg of beans which we have frozen. Broad beans are one of the few vegetables which freeze well. In fact we have only recently finished last year's crop.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_Ojgp12dQcUvkA8uLo6iTyO4afmII927h2LDgLe1HVE4x9tNcOp4g2VywylOm7TUg3sNdxPunD7DYbZviaJxlCXDPsAbbrJyTbiB32xSOrWuuD3gwSHZCK2OWpUKC_8oZulY9A7fUE7fe6yBwCN88Dz3hquNXG0hXzvRb-ZwwwRvzlPfBx2JhFecsQ/s4032/IMG_1666.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_Ojgp12dQcUvkA8uLo6iTyO4afmII927h2LDgLe1HVE4x9tNcOp4g2VywylOm7TUg3sNdxPunD7DYbZviaJxlCXDPsAbbrJyTbiB32xSOrWuuD3gwSHZCK2OWpUKC_8oZulY9A7fUE7fe6yBwCN88Dz3hquNXG0hXzvRb-ZwwwRvzlPfBx2JhFecsQ/w300-h400/IMG_1666.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - Broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkFcNacmg_YyhUvZw7-qkxyxR3g6r58J5d0pwY90LBJXaSieglQhoq_AKhSkdQQDBwdMZaJSXeRqQR7XZoDvkkno28ZEiOe0W-8W4H6oTEWZk4Q4B-JG90fBrnTAy5TGq31NtC_87OEO77mF8CGd1D43omKKgN2Hl62pbV7VE99jOGGjF2qvUiTcWPw/s2842/IMG_1667.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2842" data-original-width="2636" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCkFcNacmg_YyhUvZw7-qkxyxR3g6r58J5d0pwY90LBJXaSieglQhoq_AKhSkdQQDBwdMZaJSXeRqQR7XZoDvkkno28ZEiOe0W-8W4H6oTEWZk4Q4B-JG90fBrnTAy5TGq31NtC_87OEO77mF8CGd1D43omKKgN2Hl62pbV7VE99jOGGjF2qvUiTcWPw/w371-h400/IMG_1667.jpg" width="371" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">18 May - Broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>On the day of our departure, I made a quick visit to check again and was delighted to see that the <i>Patty Pan </i>was flowering (just one male flower but it's a start!)</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_09XTcYMVVqiHZFZl6Hqp08BYIzlc6OKlfw7eu_MDFtQ_AvN9x56ShQd6IF1XSWzJih1aXik5oRVnkV8ez6bSVRAHzvEkNghpynr-kwGdzW4NcuJ5LFOfNvQ59-cZ9u43BaypO2EgAe2b08_K8APVlnJFU5wrJp7owK6wBusl1cjUQOvg0v8NegPFUA/s2589/IMG_1671.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2589" data-original-width="2310" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_09XTcYMVVqiHZFZl6Hqp08BYIzlc6OKlfw7eu_MDFtQ_AvN9x56ShQd6IF1XSWzJih1aXik5oRVnkV8ez6bSVRAHzvEkNghpynr-kwGdzW4NcuJ5LFOfNvQ59-cZ9u43BaypO2EgAe2b08_K8APVlnJFU5wrJp7owK6wBusl1cjUQOvg0v8NegPFUA/w358-h400/IMG_1671.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 May - <i>Patty pan </i>in flower</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">We were in Spain from </span><span><b>19-27 May </b>which, after weeks of rain, was experiencing a heatwave with temperatures in our part of 30-35C but they were approaching 40C in some places but we were pleased to have </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">missed all the wet weather in UK.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">On our return the weather was much more seasonal, regularly 15-20C and very little rain. I was pleased to see that the plum trees were fruiting, but suspect we will lose quite a few in the June drop.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAtY0R5fFqa_YJpKQUj300_ohsNbYnexvzxJORnefUnx8ysJcAr8Wmf8Pc7NdQG4zuwIsgk3dDsX4_bUgteI1vHRFx5o2awaUaQ40OFbHTpPtTUUGM9qQg78HAoUGM26tQHhMlChXQ00z9r5bmmSNoDyPRkjC06RMn3E4uiKyXNxVSFZJGM1yqaQDTQ/s4032/IMG_1726.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAtY0R5fFqa_YJpKQUj300_ohsNbYnexvzxJORnefUnx8ysJcAr8Wmf8Pc7NdQG4zuwIsgk3dDsX4_bUgteI1vHRFx5o2awaUaQ40OFbHTpPtTUUGM9qQg78HAoUGM26tQHhMlChXQ00z9r5bmmSNoDyPRkjC06RMn3E4uiKyXNxVSFZJGM1yqaQDTQ/w300-h400/IMG_1726.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - plum tree</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">There was a plentiful supply of broad beans and we picked another 5kg.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxSHhPHuTrl5P4JhUGgyzR9qVmlL5omy_HKAGjehosCtquMbeTPXqq3MnWyunqvS8xkRHvGDE07zfLN-80BvsOO5GCKq6hh0iXgNNbkQ98Quo358rL2L0R5IvBhQM2BWleWbcc8-6XGdapmMbx3Spg216Q9UrSHWr6y6wWPyDMv8qnmIjtJsL06kFPw/s4032/IMG_1731.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxSHhPHuTrl5P4JhUGgyzR9qVmlL5omy_HKAGjehosCtquMbeTPXqq3MnWyunqvS8xkRHvGDE07zfLN-80BvsOO5GCKq6hh0iXgNNbkQ98Quo358rL2L0R5IvBhQM2BWleWbcc8-6XGdapmMbx3Spg216Q9UrSHWr6y6wWPyDMv8qnmIjtJsL06kFPw/w300-h400/IMG_1731.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - Broad beans</td></tr></tbody></table>And the directly sown <i>borlotti beans </i>and <i>climbing French beans </i> had germinated during our absence.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1K-YyuaPT1WkMC4bKnOe5qC__uf9LgRg5F5yw6aIO5IUaYnmgenU4dTaXgnFu81jKYvv_cQWT4iS4qb4X-bvdpik0wATqmQ3tU-3MBkUuUXlTsPJwKUlgnJUPei0sZuupQF_YLlLtNyBRxQIRVPi_jSfqAOYL27QGViHBoGR1YJsoeyyb0jm4rXF9w/s4032/IMG_1732.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1K-YyuaPT1WkMC4bKnOe5qC__uf9LgRg5F5yw6aIO5IUaYnmgenU4dTaXgnFu81jKYvv_cQWT4iS4qb4X-bvdpik0wATqmQ3tU-3MBkUuUXlTsPJwKUlgnJUPei0sZuupQF_YLlLtNyBRxQIRVPi_jSfqAOYL27QGViHBoGR1YJsoeyyb0jm4rXF9w/w300-h400/IMG_1732.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - climbing French beans</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The pond was surrounded by <i>Ox</i>-<i>eye daisies </i>(which were not there last year)<i> </i>and <i>Love in a mist (Nigella) </i>which had self-seeded.</span></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdJ_-T2r7Nf38KgYtKUh6dFucxJ8jSBhhnfABiwoTtg2uIuNGpgCKouwH98qVnbezjhm8a0Inm3bVDhEr-wgQ1QZxzUK5Jeajgq-EM_xbDWMatxHIgVDD715wp5UcRcRwSTdOPW8A7mC334xyp5O5JPE5-0-YkFSoSusU780xK5zqPL39WO2H7YkV8w/s4032/IMG_1730.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdJ_-T2r7Nf38KgYtKUh6dFucxJ8jSBhhnfABiwoTtg2uIuNGpgCKouwH98qVnbezjhm8a0Inm3bVDhEr-wgQ1QZxzUK5Jeajgq-EM_xbDWMatxHIgVDD715wp5UcRcRwSTdOPW8A7mC334xyp5O5JPE5-0-YkFSoSusU780xK5zqPL39WO2H7YkV8w/w300-h400/IMG_1730.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - Ox-eye daisies</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the <i>Basket of Fire </i>chillies had produced loads of chillies. This was a plant grown from seed indoors last year and then planted in the open ground in the summer. I had dug it up and put it in a pot which I brought indoors in October and it survived through the winter and is still producing flowers and fruits!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp52NztaX1WKbJMKl4g83uWrnVQUIRXlJJQ116zDWoeqj6_LeOyx-pXtHlM3rmOaot4iED9IRp5iDpYiU2k8wR3tmgAc2PyBXxAVneo7MvlpiPHy3O41lUHXi5a8eFrPhG_FvxgzcXlSsUbiErWxUYhV5TQJGqF25BGUnMBUK6SWamCAhOK_NMk6c2UA/s4032/IMG_1734.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp52NztaX1WKbJMKl4g83uWrnVQUIRXlJJQ116zDWoeqj6_LeOyx-pXtHlM3rmOaot4iED9IRp5iDpYiU2k8wR3tmgAc2PyBXxAVneo7MvlpiPHy3O41lUHXi5a8eFrPhG_FvxgzcXlSsUbiErWxUYhV5TQJGqF25BGUnMBUK6SWamCAhOK_NMk6c2UA/w300-h400/IMG_1734.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - Basket of Fire</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We hadn't yet managed to move all of the seedlings from indoors</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfDGfmWEL0jyz7WXbQyuL0ykYa2sPIVLxJOfxTVYALI-ky0uPSp-ILEG3Uc2f_UTQ5uuXofT7GpC0z7YGVPpd6Vg_xF6OHinxn5HRW2KOghd83GZKfFgtSOJD5ZCdecGCDI6cEk8M7Br8U4yKUPd2eBGokR_otMnEGo5LJ8yBstBCSy9ebZQ9xpilJQ/s4032/IMG_1735.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfDGfmWEL0jyz7WXbQyuL0ykYa2sPIVLxJOfxTVYALI-ky0uPSp-ILEG3Uc2f_UTQ5uuXofT7GpC0z7YGVPpd6Vg_xF6OHinxn5HRW2KOghd83GZKfFgtSOJD5ZCdecGCDI6cEk8M7Br8U4yKUPd2eBGokR_otMnEGo5LJ8yBstBCSy9ebZQ9xpilJQ/w300-h400/IMG_1735.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more seedlings</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Out on the plot, the <i>love in a mist </i>was now flowering</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfzKam07oD72NDDBaOV4gq3yN53VZ951OTN2NmPNgLg1YUQWQSMTJuBHH5Kq9RN5dQ5Gio1yi_gS41jsQuTU5lML0Oc05HRiJHENXjUZek_RSS7e9FOAyGcsZLcy9IUGntx_P270U99FMae0JBEVicoAEB4q1NSKWWwIX6Mf4Ff-7Qr_PckR76cdO7Q/s4032/IMG_1739.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCfzKam07oD72NDDBaOV4gq3yN53VZ951OTN2NmPNgLg1YUQWQSMTJuBHH5Kq9RN5dQ5Gio1yi_gS41jsQuTU5lML0Oc05HRiJHENXjUZek_RSS7e9FOAyGcsZLcy9IUGntx_P270U99FMae0JBEVicoAEB4q1NSKWWwIX6Mf4Ff-7Qr_PckR76cdO7Q/w300-h400/IMG_1739.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28 May - <i>Love in a mist (Nigella)</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Although most of the spinach beet and chard had gone to seed, there was still a lot to be harvested. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6LUsUZqIJvXsdue68VTvQXyVcwrk1uA4tptBIHX87CC9TyN5LSqNQ7Ybm19TMaBKeWEwJcFTiHulFCmxya9GiNFMSRWfyPdehITsFXQNMA_K5_Wd7dHCpkjCkEyklPLUaVopw4kGpVWlc7u3mOFe9wJER12W2qAnb99_4_4H5pWvCe0e9fdCXnjNvw/s4032/IMG_1740.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6LUsUZqIJvXsdue68VTvQXyVcwrk1uA4tptBIHX87CC9TyN5LSqNQ7Ybm19TMaBKeWEwJcFTiHulFCmxya9GiNFMSRWfyPdehITsFXQNMA_K5_Wd7dHCpkjCkEyklPLUaVopw4kGpVWlc7u3mOFe9wJER12W2qAnb99_4_4H5pWvCe0e9fdCXnjNvw/w300-h400/IMG_1740.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Silver Chard<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Despite our neglect, there has been a good supply of produce and a promise of more to come over the summer months.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><h1 style="text-align: left;"><i style="color: red; font-family: arial;">John Austin</i></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial;">Hove, May 2022</span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-72577399278345593792022-05-15T06:07:00.000-07:002022-05-15T06:07:09.017-07:00Life on The Weald, April 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Life on The Weald - Plot 247</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">(and out and about) - April 2022</span></h1><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A few days away at the beginning of the month................</span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblnu84BGLuOgXZ6-YvMPceFg4oZGl01LApMynBe5rRX0Gag6KB95r3b3eRIiX52dL0qj78F2pRA0C8w9Wq4GALsfcKQjObUxcSIkKffohNtURDMEEVmlowcIrqIFpjCZVNXwjAovmqXtS_n58EEvvEUmIeqIMoUNkuNloKh9ga7UECG0SQZJPBjkzPg/s4032/IMG_1297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblnu84BGLuOgXZ6-YvMPceFg4oZGl01LApMynBe5rRX0Gag6KB95r3b3eRIiX52dL0qj78F2pRA0C8w9Wq4GALsfcKQjObUxcSIkKffohNtURDMEEVmlowcIrqIFpjCZVNXwjAovmqXtS_n58EEvvEUmIeqIMoUNkuNloKh9ga7UECG0SQZJPBjkzPg/w640-h480/IMG_1297.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Parque Natural de las Salinas de Santa Pola - 3 April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We returned from our brief break on </span><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">7 April </b><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">and thankfully all the seedlings indoors at home had survived. We had been worried that everything on the allotment might dry out as rising temperatures had been predicted, with no rain expected. Whilst we had been away, however, temperatures had fallen with some heavy frosts on occasion. There had been snow in many parts of the UK and Hove had experienced sleet and strong winds. The following day I went to review the possible damage at the allotment.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Fortunately, the broad beans had withstood the wind and the autumn sown ones were in full flower. The only real damage was to the <i>Duke of York </i>first early potatoes which appeared to have been caught by the frost. This is how they looked when we left them a fortnight earlier:</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEM43fkG4LGJqKRV-Elrds20NgAdJHYKjimKgYIaiySvfb1qANcXoFBhha9_C0PX1JwX6gPaLn505_9YD-YjsELJY6NI-AStxGn8tduAFo7mrPVTuY8sqR2jdnj25nFjY1mem80zA25sDLl4rcSlR1ZLPfWT_wMqUJ3i_7xecwvO8Iqa-UC2puZQa6A/s2024/IMG_1218.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2024" data-original-width="1554" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEM43fkG4LGJqKRV-Elrds20NgAdJHYKjimKgYIaiySvfb1qANcXoFBhha9_C0PX1JwX6gPaLn505_9YD-YjsELJY6NI-AStxGn8tduAFo7mrPVTuY8sqR2jdnj25nFjY1mem80zA25sDLl4rcSlR1ZLPfWT_wMqUJ3i_7xecwvO8Iqa-UC2puZQa6A/w308-h400/IMG_1218.HEIC" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Duke of York </i>17 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">...and this is what they looked like on our return</span><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK6GMBHWkiIl3wASq0cP6Vnq-P6eJOL2-TcktD_aknKv5RPFLWY_Smv_jhnibPAhkdboeGNVSRBAa1ihyPjFc1lETA6bz_s_7ySLEPd21jnxV5VuOAnjhN1gKXZjI7TadkkRIu_5yzfgGlScubD-9RjOj2A1NUEFBeOU_sbxksqosJj50NmSWPwT1Og/s4032/IMG_1339.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbK6GMBHWkiIl3wASq0cP6Vnq-P6eJOL2-TcktD_aknKv5RPFLWY_Smv_jhnibPAhkdboeGNVSRBAa1ihyPjFc1lETA6bz_s_7ySLEPd21jnxV5VuOAnjhN1gKXZjI7TadkkRIu_5yzfgGlScubD-9RjOj2A1NUEFBeOU_sbxksqosJj50NmSWPwT1Og/w300-h400/IMG_1339.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Duke of York - </i>10 April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The wind or the frost had blackened and killed off some of the leaf growth but thankfully there were signs of new growth. I think the mulch of grass cuttings that we had applied last month might have helped their survival.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We gave the potatoes a good watering and earthed them up hoping the <i>Duke of York </i>would recover. The later planted <i>Nicola & Charlotte </i> did not appear to have been affected by the weather.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a lot of rhubarb waiting to be picked.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9j3x19l7iFa8kxgfdzh98pPHIuv51OfGeqlEsaAcK2qSIWlHvnVewrRE2UdKfqSd-tsEQ0Yc7IozJB2MwMkTTwE_V_jLdrmHfmjGOiMyMCA2yX9eoH32QSB5qq-GGkOOD9NkuaCyW1ZZd89Vf2iLLlarjd6IaZdThm258A9gEWaG3zq-x9nOVbuaTg/s4032/IMG_1335.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9j3x19l7iFa8kxgfdzh98pPHIuv51OfGeqlEsaAcK2qSIWlHvnVewrRE2UdKfqSd-tsEQ0Yc7IozJB2MwMkTTwE_V_jLdrmHfmjGOiMyMCA2yX9eoH32QSB5qq-GGkOOD9NkuaCyW1ZZd89Vf2iLLlarjd6IaZdThm258A9gEWaG3zq-x9nOVbuaTg/w300-h400/IMG_1335.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">8 April - rhubarb</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The peas were coming along nicely altough there were some gaps. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFv5a8N2yZX-PAo7qlpMbs3vUJi-A0ZV0h6KCQPIhyhIE9h1T5VJO_GB9-HpBvStabf42w9ovGSh7Q17lfsQV5qwnXdcZF4G4yRuV8lGR7dzCdzOGnHSBoAnaPyaec9nv25IqnVMNWAzHFk9-O0kbeEYi38u0v54aV2VxoALOkyD244RPDBhWbXwnug/s4032/IMG_1337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFv5a8N2yZX-PAo7qlpMbs3vUJi-A0ZV0h6KCQPIhyhIE9h1T5VJO_GB9-HpBvStabf42w9ovGSh7Q17lfsQV5qwnXdcZF4G4yRuV8lGR7dzCdzOGnHSBoAnaPyaec9nv25IqnVMNWAzHFk9-O0kbeEYi38u0v54aV2VxoALOkyD244RPDBhWbXwnug/w300-h400/IMG_1337.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mangetout peas - 8 April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I sowed some more mange-tout in some guttering at home so that I could fill the gaps later. Some of the spinach was going to seed but there was lots to harvest and we were also able to pick a good supply of purple sprouting broccoli.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was also the first sign of blossom on the plum trees</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFq9LzXOA08aV384Lexpl9PzaZ_z9GIg143TU91ikuOi3zy6hNG85jG_ftVxNJei1OgxEFY0YGJdnlINISYIem5ZOUe6doKNpriikGiCGbsdjQyCm8Xt9d_mBKRlron3mUTVg30Zih6VgJfgXdeMAie4fFWlhdQbjtUFsmqCpmbv7VeExUXR28rg6tg/s4032/IMG_1336.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFq9LzXOA08aV384Lexpl9PzaZ_z9GIg143TU91ikuOi3zy6hNG85jG_ftVxNJei1OgxEFY0YGJdnlINISYIem5ZOUe6doKNpriikGiCGbsdjQyCm8Xt9d_mBKRlron3mUTVg30Zih6VgJfgXdeMAie4fFWlhdQbjtUFsmqCpmbv7VeExUXR28rg6tg/w300-h400/IMG_1336.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Plum tree in blossom - 8 April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The temperature was not wonderful the following week. On </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>19 April </b>the temperature rose to 15C, but with a chilly wind, and was down to 6/7</span><span style="font-family: arial;">C at night.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I did take a risk, however, of planting out some <i>patty pan </i>squashes as I was running out of space at home and in our mini-greenhouse in the garden. We also managed to pick five spears of asparagus and a good supply of the last of the broccoli.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home I sowed some <i>Crown Prince </i>squash in pots but discovered I only had two seeds left from last year, so will have to buy some more seeds or buy some plants from the garden centre - unless someone on the allotment has some spares. I also sowed one giant pumpkin seed. We are limiting ourselves to one plant this year as we had a surfeit last year - and still have one at home!</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfem3T1uRmskRcvxI1feNLFP2HH5N6dDRoHr2w9EYc_2MO_JKYUAeCLyhFQBF4XZFycmHaXk8HPwJYSwOeqj8SqWBvwEG8Gd2ql815p6N1U8hYwxqynkDcY0UPUhtiYYjBYsiIW80wMzVuu5kLs07YHUQN0TOf8NjQJbFB7BNFOf5iQj-F2KEA6AF6cg/s2844/IMG_1638.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2844" data-original-width="2740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfem3T1uRmskRcvxI1feNLFP2HH5N6dDRoHr2w9EYc_2MO_JKYUAeCLyhFQBF4XZFycmHaXk8HPwJYSwOeqj8SqWBvwEG8Gd2ql815p6N1U8hYwxqynkDcY0UPUhtiYYjBYsiIW80wMzVuu5kLs07YHUQN0TOf8NjQJbFB7BNFOf5iQj-F2KEA6AF6cg/w385-h400/IMG_1638.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One of last year's pumpkins</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The autumn sown broad beans were now in full flower and, fingers crossed 🤞, are free of blackfly.</span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IMZf4e0WAhSk_AhgHX3haY9eXsib-l3g4_Slwt-IwW7PIk7cFb3Z35NXNGZFnD5hb7MO8UFd_bs9w4fXwuuKde2a0hc_8Yq2WnLAq4PHUBIQWGsWtebVS0Tq3r-ITiCYc4jbOYgbb2fMHExIuGdn104w6khA_HhQzD-6TeaC9lmJ05Hccj3M7BZ_9g/s4032/IMG_1340.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IMZf4e0WAhSk_AhgHX3haY9eXsib-l3g4_Slwt-IwW7PIk7cFb3Z35NXNGZFnD5hb7MO8UFd_bs9w4fXwuuKde2a0hc_8Yq2WnLAq4PHUBIQWGsWtebVS0Tq3r-ITiCYc4jbOYgbb2fMHExIuGdn104w6khA_HhQzD-6TeaC9lmJ05Hccj3M7BZ_9g/w300-h400/IMG_1340.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Autumn sown broad beans in flower -10 April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40eukkH3X0DE2iVXfYtUx_AhoSYtfyQHjUMqjVAuPAwMhQaJqALs4-wJ9-L4aNs2P13lLi1E497ZJxd_9xluQ6bRZzCBa2R7wXD6X-9s1CMKC8zCIBHzRbFZ0R00_84KmKCfoZIzkkP-CRm19tTIvAnMx_KpBoddrcRG_Xz_qkkOTyU2fpCOI2OUKUA/s2205/IMG_1341%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2205" data-original-width="2020" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40eukkH3X0DE2iVXfYtUx_AhoSYtfyQHjUMqjVAuPAwMhQaJqALs4-wJ9-L4aNs2P13lLi1E497ZJxd_9xluQ6bRZzCBa2R7wXD6X-9s1CMKC8zCIBHzRbFZ0R00_84KmKCfoZIzkkP-CRm19tTIvAnMx_KpBoddrcRG_Xz_qkkOTyU2fpCOI2OUKUA/w366-h400/IMG_1341%20(1).jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Autumn sown broad beans in flower -10 April<br /></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home the front garden was a riot of colour with tulips and anemones</span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOClilKw7tHvIs0odxhcUCihQwGJ4OBB10mJ_dgyFiyU9QkBqBYcPV9rw2ozDJTI_2vrmsvf6rmhXpazH87z8_k5O2I6DJGtkCaITAIJqgrO_yum_bsFACXOgCOnbCCk6Ud2eFx23cLciHE3BGJ1brOF4AqjFNx4I9T9TnmZVGJopc_drZ7oPg5d1ZQ/s2048/88BDA393-84D3-47F7-B2C7-1E86CE6954AD.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOClilKw7tHvIs0odxhcUCihQwGJ4OBB10mJ_dgyFiyU9QkBqBYcPV9rw2ozDJTI_2vrmsvf6rmhXpazH87z8_k5O2I6DJGtkCaITAIJqgrO_yum_bsFACXOgCOnbCCk6Ud2eFx23cLciHE3BGJ1brOF4AqjFNx4I9T9TnmZVGJopc_drZ7oPg5d1ZQ/w400-h400/88BDA393-84D3-47F7-B2C7-1E86CE6954AD.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tulips at home in April</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAr3VVobNJgg14XHirKsd4TMPpG20IZ28cehiAN6cV-ud_avGKn9gdjH6pRW_qAyY4fsW5XOhLmUVDjd-0qi6Q4Htre2qdxelYRK-D00LmzyRMmkmwGp-NZNpV3BI_gHLocdBuwVQ8XUzbhDleCuPkVYiCKpCDlqcKVbu41AMPGsPLx2qpsYny6lg_Qg/s3392/IMG_1342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3392" data-original-width="2595" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAr3VVobNJgg14XHirKsd4TMPpG20IZ28cehiAN6cV-ud_avGKn9gdjH6pRW_qAyY4fsW5XOhLmUVDjd-0qi6Q4Htre2qdxelYRK-D00LmzyRMmkmwGp-NZNpV3BI_gHLocdBuwVQ8XUzbhDleCuPkVYiCKpCDlqcKVbu41AMPGsPLx2qpsYny6lg_Qg/w306-h400/IMG_1342.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Anemones in the front garden - April 2022</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the backgarden the <i>Snowbells </i>seemed to have taken over a corner of the garden. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span></span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Although it has been with us since the 1700s, the <i>Snowbell (</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>Allium triquetrium)</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> is classified as a non-native species in England and Wales and since it can outcompete native spring plants such as primroses and violets, it is illegal to plant it in the wild <i>(Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act)</i> It appears to have taken over one of our border beds and has now spread to the lawn! But it is very attractive and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">All parts of the plant are edible (leaves, roots, flowers): it has an oniony/garlic smell and tastes like chives or young spring onions. The flowers look very attractive in salads or as a garnish. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">It is also known as “three cornered leek” (the leaves in cross-section are triangular), “onion grass” and “onion weed”. It tastes like chives or young spring onions. The flowers look very attractive in salads or as a garnish.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Tska0luSTJy3S7wv6FStr_dxOidWOZzdvFHZx9vf5SO1QR4GH4dXg30cujYXf0rsSvJ_WQBF_qRL1tMo4fx5Wp_jgGwBCATKM4Fz9gMMkL5Q2VLtHgXXDHedDQdtynPJ5jI9mTi1ORLz7mJk5S5BWIiA9a3PnuSfmDWgpSy-yaDqgNyo3NX6soRCpg/s3284/IMG_1353.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3284" data-original-width="2307" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Tska0luSTJy3S7wv6FStr_dxOidWOZzdvFHZx9vf5SO1QR4GH4dXg30cujYXf0rsSvJ_WQBF_qRL1tMo4fx5Wp_jgGwBCATKM4Fz9gMMkL5Q2VLtHgXXDHedDQdtynPJ5jI9mTi1ORLz7mJk5S5BWIiA9a3PnuSfmDWgpSy-yaDqgNyo3NX6soRCpg/w282-h400/IMG_1353.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Snowbells</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFQqY8t9XWvEOreX3c6_KbDVbSbQ6c4sJ-7s5_N-QzRDzfUP9aKPUvbhDWGHavF88AYwz9bk_oexCodKh4zqJyM4bERpGWBMdJZ0JoFoz9EUo2RnXaUxjYvvL4KPRbX0FS-KRotlLLFmPPaMM827beAkSQi_TgwpHaJGoZWlR-8VoOpdqCzvMfbRquw/s887/BC6694AB-F81F-47CC-BD0C-6D301A1FEF62.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="887" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzFQqY8t9XWvEOreX3c6_KbDVbSbQ6c4sJ-7s5_N-QzRDzfUP9aKPUvbhDWGHavF88AYwz9bk_oexCodKh4zqJyM4bERpGWBMdJZ0JoFoz9EUo2RnXaUxjYvvL4KPRbX0FS-KRotlLLFmPPaMM827beAkSQi_TgwpHaJGoZWlR-8VoOpdqCzvMfbRquw/w400-h400/BC6694AB-F81F-47CC-BD0C-6D301A1FEF62.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Snowbell flower</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home, the spare Charlotte potatoes, planted in a growbag have just appeared above the surface.</span></p><p></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdLCmwjmfNTDxgzB7nJ08aQ0LcKKOjOljXh6SwK-mfxllfiyGMm00GTZE3s6M13Q13a5ZFH7wDKhSCzIFoY_chaokNioEg_ESAhlYu5dg7pH5Y1A06eq8OySuAgeHSmO47vtstfUhrgJfJx6nZbGZxbtSl4qPCNsGM47miMGtyieWxYq8m0wmjiXttw/s4032/IMG_1354.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizdLCmwjmfNTDxgzB7nJ08aQ0LcKKOjOljXh6SwK-mfxllfiyGMm00GTZE3s6M13Q13a5ZFH7wDKhSCzIFoY_chaokNioEg_ESAhlYu5dg7pH5Y1A06eq8OySuAgeHSmO47vtstfUhrgJfJx6nZbGZxbtSl4qPCNsGM47miMGtyieWxYq8m0wmjiXttw/w400-h300/IMG_1354.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Although I have managed to increase the "no dig" areas on the allotment, there is a long way to go. I had allowed the area where the brassicas are to go to become somewhat overgrown in the autumn but had largely cleared it of perennial weeds and had emptied one of the compost bins on the area and had left the pile over the winter. On <b>16 April </b>I spread the pile and begun to lightly fork it in. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefUQICIYlDJVliqz8LbcAcXijk_g95G7R9-1_Y1wVUty9-eteJptZI2O6ObwbC4kaXMjdkGqnXd18vm2TrTRLrrIkByQjq338NB6ZwBlUX3C7rhg1puarQFd3VSaRGNoo0SbDHjGnliYzHnBSspUZAXqQFFaOxanK1rUEkksk4Eo8f5my371hQMTDUw/s3802/IMG_1395.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2670" data-original-width="3802" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefUQICIYlDJVliqz8LbcAcXijk_g95G7R9-1_Y1wVUty9-eteJptZI2O6ObwbC4kaXMjdkGqnXd18vm2TrTRLrrIkByQjq338NB6ZwBlUX3C7rhg1puarQFd3VSaRGNoo0SbDHjGnliYzHnBSspUZAXqQFFaOxanK1rUEkksk4Eo8f5my371hQMTDUw/w400-h281/IMG_1395.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Preparing the brassica bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h-jAwFN8zCNdFvYIUlO-aTxxs9rwZPDfA1CNEM6jHohD_37b4AZX08nlOtzI2nKGBvvYW6-GpzfLSu8SoXiCk5t4BavzCgsThdWYmWyD5g2HBKet7--Bd6EsxirRx1Z6dSkKKwFb3B_4Hc1W2MeJeAYiwp2sqkkmuNjgkdlURBfdZaHbFaE52r8T6w/s3556/IMG_1397.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3556" data-original-width="2725" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h-jAwFN8zCNdFvYIUlO-aTxxs9rwZPDfA1CNEM6jHohD_37b4AZX08nlOtzI2nKGBvvYW6-GpzfLSu8SoXiCk5t4BavzCgsThdWYmWyD5g2HBKet7--Bd6EsxirRx1Z6dSkKKwFb3B_4Hc1W2MeJeAYiwp2sqkkmuNjgkdlURBfdZaHbFaE52r8T6w/w306-h400/IMG_1397.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This year's brassica bed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Last year's Rainbow Chard had survive the winter and was puttig on new growth but was showing signes that it was about to go to seed. Neverthe less there will be pickings for some weeks to come. Some of it was self-seeded - often in inconvenient places - so it will have to be removed but whilst it is still producing leaves, I am happy for it to remain.</span><br /><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgjT9i3_g8iyc5wzR63gnH7eGdCaw7-qqlj4giz4oAl-KpnF2KleJ07CkRG_yDZtsZG-pVCCQmE5eoeb03Dk-OpxbjcDyf9J8kUhL8YAvKOATSxYdWBlVvcyrfcjnK3x2CeevHNNZDhIh-4rpgL2kt64_fNWXyRTPeru_zjZ0ml_Hv3g_xYAWd1qxbw/s4032/IMG_1424.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgjT9i3_g8iyc5wzR63gnH7eGdCaw7-qqlj4giz4oAl-KpnF2KleJ07CkRG_yDZtsZG-pVCCQmE5eoeb03Dk-OpxbjcDyf9J8kUhL8YAvKOATSxYdWBlVvcyrfcjnK3x2CeevHNNZDhIh-4rpgL2kt64_fNWXyRTPeru_zjZ0ml_Hv3g_xYAWd1qxbw/w300-h400/IMG_1424.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 April - Rainbow chard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGclbCDQigvBQ3vnnKnPfd_9gtyyVYCN1lI77p9kEv6k6xpwHTKONXLgbC0efk5o6-On9AakO2muttEhNupynC8LjBC9zpj_EwbV79cWeU8lDiFS8LftjqNy6mslj2iIMuNNSjf59U6gUoy68OBC1i0luQ2oooj5r6L7mz94FJvpXKkxByg5oAUtM35A/s4032/IMG_1425.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGclbCDQigvBQ3vnnKnPfd_9gtyyVYCN1lI77p9kEv6k6xpwHTKONXLgbC0efk5o6-On9AakO2muttEhNupynC8LjBC9zpj_EwbV79cWeU8lDiFS8LftjqNy6mslj2iIMuNNSjf59U6gUoy68OBC1i0luQ2oooj5r6L7mz94FJvpXKkxByg5oAUtM35A/w300-h400/IMG_1425.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More Rainbow chard</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were away for a few days towards the end of the month and when we returned on </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>29 April </b>we were pleased to see that we could probably look forward to a good crop of broad beans but sad to see that the blackfly had arrived. Usually the autumn sown crop matures before the blackfly arrive - not this year it seems!</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQlM_37QgK0vKTg1cTk1bbX42Vd7uvM1AE7BR7Zc6CPAPecluEJ4QX0i9k8npBF-22d4V4z9M_VIRkId_AHI30t1dh6ce52L37JWT9l5eWF-OVSynfT2VW_TBzbi7sGYzVb1n4O-KNqyMfIgcmPQwAPNy_XnLVZwL6cLDO3nFkp-Y5nl193MtIDoimA/s4032/IMG_1543.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQlM_37QgK0vKTg1cTk1bbX42Vd7uvM1AE7BR7Zc6CPAPecluEJ4QX0i9k8npBF-22d4V4z9M_VIRkId_AHI30t1dh6ce52L37JWT9l5eWF-OVSynfT2VW_TBzbi7sGYzVb1n4O-KNqyMfIgcmPQwAPNy_XnLVZwL6cLDO3nFkp-Y5nl193MtIDoimA/w300-h400/IMG_1543.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">29 April - the first Broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUadYeU8d4S-nZ8KmysHq5ERn3YYQIxBSA-9wsb3TBTPV3qC4c1fqYuRtb0pW_nXuCTCihCgdDsJbQeaU5y_nlHtXq2mYyASOFyiM1qXK_VcxT855p0NzRX5pEW6Cx6mfEJ4uYpfooh8JHxQcmOU8L_FHKMsBMIMDJxf3quKpLov6NmjxtkF0pALCZig/s4032/IMG_1541.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUadYeU8d4S-nZ8KmysHq5ERn3YYQIxBSA-9wsb3TBTPV3qC4c1fqYuRtb0pW_nXuCTCihCgdDsJbQeaU5y_nlHtXq2mYyASOFyiM1qXK_VcxT855p0NzRX5pEW6Cx6mfEJ4uYpfooh8JHxQcmOU8L_FHKMsBMIMDJxf3quKpLov6NmjxtkF0pALCZig/w300-h400/IMG_1541.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">29 April - the dreaded blackfly</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIozLMruwAGq36Pdj0qzFpljzL8wJnH2UIh94zr9I5CSOFEktZwSSjLuwiHR45WowecWzxflJ2S0L8novnjONFrI_p_eoeX2lmPZQ0ppIIb2hnMBahEchG0kWyhL317hw5hM8RCtyFrhGqW_YkoXVatyc0D6XO12Hd8j0IU9j6s_kn_Wyrrye4b3JGQ/s4032/IMG_1542.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIozLMruwAGq36Pdj0qzFpljzL8wJnH2UIh94zr9I5CSOFEktZwSSjLuwiHR45WowecWzxflJ2S0L8novnjONFrI_p_eoeX2lmPZQ0ppIIb2hnMBahEchG0kWyhL317hw5hM8RCtyFrhGqW_YkoXVatyc0D6XO12Hd8j0IU9j6s_kn_Wyrrye4b3JGQ/w300-h400/IMG_1542.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Blackfly on our broad beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We are trying to avoid the use of pesticides, so I started by hosing down the plants to wash off as many blackfly as possible and then sprayed the plants with soapy water, including the underside of leaves. I had read that the addition of a few drops of pungent natural oil such as rosemary, peppermint or clove oil to the spray was effective - apparently almost any natural oil will do. I had some mustard oil in the kitchen cupboard which we use in Indian cuisine, so added a few drops. So far it appears to have been effective.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the last day of April, I noticed that the redcurrant bushes were fruiting so the time has come to repair the cage and replace the netting if we are not to lose the entire crop to the birds.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwbxXMYcQlZaejjSx3I5M9E3CymGx4pMJzKmUggDH52PdnRVgbnRg-FutjDGomlG5xR7I9aQUBx_fExVVW-ujGS-ps3bebwmWCPvpSBzZnkYNXbL0kZ7QgskiLpEcCGo19mQMGr3rpabVcs1mBrBPIXzGZahMO2XwMB0UFPqZ1c8fbKs5ERVgguoMRA/s2812/IMG_1548.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2812" data-original-width="2437" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwbxXMYcQlZaejjSx3I5M9E3CymGx4pMJzKmUggDH52PdnRVgbnRg-FutjDGomlG5xR7I9aQUBx_fExVVW-ujGS-ps3bebwmWCPvpSBzZnkYNXbL0kZ7QgskiLpEcCGo19mQMGr3rpabVcs1mBrBPIXzGZahMO2XwMB0UFPqZ1c8fbKs5ERVgguoMRA/w346-h400/IMG_1548.jpg" width="346" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 April - redcurrants</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjmEhqZfMkAgbGLNkKUqMdUCo3xNZ5jZ17NUj1X9H1bOYjVy-zm4Ug5kd5lV5DXD4i7Fx9RV0UjPGw3aVK_YuwpTx1oShteczuwbBuBjdjA1XFL1Txnh7cT-pp1s08PTQ_9uVgpE5pzHvcSPk-H1rLlPy38SWRyGxGdCJvjryj7wia5Zwx9UXFBYU8A/s4032/IMG_1549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBjmEhqZfMkAgbGLNkKUqMdUCo3xNZ5jZ17NUj1X9H1bOYjVy-zm4Ug5kd5lV5DXD4i7Fx9RV0UjPGw3aVK_YuwpTx1oShteczuwbBuBjdjA1XFL1Txnh7cT-pp1s08PTQ_9uVgpE5pzHvcSPk-H1rLlPy38SWRyGxGdCJvjryj7wia5Zwx9UXFBYU8A/w300-h400/IMG_1549.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 April - redcurrants</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The potatoes seem OK, particularly the <i>Nicola </i>and <i>Charlotte </i>second earlies. The First Early <i>Duke of York, </i>which were planted perhaps a bit too early have not yet fully recovered from the late frosts, but we are still hopeful.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxhq1JamrA98vRhDb93pndOKL0DIYz8Q3f0jUKGztVnhb_OLfWWp-UCws3pYC55MJBDu1WHwnNDY9M__dnilBgXeDinbn4i2UhMHEmNPLbw8QAJJp_CTwXvjPorKWp9HSWkAZ21BcAip5tPWZKZ2KSYeKBGAAqe3UhNtk1OECMUrQ-LwlNPwnrPQbXg/s4032/IMG_1550.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxhq1JamrA98vRhDb93pndOKL0DIYz8Q3f0jUKGztVnhb_OLfWWp-UCws3pYC55MJBDu1WHwnNDY9M__dnilBgXeDinbn4i2UhMHEmNPLbw8QAJJp_CTwXvjPorKWp9HSWkAZ21BcAip5tPWZKZ2KSYeKBGAAqe3UhNtk1OECMUrQ-LwlNPwnrPQbXg/w480-h640/IMG_1550.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 April Potatoes: <i>Charlotte </i>& <i>Nicola </i>in foreground</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The sugar snap peas were looking good but will need some support - another job for next month!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfIeTli93pf-FskZFGW9zquvSxWHYVRnHki60uno5JDUX4IZkBZ2iTSIUwJfCtTfJKCk8jQrtUHlGgo_kvIsh_HMFHAN7wf0-joIEJRE7D8aHkYNu07JicC-ZHAQG5SPtQVCl1-ZxBJewynDmNqIkQah6yfcUECZrxsGSsmQ0eZCt19c_XHppgW_Qtg/s2489/IMG_1553.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2489" data-original-width="1544" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfIeTli93pf-FskZFGW9zquvSxWHYVRnHki60uno5JDUX4IZkBZ2iTSIUwJfCtTfJKCk8jQrtUHlGgo_kvIsh_HMFHAN7wf0-joIEJRE7D8aHkYNu07JicC-ZHAQG5SPtQVCl1-ZxBJewynDmNqIkQah6yfcUECZrxsGSsmQ0eZCt19c_XHppgW_Qtg/w249-h400/IMG_1553.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">30 April - Sugar snap peas</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It was also time to start thinking about climbing beans and some repairs were needed to the frame.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv79pRCTc5EF2JlgDt8vfJF5xds9MVyJn4RWxbtGPiftmqvpws23Oe9p7ZinCQFPevM530fxJpEN5CQjlyAzAdQZyqZjwMVW4ZzKY6lrKrVZUOfsYtNZ3Qv_dHtPApCiwAHsyGfg9DpWlN8QLZqEpG5d5W8zuGmIK4Bfx3FqtDuDerD9E4BJ5ffg_MYA/s4032/IMG_1555.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv79pRCTc5EF2JlgDt8vfJF5xds9MVyJn4RWxbtGPiftmqvpws23Oe9p7ZinCQFPevM530fxJpEN5CQjlyAzAdQZyqZjwMVW4ZzKY6lrKrVZUOfsYtNZ3Qv_dHtPApCiwAHsyGfg9DpWlN8QLZqEpG5d5W8zuGmIK4Bfx3FqtDuDerD9E4BJ5ffg_MYA/w300-h400/IMG_1555.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Preparing a frame for the climbing beans</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The planting season was now in full swing and we have picked the last of the <i>purple sprouting broccoli </i>as well as a few more spears of asparagus. Just hoping that May will see some higher temperatures and that the cool wind will disappear.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i>John Austin</i></span></h2><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hove, April 2022</span></h2>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3766818355047577898.post-20421381872939257932022-04-18T11:20:00.001-07:002022-04-19T00:53:01.479-07:00Life on The Weald - March 2022<h1 style="text-align: left;"> <span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">Life on The Weald - March 2022</span></h1><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;">(and in the Garden)</span></h2><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl-DIlBSUNj2d7l3cLhhO4_AzPCCNrunxIu014B3OnYDQK-tcbfZEGbvp6jDvGFY7C_Q-3XWNJc9gra8sJ13DATPHqmevtynZVS6fLyA3bZAq-MVbcLQWH4F29Hdmk2xamRn_3SXDUnBs-HVV2ey57ILirRXiBIjHnOcFsVWwi0qP2iyPduFgdQd0WNg=s3433" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2526" data-original-width="3433" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjl-DIlBSUNj2d7l3cLhhO4_AzPCCNrunxIu014B3OnYDQK-tcbfZEGbvp6jDvGFY7C_Q-3XWNJc9gra8sJ13DATPHqmevtynZVS6fLyA3bZAq-MVbcLQWH4F29Hdmk2xamRn_3SXDUnBs-HVV2ey57ILirRXiBIjHnOcFsVWwi0qP2iyPduFgdQd0WNg=w640-h470" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hellebores in the front garden 14 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: red; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My first concern on returning home, after almost a fortnight away, was for my tomato seedings and fortunately they had all survived and were looking healthy.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSPxxgI9BuvoAc3F4bja9mbUje30CRO5EFmB5dzDs-cF63WdieCR9kZqrO3VI7uAQovdEywVRN8ksDz3hiYhrTNc3NPennidIuTwXM55yhSuU1XItyKBUIL-RVXbglvwU12y-U5J7pWGmXmgv6B9Yc4PeTTiL2_cEsyFGgndNPRw28x9hzQ-svl7YKSQ=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSPxxgI9BuvoAc3F4bja9mbUje30CRO5EFmB5dzDs-cF63WdieCR9kZqrO3VI7uAQovdEywVRN8ksDz3hiYhrTNc3NPennidIuTwXM55yhSuU1XItyKBUIL-RVXbglvwU12y-U5J7pWGmXmgv6B9Yc4PeTTiL2_cEsyFGgndNPRw28x9hzQ-svl7YKSQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tomato seedlings indoors - 2 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A visit to the plot on <b>3 March </b>revealed little damage as a result of the February storms and all the plants had survived, although the kalette and broccoli stems were all at a jaunty angle as a result of the strong winds. As expected, our plastic storage box was beyond repair and although the shed had survived, it was already in a poor condition and we had planned to replace it this year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCyU3Ex7gCos3XP7EhyJwDzwB5LCBiF_vu03Nhnrf9KrHweqW8S1fi6ty_kd1o9FWY62try5QPNqip9dpZxJ7yfC6VeKjOp-Fhf0tqUa8N6PGH3yx1yMLCvMBOfqk5WxIR1YAmtPgziIPoxcZAI8GWC_FX6YsF09kVAR3UZXifQRLCPb8S_VoBrPmFcA=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="482" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCyU3Ex7gCos3XP7EhyJwDzwB5LCBiF_vu03Nhnrf9KrHweqW8S1fi6ty_kd1o9FWY62try5QPNqip9dpZxJ7yfC6VeKjOp-Fhf0tqUa8N6PGH3yx1yMLCvMBOfqk5WxIR1YAmtPgziIPoxcZAI8GWC_FX6YsF09kVAR3UZXifQRLCPb8S_VoBrPmFcA=w301-h400" width="301" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 March - Broad Beans <i>(Aquadulce)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQWG41tGQgpH1Wkkh9AHnVQ_m1eCsSZ9vprxhK4Mq-s7DsSgZKlte79txaV6o1i298xzO3EOOgGu8KKTUW-YQB4L4g7jS2w5UtbxnVXh6ZI2Ml0sMN1niAWuM-Qlp0FR6gufebYP7cQ-xn2BGLkmdrPvP7vKR4_tajhnv-HPU7RNN9lBKiAChZxoVwgg=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="481" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQWG41tGQgpH1Wkkh9AHnVQ_m1eCsSZ9vprxhK4Mq-s7DsSgZKlte79txaV6o1i298xzO3EOOgGu8KKTUW-YQB4L4g7jS2w5UtbxnVXh6ZI2Ml0sMN1niAWuM-Qlp0FR6gufebYP7cQ-xn2BGLkmdrPvP7vKR4_tajhnv-HPU7RNN9lBKiAChZxoVwgg=w482-h640" width="482" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">November sown Broad Beans flowering</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The garlic was looking healthy, both the <i>Vallelado,</i> planted in November and the <i>Eden Rose, </i>planted in January</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1_fBhE44fF0lt2dGWpltBhKZdQtbPIvIrsO5tAfAffZanMWyT0jSq85EEcAofzhhLUMABZOfhEEJKl_2tjS5mjcivyKL22zkVNQ-OgYRkD10yeCWA5ceHt9FP2KKxQmji4ob4H5TSw7xo4HdvEf4ZGfCxOdVokCRxblry3Gf97HPv6gur725CbJe98A=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1_fBhE44fF0lt2dGWpltBhKZdQtbPIvIrsO5tAfAffZanMWyT0jSq85EEcAofzhhLUMABZOfhEEJKl_2tjS5mjcivyKL22zkVNQ-OgYRkD10yeCWA5ceHt9FP2KKxQmji4ob4H5TSw7xo4HdvEf4ZGfCxOdVokCRxblry3Gf97HPv6gur725CbJe98A=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Eden Rose</i> Garlic (planted January) - 3 March </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj16Zlg3QW-AA5e374fi9ss3VrKcaFr41-rxw5WHLil_Wmd5imGfplehEYy5hckanS7xWjjMbmu4Vs_8vP_qmKJwJXGxN9wSwm8lQWrXMb6y8kMwMHOjVkbnKIbBEUMUiWCP_XeuuEDsHU1WkqMZgNxDQfp19iWOdbaD7zEWjbgoATJr73sP2NCObVSlw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj16Zlg3QW-AA5e374fi9ss3VrKcaFr41-rxw5WHLil_Wmd5imGfplehEYy5hckanS7xWjjMbmu4Vs_8vP_qmKJwJXGxN9wSwm8lQWrXMb6y8kMwMHOjVkbnKIbBEUMUiWCP_XeuuEDsHU1WkqMZgNxDQfp19iWOdbaD7zEWjbgoATJr73sP2NCObVSlw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Vallelado </i>Garlic (planted November) - 3 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Mehnir </i>shallots were also showing signs of growth and should be ready for harvesting in August/September.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiorHgnR2p1vAHMnmeqEtv25XXoh7w1sNJKDoDcC2AyQQ1wGNx2kSP9VTu3Vqgo45aQxF4yTNIhJJHlYPQC26UR8JzROCAwFnEaSWe7cTYRe2u10jnLyehix2rMx1E0GcMHGfhyz8N4a5f2WWTcPgakC9_bGCU54xAwqTSK1pUE2Vn7CUWzd1Yqm-NWSA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiorHgnR2p1vAHMnmeqEtv25XXoh7w1sNJKDoDcC2AyQQ1wGNx2kSP9VTu3Vqgo45aQxF4yTNIhJJHlYPQC26UR8JzROCAwFnEaSWe7cTYRe2u10jnLyehix2rMx1E0GcMHGfhyz8N4a5f2WWTcPgakC9_bGCU54xAwqTSK1pUE2Vn7CUWzd1Yqm-NWSA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i> Mehnir </i>Shallots (planted January) - 3 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a good crop of purple sprouting broccoli to be picked.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS-QOKP72t_PJ6qeYAVhgL5sG4C0oKy-F-R3sQG8qm_g8R9BtmiN7KizHN3yXsHVlSQ092hMoBbNY44KtkLgVTVCBI5Blk5tEosk01iZYcSU8VSMQozLmholZNxYKzLknPGYwGoH9qwUH7uexr36UwG4R0lVexSaZ4gzCiq_jIQeHTrydt93Na49VfOA=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhS-QOKP72t_PJ6qeYAVhgL5sG4C0oKy-F-R3sQG8qm_g8R9BtmiN7KizHN3yXsHVlSQ092hMoBbNY44KtkLgVTVCBI5Blk5tEosk01iZYcSU8VSMQozLmholZNxYKzLknPGYwGoH9qwUH7uexr36UwG4R0lVexSaZ4gzCiq_jIQeHTrydt93Na49VfOA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 March Purple sproting broccoli</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKlaMPpqpEwkT1y-49bxXwb03tJ2zOlOT5FKd72c9lH1LouIdItMc7sGBB2gS0TpPIPrEnQ7-oXuWO6j32PJRHrn6ZjJtihJpf24QLLIdhXHUM3CzStwNpYDon6ikUG9bDekD8caKNCYnTWiE4zULlCYQdwKovE7UnU86pqwk2whmvMctms_BZqWxyhw=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKlaMPpqpEwkT1y-49bxXwb03tJ2zOlOT5FKd72c9lH1LouIdItMc7sGBB2gS0TpPIPrEnQ7-oXuWO6j32PJRHrn6ZjJtihJpf24QLLIdhXHUM3CzStwNpYDon6ikUG9bDekD8caKNCYnTWiE4zULlCYQdwKovE7UnU86pqwk2whmvMctms_BZqWxyhw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 March - a good head of PSB</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBohyp03bcoyVnvx6OHH1elZ7QkqEFTVkHyfQXbPF37Rza9eC8YF_SbhbZok5ZIYmECWGEzct7ltASN8i6KJClRQke-qGRDInaXLnP3W6Kg1_JGdIpdHe_A9o-joFlIMBaRzB7G8qsz2v9N4i3oONsb366iewrz7QzqJs10FR4b2YrZ22zM3czd-wKSw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBohyp03bcoyVnvx6OHH1elZ7QkqEFTVkHyfQXbPF37Rza9eC8YF_SbhbZok5ZIYmECWGEzct7ltASN8i6KJClRQke-qGRDInaXLnP3W6Kg1_JGdIpdHe_A9o-joFlIMBaRzB7G8qsz2v9N4i3oONsb366iewrz7QzqJs10FR4b2YrZ22zM3czd-wKSw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3 March - Broccoli harvest</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We removed one of the covers from the ruhubarb and were able to harvest a crop of well over 1/2 kilo and leave sufficient for another picking. We decided to leave the other cover on for a few more days.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXPHbmuAdH-Ya7E1Iorxp4Bghyk_Tgr_E3RUYuJvPUlUsLI52TBPM1Bux38p8oUlt4Z94BcOLWi4gJwGgy3DiIZsFNkcksDbm0oEqP5n5e2FLGWAYYSNS_7aRifdhrB-HLnHhjFgT4Ig-QnLFxNpi3x_iJ-hF_OtZptERxR_wM-H6va4hZvro6rQdJ_A=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXPHbmuAdH-Ya7E1Iorxp4Bghyk_Tgr_E3RUYuJvPUlUsLI52TBPM1Bux38p8oUlt4Z94BcOLWi4gJwGgy3DiIZsFNkcksDbm0oEqP5n5e2FLGWAYYSNS_7aRifdhrB-HLnHhjFgT4Ig-QnLFxNpi3x_iJ-hF_OtZptERxR_wM-H6va4hZvro6rQdJ_A=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Forced rhubarb - 3 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Sunday <b>6 March </b>I decided to plant a second row of <i>Duke of York </i>potatoes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlyP6kyTdvzwmhGhmyElcBXg2wOaVripQEWwWpO7rNbphQD5zigqHVlNax9y0CKfwT6sYocL7qbfL21KIhTH3hXXNpJLbpfDZMZ4dNZcS_GoutZe76AN53GHW7TIHLq23fh2hBIHhUV5EPP_ti0Pp9c1b1lAvr3enYkh0rmemxpwbR2OXJPHXHfNCEug=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlyP6kyTdvzwmhGhmyElcBXg2wOaVripQEWwWpO7rNbphQD5zigqHVlNax9y0CKfwT6sYocL7qbfL21KIhTH3hXXNpJLbpfDZMZ4dNZcS_GoutZe76AN53GHW7TIHLq23fh2hBIHhUV5EPP_ti0Pp9c1b1lAvr3enYkh0rmemxpwbR2OXJPHXHfNCEug=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 March - second row of <i>Red Duke of York</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Conventional advice is that the t</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">he date for planting Red Duke of York potato seed should be calculated on the basis that seed potatoes will take four weeks before they appear above ground. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Given that you want them to appear above ground only when the danger of frost has passed </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">(the last week of April is the UK average</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;">the last week of March</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"> is considered about the right time to plant them. I took into account that we are in the south east of England, one of the mildest areas, that most historical advice has not taken global rising temperatures into account and past experience of early planting. I planted one row of <i>Duke of York </i>as early as February and the second row, one month later. If there is any threat of frost after the foliage appears, I will earth them up i.e. cover with soil.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Sylvi provided me with some good compost from the wormeries and I spread this over the area where the next lot of potatoes will go.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCi2MDIaGeWvgkG60n2cLJOFnpBY8ULBeX2ORMxYtvrBBNFC2QAtaxJIErFI0-slpHKREBE20bsMUZOmByOP6peKmcOx2Tse83_N9PgqFFl9W3g7X49Q1LPKvHQyjjz2W4P5ZpzntVcM_NPRZPt4e07RkLVu3QwqVFQ7WvV8oHqBomZfhrkwk5EUGSFw=s3568" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3568" data-original-width="2092" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCi2MDIaGeWvgkG60n2cLJOFnpBY8ULBeX2ORMxYtvrBBNFC2QAtaxJIErFI0-slpHKREBE20bsMUZOmByOP6peKmcOx2Tse83_N9PgqFFl9W3g7X49Q1LPKvHQyjjz2W4P5ZpzntVcM_NPRZPt4e07RkLVu3QwqVFQ7WvV8oHqBomZfhrkwk5EUGSFw=w235-h400" width="235" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6 March - compost from wormery</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2u6lr3mGJv-QbkmiAbr2ZqRgRMo_ttL6exe9ri3aKXzvC7ePQ-XLdKWg9NRAezC5GhRc9HExpblGtNAOXNBSKizBZnMinQarXa2RCODg1rh4qIKWM97b6tEYf2_eprMpH1czBG9mTS9uxzDxPnG8GHShbCOXWdDO7Ayl5_HBn5WlgfIsSkEeMRUA-Q=s3746" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="3746" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2u6lr3mGJv-QbkmiAbr2ZqRgRMo_ttL6exe9ri3aKXzvC7ePQ-XLdKWg9NRAezC5GhRc9HExpblGtNAOXNBSKizBZnMinQarXa2RCODg1rh4qIKWM97b6tEYf2_eprMpH1czBG9mTS9uxzDxPnG8GHShbCOXWdDO7Ayl5_HBn5WlgfIsSkEeMRUA-Q=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Loads of happy worms - 6 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On Monday <b>7 March </b>I took a further risk and planted a row of <i>Nicola </i>First Early potatoes. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs_MN7eI1CLy6ck51QzLRKm-uwmMRI6_GlAoVmBl0nXdGrzo6sZpkKoZVDxxSG5V97IWkDP8_IOPZopqhNr5oC97yuXstTBliaWLZaPRu40vwzkwnVCSYHLruqA5SAQtCumWYSTzm3Cii6MoQEZAgaABELgFyQ3NnI4IFkL2Rx9eYdofkSXhyWgahMzg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjs_MN7eI1CLy6ck51QzLRKm-uwmMRI6_GlAoVmBl0nXdGrzo6sZpkKoZVDxxSG5V97IWkDP8_IOPZopqhNr5oC97yuXstTBliaWLZaPRu40vwzkwnVCSYHLruqA5SAQtCumWYSTzm3Cii6MoQEZAgaABELgFyQ3NnI4IFkL2Rx9eYdofkSXhyWgahMzg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Nicola </i>on the left, 2 rows of<i> Red Duke of York </i>on the right</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also removed the covers from the rhubarb</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj5ZtVHFJmxhYx-baYdUhoMgm5S6oyvUPPJIVLu0ib9AM4OMb_to9bLtbd5VwcXD839Jy_2njGU8bvV0LXeL2vx6UNlo-dFMK-REPjDC2yvk29PCiWtOn4avMcwCT7mPWk-x6BHlsSwYFqRAezVScIH2Pu6QcLe89PeejirGeJ_k5j-nl2xc9bUyRkSA=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj5ZtVHFJmxhYx-baYdUhoMgm5S6oyvUPPJIVLu0ib9AM4OMb_to9bLtbd5VwcXD839Jy_2njGU8bvV0LXeL2vx6UNlo-dFMK-REPjDC2yvk29PCiWtOn4avMcwCT7mPWk-x6BHlsSwYFqRAezVScIH2Pu6QcLe89PeejirGeJ_k5j-nl2xc9bUyRkSA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Forced rhubarb - covers removed</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjdbat1Rlt5i545EPpWlUMtgdvVMCUdOoruJUyGF3WdXxW4C5qQRZ20vOecYF27WczP1oj-fuGoP6fP_YhOeHfeo8RBN5VvMf6S1jJFVPEOuqqbU-B8W7jvU0fQTuMNcnrwSJjfrHlkQpnrIfiIqvSHytTHkOnnK0OvtEXyufnpcQLdU5RPdptKBKI9w=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjdbat1Rlt5i545EPpWlUMtgdvVMCUdOoruJUyGF3WdXxW4C5qQRZ20vOecYF27WczP1oj-fuGoP6fP_YhOeHfeo8RBN5VvMf6S1jJFVPEOuqqbU-B8W7jvU0fQTuMNcnrwSJjfrHlkQpnrIfiIqvSHytTHkOnnK0OvtEXyufnpcQLdU5RPdptKBKI9w=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I directly sowed 3 double rows of peas in raised beds, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Oregon Sugar Pod, </i><span style="font-family: arial;">a mangetout variety, </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Hurst Green Shaft </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Kelvedon Wonder, </i><span style="font-family: arial;">and covered the beds with sheets of horticultural fleece. I also sowed a row of mixed varieties of "<i>Rainbow</i>" beetroot. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The following day I spent at home and potted on the tomato seedlings which had been growing indoors in trays - these were all <i>beefsteak </i>varieties.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was also time to make a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3766818355047577898/9136226174334462974"><i>Rhubarb and Ginger Yoghourt Cake</i> </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmF6hcwx4DQidb9ocDcp4ra9x2b0UoIMeSg_wP2LB7WpUi7Xn5emDDWkz6QdJDvkekkDfmoHJzEqwyDXtlZUmlgzosqDNHmM5QEZ4vfR8tawXCaiLzrAPzEvtr8WZs065-HVxJ2F6W6uKroXCuhykoUHeFCGXMDOx7T2AFKiKh3f6oEGoKEl48l_1qeg=s3332" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3332" data-original-width="2969" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmF6hcwx4DQidb9ocDcp4ra9x2b0UoIMeSg_wP2LB7WpUi7Xn5emDDWkz6QdJDvkekkDfmoHJzEqwyDXtlZUmlgzosqDNHmM5QEZ4vfR8tawXCaiLzrAPzEvtr8WZs065-HVxJ2F6W6uKroXCuhykoUHeFCGXMDOx7T2AFKiKh3f6oEGoKEl48l_1qeg=s320" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rhubarb and ginger yoghourt cake</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>On 9 March </b>I planted out a row of <i>Charlotte </i>First Early potatoes. There was no evidence that the parsnip seeds I had sown a month earlier had germinated so, the following day, I bought a small tray of seedlings from the local garden centre and planted these out where the seeds had been sown. I also sowed some</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> boltardy beetroot.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I have not had much success with carrots in previous years but on <b>12 March </b>I sowed some<b> </b>Carrot <i>Flyaway F1 </i>in a container hoping that theu will be at a sufficient height to avoid carrot fly. The <i>Flyaway </i>variety is said to have low levels of the chemical that attracts carrot fly. We shall see! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We continued to harvest the forced rhubarb on a regular basis but with the covers removed have left the rest to nature.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA1FMEt2PuZqhewk3EiKvo2cwjCttE1ILWL7w1eh6c-3m5no20nFYy_XmfGWhMBViRac5gHITQYZioexFW9bQTs2VYDNVXK81LNv2M1dcce-HOA8zsqltgSTwIHNWlgHXy-NruaosF9_49oBCxiR-ocWIFBuzTuH0zdenFVZa4MP7CHhIO6tcL6F1_cg=s2587" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2587" data-original-width="2394" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA1FMEt2PuZqhewk3EiKvo2cwjCttE1ILWL7w1eh6c-3m5no20nFYy_XmfGWhMBViRac5gHITQYZioexFW9bQTs2VYDNVXK81LNv2M1dcce-HOA8zsqltgSTwIHNWlgHXy-NruaosF9_49oBCxiR-ocWIFBuzTuH0zdenFVZa4MP7CHhIO6tcL6F1_cg=s320" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last of the forced rhubarb</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home we were beginning to see signs of germination.....<br /><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQqXqOY94LnA7YabyC0y5Hb7O4K2bHjWEJ7oLdBpRYrJ-GGXnjtZATUDBimgP5zCCWesFLXg_a_t3lXclnsOtNDW13jmAQvg_uIOhNgz88sJV_7eVlRDwtpcN8X_HJkmYEpZDSJa3ZQxhFqy9NuY-vz-6tV79jIWJD1eJ6TB8Bv9YzVokjeVNujd-z8A=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQqXqOY94LnA7YabyC0y5Hb7O4K2bHjWEJ7oLdBpRYrJ-GGXnjtZATUDBimgP5zCCWesFLXg_a_t3lXclnsOtNDW13jmAQvg_uIOhNgz88sJV_7eVlRDwtpcN8X_HJkmYEpZDSJa3ZQxhFqy9NuY-vz-6tV79jIWJD1eJ6TB8Bv9YzVokjeVNujd-z8A=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - Kalettes</td></tr></tbody></table><br />And the <i>Basket of Fire </i> which had been grown in the open last year and potted up and brought indoors in the autumn was now flowering. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiph8P2Zv6UyUC0uyZNkvgzvGmyvq-rKKN9wUBpcl3TVULi2yW6dXk-8nnISuHgdcLLUi3TJs1ASwMkzdQIdQeuCgYA9-sk64HVq1u2rC5qUAeXIuOgChGAR6-08yB6Pcsn1P2K5ZbPNmhbJiorarZ_ShXkvXXbPqqGJhlojl4Md-s43fLrGuukQIqNWw=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiph8P2Zv6UyUC0uyZNkvgzvGmyvq-rKKN9wUBpcl3TVULi2yW6dXk-8nnISuHgdcLLUi3TJs1ASwMkzdQIdQeuCgYA9-sk64HVq1u2rC5qUAeXIuOgChGAR6-08yB6Pcsn1P2K5ZbPNmhbJiorarZ_ShXkvXXbPqqGJhlojl4Md-s43fLrGuukQIqNWw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - <i>Basket of Fire</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Whilst this year's kalettes were germinating, we were still picking many from last year's crop.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3Tba4OrX29wsJNNVLYZqW_qEuSVfJwx6XS1iFXiuRz-eSHwu4pQn5jI3nft9Y6LDyVmwx844mOywVv-LACVp_C6HSNaLJ4rZiOq5Qf_ZZmxTvBfuAh85GCqMBNTtCchnKnAda2I7fkiS6bqUjIN9vmxdZ-uSkVSdpLimSsab9ZcF6N40QC0ppIw-pYQ=s3201" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3201" data-original-width="2902" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3Tba4OrX29wsJNNVLYZqW_qEuSVfJwx6XS1iFXiuRz-eSHwu4pQn5jI3nft9Y6LDyVmwx844mOywVv-LACVp_C6HSNaLJ4rZiOq5Qf_ZZmxTvBfuAh85GCqMBNTtCchnKnAda2I7fkiS6bqUjIN9vmxdZ-uSkVSdpLimSsab9ZcF6N40QC0ppIw-pYQ=s320" width="290" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 March - harvested kalettes</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>14 March </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">At home I had some garlic cloves left over from earlier planting so I have now planted these in a container in the garden. I have also sown some mangetout peas in a length of guttering in the garden and several varieties of Basil in pots on the kitchen windowsill. I had a packet of Sweet Pea <i>patio mix </i>left over from last year and sowed these in a container in the garden. Instructions are to sow indoors from January to April or from mid-April outdoors as they are most likely to germinate with temperatures of 13-15C. As it was a sunny day and 12C with temperatures in the next week predicted to be above 13C I decided to take the risk.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I also had some <i>Jacaranda </i> seeds that I brought home from Spain last year so sowed a few in pots indoors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the garden, the true Quince, <i>Serbian Gold,</i> that I had planted in the autumn was beginning to come into leaf.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2xyaN_bmjBARgKS6O8aX3NFnicYYGw5B3Gz6Een9gGLw2bcPsvNLBDXS57LTlg6ntin3c7oqFmbeBlk2NeyuzeMY3dgA5xiK4zfQJLAYX3zjOEMP3OxXxt6HJyaqBTaTscv9T-kk6nlXDIuTH66L1j-8-tI28_UTqG3GeEmZyGQwvH70rBVx0t9ZdbQ=s2989" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2989" data-original-width="1815" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2xyaN_bmjBARgKS6O8aX3NFnicYYGw5B3Gz6Een9gGLw2bcPsvNLBDXS57LTlg6ntin3c7oqFmbeBlk2NeyuzeMY3dgA5xiK4zfQJLAYX3zjOEMP3OxXxt6HJyaqBTaTscv9T-kk6nlXDIuTH66L1j-8-tI28_UTqG3GeEmZyGQwvH70rBVx0t9ZdbQ=w242-h400" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Quince - <i>Serbian Gold - </i>14 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the plot there was still plenty of purple sprouting broccoli to be harvested.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD-6EdJQu1Jlx7eJ5uPOaTsDIpRSyRwD2xIkB2jWAPMZuXbaXI0kOtbP48r_okoxM7496ipQ56fFbSC044DtAdMRrSqo7IcHjyE_QhCGikhhZIh0fOwAMYUuoKAcpF-BgelBOQbRjZRwv4nLR9eyAneqCkTFzLsPKUrOr0uc2D12KRe1ICqSVLF_SqwA=s640" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiD-6EdJQu1Jlx7eJ5uPOaTsDIpRSyRwD2xIkB2jWAPMZuXbaXI0kOtbP48r_okoxM7496ipQ56fFbSC044DtAdMRrSqo7IcHjyE_QhCGikhhZIh0fOwAMYUuoKAcpF-BgelBOQbRjZRwv4nLR9eyAneqCkTFzLsPKUrOr0uc2D12KRe1ICqSVLF_SqwA=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Purple sprouting broccoli - 17 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-IRpRTO2CBHN3OKckTtc82ZB48-cSY2R6WXAvoyKex6sU_KkQAd8VVYxKS530BliqG888N99yJgrO1c3W7mtmPjUjddBe2HmoV4n7sOIdN8YbnfTvcMhKP7ZuJik9lqA23fTRYit4G9y9LyAbusvpHeoNjKmfYtBQBDo8BhM2i_puGuUzTp7c1J-GLg=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-IRpRTO2CBHN3OKckTtc82ZB48-cSY2R6WXAvoyKex6sU_KkQAd8VVYxKS530BliqG888N99yJgrO1c3W7mtmPjUjddBe2HmoV4n7sOIdN8YbnfTvcMhKP7ZuJik9lqA23fTRYit4G9y9LyAbusvpHeoNjKmfYtBQBDo8BhM2i_puGuUzTp7c1J-GLg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Purple sprouting broccoli - 17 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The <i>Duke of York </i> potatoes were beginning to show so I earthed them up slightly. I had cut the lawn at home for the first time this year and I used the grass mowings to provide a mulch for the potatoes. No rain is forecast over the next week and it has been very warm and sunny, so the ground is very dry. The mulch will help conserve water.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjV6y9V3S2yLJyRuV20d6tychR2P_tciIMRIMi5gSp_zx_E6KB7TmFY_T2LyVww8wIVkHdE6G8UhB1SdJSYr839I321R4zJlFziSbcPigSffy64S5Zna2t6WJxQcXuT1rX9HnUKaEnmm5tALuZu8zL9Yf-HTvYvxOEV04VPnQqog9gkjQ36V3EiKHe_Q=s3439" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3439" data-original-width="2640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjV6y9V3S2yLJyRuV20d6tychR2P_tciIMRIMi5gSp_zx_E6KB7TmFY_T2LyVww8wIVkHdE6G8UhB1SdJSYr839I321R4zJlFziSbcPigSffy64S5Zna2t6WJxQcXuT1rX9HnUKaEnmm5tALuZu8zL9Yf-HTvYvxOEV04VPnQqog9gkjQ36V3EiKHe_Q=w308-h400" width="308" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Duke of York </i>potatoes on St Patrick's Day</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Two days later, I spotted a Peacock butterfly and what I think was a Tortoiseshell competing for the nectar on a dandelion, but the Peacock won and the other flew off and I couldn't be sure if I had identified it correctly.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyPChgRi7B2sUdmcB1LPa-ueQWz0h5yctYssF2wYgBYp6AamyahrSTNSKpGelA_VxxB6kYkhKJJhFQ0T_JxqwR7p_uyIHAAS0UPlJIf1Y4bqrAPlT1ySOOum54O3xfrDx6HEvQZ0RMScy-cqBdfkMwIGC_goepUnHD8PRgBNdLOu_jnTAOWwgp0-bvQ/s848/IMG_1227.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="807" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyPChgRi7B2sUdmcB1LPa-ueQWz0h5yctYssF2wYgBYp6AamyahrSTNSKpGelA_VxxB6kYkhKJJhFQ0T_JxqwR7p_uyIHAAS0UPlJIf1Y4bqrAPlT1ySOOum54O3xfrDx6HEvQZ0RMScy-cqBdfkMwIGC_goepUnHD8PRgBNdLOu_jnTAOWwgp0-bvQ/s320/IMG_1227.jpg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 March - two butterflies and a dandelion</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIFy6p7q6qFx3hwb_SJFi2MeWZ7c-VbRpgKNVUe5T8VDdYzZG76_A1SmUZkykmnruzYyoIKtteXWDZMj6-qZ_Gg8Yfsy57LARW2Jq58NsorO4cVsEJKglu6TUXbiA7WyGVH4HxTtIZSr3W3U_w8vai9TVrZLCnPPc9jCIchQaUqz3AfNZgBQa964_NQ/s640/IMG_1228.GIF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="640" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiIFy6p7q6qFx3hwb_SJFi2MeWZ7c-VbRpgKNVUe5T8VDdYzZG76_A1SmUZkykmnruzYyoIKtteXWDZMj6-qZ_Gg8Yfsy57LARW2Jq58NsorO4cVsEJKglu6TUXbiA7WyGVH4HxTtIZSr3W3U_w8vai9TVrZLCnPPc9jCIchQaUqz3AfNZgBQa964_NQ/s320/IMG_1228.GIF" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">19 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It is certainly a colourful time of year</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6kZWjwowrElU0iPKdGAK8pSoeL0dG7wEo1H5n7nf03kEyqsAPjxe_Ilf3skPemPXd8yS5he8vU9lI5LzPLzRGLJmixnPB1jvQrPsdkH58P5BF1WGW_xRhs-j5rX8HhIp5DtPEAb1vJcIF_RMth_1ehK2NmeLe71NchQgaPor2Chpor9tnRCQtPdk8w/s2048/311C3483-A66D-4F0E-A414-23263AAF241B.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY6kZWjwowrElU0iPKdGAK8pSoeL0dG7wEo1H5n7nf03kEyqsAPjxe_Ilf3skPemPXd8yS5he8vU9lI5LzPLzRGLJmixnPB1jvQrPsdkH58P5BF1WGW_xRhs-j5rX8HhIp5DtPEAb1vJcIF_RMth_1ehK2NmeLe71NchQgaPor2Chpor9tnRCQtPdk8w/w400-h400/311C3483-A66D-4F0E-A414-23263AAF241B.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the front garden, the tulips were just beginning to flower</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPw7gorapswPAyDJjyVmdJPZ_LEhSvOCKtvLOzq03H9U_kMfiD-MZbF6BLsESj-ymitnCKyvRtNkTHNJWTzQr2rFO4OPZ6uktVvNiMNIAu7Djci51vk2Sc4IFP7Dd1n9X-292p9lfXhHR08ctERiPY_oOu54wuokPuINaZXy4oXiXdvMiQ1yfZ1_XQA/s2048/E4342CD3-09C6-482B-93B3-25244AA004AC.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggPw7gorapswPAyDJjyVmdJPZ_LEhSvOCKtvLOzq03H9U_kMfiD-MZbF6BLsESj-ymitnCKyvRtNkTHNJWTzQr2rFO4OPZ6uktVvNiMNIAu7Djci51vk2Sc4IFP7Dd1n9X-292p9lfXhHR08ctERiPY_oOu54wuokPuINaZXy4oXiXdvMiQ1yfZ1_XQA/w400-h400/E4342CD3-09C6-482B-93B3-25244AA004AC.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Tulips - 22 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Things were also happening in the animal world - frogs had been busy as there was now a lot of frogspawn in the pond.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaojQcOTob1oTzZyobLQLabHZXBwegjRTe4SGkbkba5jjOhkYe4vTTFlCxg-KVcnYmqhi6rEl-z5RBMsbbWYkMupT49qt0qxPaMWQVqxKJE5f7Zvs-0e5XEA9EswBR0BBs63s5bL7kU96zSleQv8xiHZZHNPadLDGNqKXHbQpKRymlxH8pFIKS1lgWA/s2640/IMG_1254.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="2640" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaojQcOTob1oTzZyobLQLabHZXBwegjRTe4SGkbkba5jjOhkYe4vTTFlCxg-KVcnYmqhi6rEl-z5RBMsbbWYkMupT49qt0qxPaMWQVqxKJE5f7Zvs-0e5XEA9EswBR0BBs63s5bL7kU96zSleQv8xiHZZHNPadLDGNqKXHbQpKRymlxH8pFIKS1lgWA/w400-h374/IMG_1254.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Frogspawn - 22 March<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And the worms in our wormeries had also been busy, producing lots of compost which I spread in some of the rasised beds.</span></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o1GJL07ubfElpxXHHKsvjvu33LjpseaLQo2esBYvv2cVVdtf6d5nMF6nOdBYELavBSBg_ILzB6NWdaQ47sOhjwR9DTe7vJW7eeq14mtX4Ni6SeBtqDWq0e1n7UvV6Qqiwm8d3NDZrajLziit2qFIDVygkY_BC6qYzQezg7c3F6cqimY26Nuh-gwLuw/s3514/IMG_1253.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3514" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3o1GJL07ubfElpxXHHKsvjvu33LjpseaLQo2esBYvv2cVVdtf6d5nMF6nOdBYELavBSBg_ILzB6NWdaQ47sOhjwR9DTe7vJW7eeq14mtX4Ni6SeBtqDWq0e1n7UvV6Qqiwm8d3NDZrajLziit2qFIDVygkY_BC6qYzQezg7c3F6cqimY26Nuh-gwLuw/w550-h640/IMG_1253.jpg" width="550" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Worm compost - -24 March</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I was beginning to lose track of what I had sown or planted - I had some scribbled notes but decided to get more organised and created a table:</span></div><div><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody><tr>
<td colspan="5" style="border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Sowing schedule March 2022<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Date<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Seeds</b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Indoors/<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Outside<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><b>Seedlings/plants<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>Expected date for harvest<o:p></o:p></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">6/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Red Duke of York (chitted)</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">7/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Peas</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Oregon sugar pod</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">7/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Peas</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Kelvedon Wonder</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">7/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Peas</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Hurst Green Shaft</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">7/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Nicola (chitted)</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">7/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Beetroot – Rainbow</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Yellow Perfection</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Chocolate Cherry</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Crazon F1</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tres Cantos</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potted on</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Super Mama</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potted on</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Marmande</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potted on</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3 </p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Kalettes (mixed) </p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">October/March</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">8/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Cavolo Nero</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">October/March</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">9/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Purple sprouting broccoli</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Santee</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">September/March</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">9/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Purple sprouting broccoli</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Rudolph</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">October/April</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">10/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Beetroot – Boltardy</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">12/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Carrots – Flyaway F1</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">In container</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">12/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Charlotte (chittted)</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">14/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Garlic – Vallelado</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">In patio container</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">14/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Peas – Mangetout</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Sweet Horizon</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">In rainwater guttering</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">June/July</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3 </p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Butternut Squash</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Hawk F1</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">September/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Butternut Squash</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Harrier F1</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">September/November</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Sweet Peas – mixed</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Outside</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Patio pot</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Flower June/September</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3 </p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Tomatoes</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Summerblast</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Basil – Red Rubin</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Basil – Thai</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">15/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Basil - Lemon</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Indoors</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">July/October</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">23/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Asparagus</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Pacific Purple</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Gijnlim</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Connover’s Colossal</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Next year (April/June)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">or 2024</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">23/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Little gem lettuce</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">23/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Jerusalem Artichoke</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Fuseau</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">4/6 weeks after flowering</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: 1pt solid windowtext; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">23/3</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Potatoes </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Salad Blue (chitted)</p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid windowtext; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid windowtext; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt;" valign="top">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">September</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><o:p style="font-weight: normal;">Having got everything in order it was time for our trip to Spain. I watered the allotment in case there was no rain in the following week and i put al the pots with seedlings in bowls or trays of water, hoping that they would survive. There is nothing more that I can do except cross my fingers and hope.</o:p></h4><h3 style="text-align: left;"><o:p><span style="color: red;"><i>John Austin</i></span></o:p></h3><div><o:p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>Hove, March 2022</b></span></o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><b> </b></o:p></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>John Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16565624740140318772noreply@blogger.com0