Week Commencing 28th April 2025

Monday 28th April 2025

Boo hiss.   Back at work. After work went up to lotty to get rid of all weeds ready for more rotivating next week!

Tuesday 29th April 2025

After work went up to lotty and got half of me bean row dug and muck put in ready for runners going in at the end of the month - not got many and last year the slugs blitzed em.  We shall see.    So far have only got potatoes and onions in the ground but hey ho we are where are after a very sad start to 2025. 

Wednesday 30th April 2025

Listening to Terry Walton's Plotcast podcast and found out (as well as now knowing that runner beans go round the pole in an anti-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere) that Terry Walton has a crop calendar which can be found at:- https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/radiowales/Terry-Waltons-Plotcast-crop-calendar.pdf 

Went up to my plot after work and completed the bean row - dug over and muck in the bottom ready for beans going in - am debating putting some french beans straight into the ground and seeing how they do (have got some dwarf ones flying in the greenhouse). 

Thursday 1st May 2025

Ye gods we're in blooming May already!  Am hoping to get to Uttoxeter GC this evening to play the nine hole medal.  Was first at the polling booth at 7am this morning to do my bit for democracy. 

Have got a mega busy bank holiday weekend but have got to make everything work.  Need to get mowed tomorrow.  Then have got a pub quiz.  Saturday morning am off to see DCFC's last game of the season and hopefully they will stay up.   Sunday morning golf first thing and then a gig Sunday afternoon.  Monday morning car boot at Alstonefield and then a rehearsal early evening (should be a trip over to Darley in between hopefully).  

Friday 2nd May 2025

Can't even remember what happened apart from after working going to a pub quiz to support MND which we won - which was nice!

Saturday 3rd May 2025

Did a ton of potting up.  Helped Missus Siddall set up the hall for the afternoon tea in the early afternoon. Chippy tea. All good.  

Sunday 4th May 2025 

Crap golf in the morning.  Walked off after 12 holes, sick of being stuck behind trees constantly.  Gig at the Latchlifter in the afternoon - really good gig which I sort of got us after seeing they were desperate for a band (presumably someone must have let em down). 

 

 

16/9 124,562 steps

Week Commencing Monday 21st April 2025

Easter Monday 21st April 

Got up very late at 10am (in fairness I had unloaded everything after the gig in the early hours and I was tatered before I even got to the gig in Sunny Hartington!).

Tuesday 22nd April

Lucy driving in - haven't mentioned I'm sort of teaching our Lucy to drive in her little Fiesta - it's coming on nicely.    Decent amount of walking today and then went up to Lotty got a load of onions in the ground and did even more weeding - nearly there!

Wednesday 23rd April 

Didn't mention last night when I put the onions in I was in two minds whether to water them - I put a bit of grow more down round em but I decided to put faith in the BBC's forecast whic was justified when it rained and rained and rained some more so pleased with that as a result!

Thursday 24th April

Going to Anglesey tomorrow so got all the mowing done and then that were it for the day!   

Friday 24th April / Saturday 25th April / Sunday 26th April

Dropped Lucy off at work dead early.  Came home, picked up the missus and off we went to Anglesey.

On the way we had Radio 2 on and Jeremy Vine rang a guy called Terry who has an allotment plot in the Rhonda Valley - he answers your questions and also has a podcast called plotcast - an absolute mine of information on BBC Sounds - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0fzjm77 

Well overdue - did a bit of walking, did a bit of fishing,  did a bit of shopping (got a Tad Moore 61 degree wedge for £2!!).   All good stuff 

 

16/9    88,516 steps

Week Commencing Monday 14th April 2025

 I feel like I ought to be getting back into the blogging mullarky a bit.  It's that time again. 

Monday 14th April 2025

So this week what's been going on - bit of a downer after the golf weekend to go back to work but that's life.   Up at 5.15am, walk done. Potted up some courgettes and have just three runner beans working at present.  Sheesh - me dad say the compost these days is rubbish and I'm inclined to agree. 

Total of 15,163 steps done. 

Tuesday 15th April 2025

Up at the crack of dawn. Usual walkage. Full moon fever.

- put some more runner beans (Lady Diana) and some dwarf french beans (Tendergreens) into pots hopefully these beggars will kick on.  So far I have a ruck of tomatoes going, have got spuds in the ground up at the lotty (late but am not bothering with main crop this year just first and second earlies).  Have got a couple of cucumbers on the go.  Have four courgettes doing well. 

Lucy drove to and from work in her little Fiesta - all good she's getting better but has a bit of a migraine so we will give driving on Wednesday a miss. 

Steps: 15,450

Wednesday 16th April 2025 

Up super early - usual two miler done.  Potted some more runner beans after finding some harvested ones from last year so am hoping to have some Scarlet Emporer and some white Mergoles runner beans sprouting soon, touch wood.    I drove in today as Lucy wanted a day off driving.  Never mind. 

Thursday 17th April 2025

Went to WW in Derby, three pounds off.  Got back home and did report.   Afternoon off - went and did the nine hole comp at Uttoxeter - very average again but that's life.   Got lawns mowed nice and early.   

Good Friday 18th April 2025

Steady day of pottering in the greenhouse. Got loads potted up - all good stuff.

   

Saturday 19th April 

Went over to Darley Dale,  did some jobs for mum.   Then back to Ashbourne and up to the lotty to get a chunk of rotovating and more weeding done with assistance from wee Phil.

Sunday 20th April 2025

Up super early. Teeing off at Uttoxeter at 7am!   Very average sort of a round off white tees - started off with a birdie on the first so it was always going to be downhill from there!   I did par most of the par threes though and nearly birdied the 12th and 16th holes - on both occasions the ball ended up behind the hole but that's life!

Lunch at young Phil's, very nice then back home for an hour's kip.  Didn't quite work out as a small dog came up stairs making a racket - again that's life!

Later on we had a gig at the Charles Cotton Hotel in Hartington - always a good night there. 

106,845 steps

Forest Pines Golf Weekend - 12th and 13th April 2025 - Sing when you're winning!

Yes, I know I haven't updated in a while - it's a busy old time these last few months let me tell you.   Anyhoo, played at Forest Pines up near Suncthorpe, Lincolnshire over the weekend - and despite the usual confidence issues managed to win both of my Ryder Cup style matches including a singles on against a lad playing off 15 who had been an 8 handicapper a couple of year before but wasn't playing much.     

Also won two of the 9 closest the pin on par three competitions include the 8th hole of the Forest Course which was our 17th (they have three nines at Forest Pines - the Pines, the Beaches and the Forest nine and they send you out on different combos over two days so you play all three nines including one that you play twice).   I had been 4 up with five to play against Scott and then lost three on the bounce so was stood on the 17th tee 1up with two to play.  Scott hit his tee shot probably a 7 or 8 iron (I hit my four iron to 5 foot past the hole to win the match 2 up and win another nearest the Pin)!   

Great weekend, great company - the golf course could have been in better nick but it is bone dry at the minute.

 

This looked a killer par 3 - I took three wood and hit it through the back (Pines Course I think) 

Most of the motley crew - three of them couldn't be extracted from the bar though

Odd to say "shame it was so dry" but this course needs a bit of a drink!

You want a tight finishing hole - course you do!

This was a great dog leg par four on the Forest course which I played to par so one of my favourites (trip organiser Rich teeing off and hitting a beaut that unfortunately found the bunker on the corner)

Our group on the final day - Me, Bazza, Rich and Scott. 

God knows what I was doing here - dodging a bullet perhaps?

  Steps: 21,422 on Saturday, 18,043 on Sunday.