Remember I told you to gear up for lots of pictures of an overgrown patch of land? Well, here's the next installment. Sorry about that.
Oh, an apologies for the radio silence this week - I was struck down by a cold, which wasn't so bad that I could remain bed-ridden and demand childcare help, but was bad enough to sap all energy and ability to achieve anything more than keeping the kids alive till 5pm each day. I'm pretty much better now though, bar an irritating cough.
A couple of hours' work on the weekend got a patche cleared, and Teddy, Jasper and I ventured there yesterday morning all by ourselves for a bit more digging, slowly but surely clearing dry brown earth of tangled weeds, herbs and once-productive plants. We've managed to salvage a couple of mature blackcurrant bushes, a redcurrant bush and a gooseberry bush, which is pleasing (we reckon we'll save this year's allotment rent, a whopping £7.25, on the money saved by picked the crops already there).
No doubt I'll rethink after a bit more physical labour, but for the moment I'm really enjoying having the allotment - it's a good morning's outing for Teddy, Jasper and me during the week, where I can let Teddy trot around as he pleases in a big, but contained, area while I dig/feed Jasper/panic about one or other kid getting sunburn. It's also lovely (and slightly more productive) to visit as a family on the weekend - I'm already plotting (plotting. Get it? Sorry) which bits to focus on this Saturday when I have Adam there to herd Teddy/hold Jasper/give manly displays of strength.
Of course, now we've actually cleared some space, I'm trying to work out what we can sow there (as well as in the one raised bed still empty at home). We've missed prime sowing time for so many crops, but I guess there are still some things we can sow going into summer. Ideas?
