Jack Frost jumps in

There's not much to update work-wise as the ground has been rock solid for most of the week, but I did pop out with the camera one morning to capture a few frosty moments, like the teasel above, just melting in the early sunshine.

These strawberries above also had their fair share of frost cover. 

I love cold, crisp winter mornings when the birds are singing, the sun is shining and your breath makes clouds in front of you. A few extra layers is all that's needed to enjoy it :)

If you're local, you might be interested in coming along to High Spen Primary School's Christmas Fayre next Saturday 6th December from noon until 2pm (located on the main road through the Spen, just down from the Bute Arms pub). We've kindly be given a stall by the PTA and will be raising money for the garden through selling some of our produce, as well as handmade goodies such as biscuits and dandelion coffee. It would be lovely to see you there!

Poppy day

This is a random poppy left over from the Greenfinger Club's mini wildflower patch, which suffered a little last year when it was dug over too soon by an over-enthusiastic volunteer. But, undeterred, a few flowers have come back this year, with this beautiful poppy being the best example to date.

It's been, amazingly, a little too hot to do much on the allotment lately, although before the mini-heatwave that probably is summer, Alan and I managed to nearly finish the chicken run. It's safe and secure, but needs an extra layer of chicken wire.


The courgettes and squashes in the polytunnel are almost taking over the place; they really appreciated the pile of dung! We tried one of the tricolour courgettes (pictured, yellow and round) on the BBQ yesterday and it was lovely.


The strawberries and raspberries are doing really well and I need help to eat them, and luckily someone seems to come along just in time in the guise of one of the other allotment holders looking for a tasty snack.

The strawberries are doing much better after a bit of sunshine and a good helping of bark mulch and are producing enough runners to extend the patch a bit next year. They're definitely the most popular item we've grown so far, proving that you really can have tasty, blemish-free strawberries and be chemical-free (naturally, a few chickens to hoover up the slugs/snails nearby helps, even if they do take an occasional nibble of a berry on the edge as part-payment).

Blue is the colour

...of the sky and our new bench. After days of monsoon-like rain (two weeks worth fell in 10 minutes on Newcastle the other day - naturally just at the time I was walking to the bus station) we've had a clear, blue sky day which has been perfect for getting on and finishing all those niggling jobs.

Ian (pictured above, proving the bench is not just for show) did a great job of finishing off his handiwork today, and it's the perfect height for people to get on and off easily. It also gives a lovely view of the garden from that spot.

Meanwhile, David got out the chainsaw to shatter everyone's peace and make a 'coffee table' out of some old sleepers to go inbetween our sofa and chair. Well, why not?!

I've managed to clear a very weedy spot to get the courgettes out of their pots and into the ground, and part of the green manure bed is now dug in. Four lavender bushes also have pride of place next to the hot bed (where the copper wire, hair and egg shells are having very little effect on the local mutant slugs and snails) and the climbing rose has a new home by the fence.



The strawberries have come into their own in the past few weeks and these really do taste as good as they look. We could do with a few more days of sun to sweeten them a little more, but I'm not complaining :)