Pigeons at work?

I had a brief respite from "knackered knee syndrome" yesterday and managed to get to the allotment for a look around. I spent most of the time putting the new bird feeder back together again after I found it on the grass under the tree, minus any birdseed and unfortunately, also minus the hook that fastens it to the tree. I suspect pigeons at work, hefty great things. The seed I've used is for wild birds, robins, finches and the like, not enormous great pigeons that pull the entire feeder off the tree! Lets hope my new hook is strong enough.

I also popped some tulips into a pot. My neighbour passed them on to me as she left to go to New Zealand for a couple of months and they should have been planted in autumn. I wonder if they'll do anything? They were all sprouting madly, so maybe they will. Hope so.

 Sorry about the horrible red text in the last posting. I don't really know how that happened - I've recently upgraded my blogger account because I understand that I'll have more control over the layout etc, I am particularly keen to be able to move the photos to wherever I want them, but I didn't notice that the text was going to change colour like that! I'll be very careful this time! I forgot to take the camera to the allotment so I can't try out photo re-positioning either! Duh!

Happy gardening (in green or red?)

Candle in the branches

It was a good day to prune the old apple tree. The first of February is Imbolc, the day when we see the first signs of spring and celebrate the returning daylight with a fire festival.

It felt very cold today and spring is obviously some way off but to honour the day, and the goddess, if that's your way, I hung a candle lantern in the branches after re-shaping the tree, and left it burning when I walked back home down the hill. I like to think of it flickering amongst the branches as night drew in.

Having also cut down my autumn fruiting raspberries to ground level and done a bit of digging, not to mention painting a bedroom ceiling and doing an hour and a half's yoga class, I am now completely exhausted and fit for nothing more physical than sitting on a sofa with a laptop on my knees. Oh, and I may just possibly be able to lift a glass of red wine to my lips! 

Happy gardening (it's all worth it - honest)

After the snow

A lovely afternoon, and the first time I've dared to try the steep path into the allotments since all the recent snow and ice. It was worth it for the breath of  springlike air as I spoke encouragingly to my fruit trees (it's Wassailing day) worth it for the little haul of winter vegetables I collected (I'll put the sprouts on in a minute to go with the roast chicken) and worth it to see all the neighbours enjoying the first diggable day of the year.

No sign at all of any broad beans though. They should be showing by now so I suspect some hungry creature dug them up soon after I planted them. I've already bought some more seeds so it's not a big deal. Vegetable gardening is never straightforward but for me the rewards far outweigh the pitfalls. I guess I wouldn't do it it it was the other way round.

I came home full of enthusiasm for spring so tonight I'll be sorting through my seed box and planning when and where to start this year's planting. Or vegging out after the chicken!

Happy gardening

In the snow

If you can see the lower photo clearly enough, you'll probably understand why we stood and pondered over these marks in the snow today. We'd seen many fox footprints and birds' footprints, but these looked like big claw marks and it took ages to decide that they had been made by a bird's wing brushing against the soft snow as it took off or landed.

The other picture is of our beekeeper's hives, dormant and completely silent, in the wooded area at the top of the hill.

As before when we've had snow, the only human visitors were ourselves. I find it really surprising that no-one else feels moved to take photos, watch the animals or even just check up on their growing vegetables when everything looks so stunningly beautiful covered in a white blanket. Well, we enjoyed it.

Happy gardening (and snow gazing)

Solstice stone

I took this just before sunrise on the winter solstice. The sky was clear, fresh snow covered the ground and the air was cold. It was beautiful.

There were fox footprints and bird footprints but I was the only human visitor so early.

Happy Solstice. The days get longer from now on.

Kelston Round Hill

This is Kelston Round Hill, clearly visible from my allotment, (although this isn't my photo) It's also clearly visible from absolutely everywhere else I go! Possibly it's following me around - well, not really.

Last night, J and I kipped on a friend's floor, after a Christmas meal out with the balloon syndicate. Where Ade lives is a real trek across the city from us but guess what greeted me when I looked out of his window this morning. Yup.

This afternoon the distant horizon was misty, so as I worked on the allotment, the hill was more of a ghostly presence than usual. It's funny though, I've climbed up onto it when walking the Cotswold Way out of Bath, and from there, Bristol itself looks pretty insignificant and as for the hill that's home to Kersteman Allotments, well, you can't even make it out. Just a distant blur.

Oh dear, I feel all insignificant myself now.
Happy gardening

Broad bean planting

Here is the garlic, just beginning to sprout. Talking of sprouts, the sprouts are doing their sprouty thing too. They'll be ready for Christmas by the look of them. I've only got two sprout plants left now, which is probably enough.

This afternoon, hazy and sunny without any real chill to it, I dibbed little holes and popped in a packet of Aquadulce broad beans. I've just done some complicated sums (7x8) and decided that I've put in about 50. Why can't I remember my tables?

It'll be good if most of them come up but I've also got a similar amount in pots under a squirrel-proof bit of wire netting in the garden at home. The ground was overwhelmingly soggy so the poor little beans may get waterlogged. We do love broad beans though, so however many survive the winter probably won't be enough.

Walking round my allotment today, with a cup of tea steaming in my hand, I was able to take stock of jobs that need to be done soon. Because of the recent weeks of rain, the ground is sodden, but several of my mini-modules still need turning over and the weeds turfing out. The autumn raspberries will have to be cut down to ground level, one bed of unexpected marigolds can be moved to the flowerbed by the hut, some bolted pak choi can come out and I really should harvest the swedes. These don't seem to be getting any bigger so I think they've finished growing. If I leave them there, theyll probably rot. basically, the whole thing could do with a good tidy up. As always! A bit like my house too!

Happy gardening