May 2020

May 2020 
What happened in May in a single post - Allotment blooming.   Played golf for the first time in best part of a year and played pretty solidly.  Missus went to hospital for a day after not feeling well.   Was made Chairman of Parish Council (only agreed to do it for a year because noone else would).  Went fishing in Liverpool.  Daily walking of varying lengths with the dawgs.

Dark Water at Birdsgrove, Mayfield - beautiful spot for walking the dog

One of the many wasp nests in me allotment shed aparently fabric conditioner scares em off

Multipliers loaded up with 60lb shock leader

Bluebells on the daily loop walk (1mile)

Fishing at Liverpool

Broad Beans in 

Painted shed green

My third shot approach to first at Manor Golf club after driving into trees and having to chip out

Runner beans in 

Sunday 26th April 2020 to Saturday 2nd May 2020

Sunday 26th April 2020
Did a bit down the lotty.  Went with Phil to get 5 bags of quality manure from one of the farms he works on.  Got that down the lotty.   Got bean trenches dug and muck in.  Got bean row up - am thinking I will wait for a couple of weeks longer before putting beans out.  First potato leaf spotted too which was good.

A spud finally shows it's face - was beginning to worry!!

Bean row sorted.  Am about 10 plants short as things stand but they are appearing all the time in the greenhouse

Monday 27th April 2020
Up early - half a day. Busy morning starting at 7.30, finishing 1.15 (although picking up emails all day long).   Took Lily for a mile up the golf course.   Weird to see golf course with no flags on the greens.  Very sad.

Took big lad for a 3 mile circular walk taking in the lotty - which i gave a bit of a watering.

Three potato leaves now appearing on the potato row - was worrying they'd not appear as we've done something a bit different with the spuds this year although we have done Maris Peer and Maris Piper varieties in the past we've never used supermarket spuds that have sprouted - got to give it a go ain't ya!

Tuesday 28th April 2020
Up at 6.30 (one of the benefits of lockdown is I get an extra hour in bed - happy days).  Dog walked.  Meters read for Scottish Power and submitted.   Work day begins!  All good stuff.

Sunday 19th April to Saturday 25th April 2020

Sunday 19th April 2020 
Decided last week that I'd use one of the slightly narrower rows for the runner beans (which are beginning to pop their heads up in the greenhouse).  So today's job was to get the posts up - am still waiting for some muck from Phil so the bed is by no means complete but it's weeded and today has got its posts up.    Also strimmed inside and out and then mowed all round as well.   Got another half row of radishes and beetroot planted as well.  All good stuff.

Plot 13 looking something like!

The bean row going here - look at that blue sky!

Monday 20th April 2020
Up at 6am.   Dog walked.  Ready for work at 8am.

Tuesday 21st April 2020
The usual - up early.  Dog Walked work.  Tea.  Pub quiz.   Dog walk with Lucy - bluebells showing at side of the Henmore.  Very nice.

Wednesday 22nd April 2020
The usual lockdown arrangements!   Up early.  Dog walked.  Work.  Tea.   Virtual pub quiz.  Walk with Lucy - went up to Sprinkshill Wood.   Bluebells out - beautifil spring day but crappy Coronavirus f*>king everthing up.

Thursday 23rd April 2020

The usual sort of day.  Took Big Lad on his own for a walk after work to the Lotty,  watered stuff and did a bit of weeding while there. 

Friday 24th April 2020
Cracking day for a day off.  Went and mowed paddy's in the morning.  Did a few jobs fixing stuff.  Usual walk in the evening

Saturday 25th April 2020
Payday whopp whoop.  Another beautiful day weather wise - did a load of potting up in the greenhouse.   Fixed one of the kitchen drawers.   Fixed the back gate with some craft use of the car jack all good stuff. 

Sunday 12th April 2020 to Saturday 18th April 2020

Monday 13th April 2020
Easter Monday - day off working from home.  Went to Lotty with a plan to sort out the big raised bed thing next to the shed.   Things went a bit awry from the start when the key broke in the padlock.   Fortunately I had a trowel, a bucket and a bag to put weeds in so I was clear the big bed, I fixed up some of the holes in it.   Weeded it.  Then I used the trowel to shift loads of soil that some rodent had dug up under the shed.   All good stuff!!

Tuesday 14th April 2020
Up early.   Dog walked.   Back to work today.  Ho hum.  Busy as. Walked the hounds after pub quiz o'clock and then walked to the lotty to do a bit.    Put a bit of pipe onto the big water tank and weeded the strawberry thang that i ought to do a wee bit more on really.

Wednesday 15th April 2020
Up dead early.  Hound walked.  Shower.  Went to work for a couple of hours brought a load of stuff back.   Data Protection work all day.,   All good stuff. Went big walk with Lucy and the hounds.  Then walked to Lotty and back.   Watered stuff and then set about one of the last two raised beds that want weeding.  Hard work but made a bit of progress before got too dark and set off for home.

Thursday 16th April 2020
Busy day in the home office just like t'others.   After work me and Lucy walked the dogs, did the pub quiz then I went to the lotty on the bike - it was okay - just like riding a bike really.   Finished off digging the bed I started on last night and have agreed it's going to be a bean row this year at least.

Friday 17th April 2020
Half a day at home work.   Lotty in afternoon - went in car with the small dog.   Did the long bed at the top of the plot - took a good while but it got done and that's the main thing.  All the beds have now been weeded.   There's still plenty of tidying up to do but for now it's a case of keeping on top of any weeds that poke their heads up.

17th April and it's beginning to look something like!!

This took some clearing but it's the last one so good to get it done!

Thid is where the bean row is going this year - if it works it'll stay there. 

Saturday 18th April 2020

Hmm.  Woke up early as usual - not as much rain overnight as I'd expected but by mid morning rain had properly settled in.   Read papers, drank coffee, had brunch going to get working in the Greenhouse I reckon.  Did a load of potting up.   Took over Phil's window sill which missus Siddall kindly cleared for me and now there's 40 tomato plants residing in the two windows upstairs.  Ace. 

April 2020

Well we're two weeks into Coronavirus lockdown and I've had enough of it already, to be honest.  Seem to be working longer days (just at home) and less drums or opportunity for drums.

What's happened since last time was here?

Loads.  Christmas was sort of cancelled as mum and dad couldn't travel.  Saw some good bands - Buck and Evans, Stillmarillion, Last in Line.  Saw some good and some bad DCFC performances but now everything stopped.  So have watched all of Breaking Bad, El Camino and have started on Just Call Saul.

Have got loads of stuff going on garden wise but am a little behind on the lotty. Hey ho same old, same old.

Saturday 4th April 2020

Dogs walked. Lots of potting up. Also got me runner beans in old MacDonalds drink cups - not single use anymore!  Also planted cucumbers, courgettes, cauliflowers, sunflowers and much, much more as the saying goes.  Put up a mini fence along side the front lawn. All good. Took Big Lad for a three mile walk which was nice.

Sunday 5th April 2020 
More potting up.  BBQ at dinner - bit of a fiasco - takes 45 minutes for briquettes to be ready - remember for next time!!  Went and did a bit at the lotty. Had four things on my list - decide where runner beans going, get a bed weeded and ready, mow all round, got a mini row of beetroot and radishes planted, brought pea guttering back home - all done in a couple of hours so all good. 

On way home saw a massive red kite really low which was nice.

Monday 6th April 2020
A full days work.  All interesting stuff. Went shopping for me mum and dad, drove it over to Darley Dale, sorted out Kindle for me mum.  Drove back, did Andy Bill's online pub quiz.  All good stuff.

Wednesday 8th April 2020
Mums birthday.  Not going to be seeing her today though - ruddy Coronavirus.   Never mind such is life.

Thursday 9th April 2020
Half a day today.  Started early 7.30 finished 1.15pm  Went and mowed Paddy's lawns and strimmed round.  All good stuff. Clapping for the NHS after me and lucy had walked the pooches.

Good Friday 10th April 2020
I think DCFC should have been playing West Brom today.  Ruddy Coronavirus.  Anyway did a load of pricking out of various flowers then went to Lotty.  Cleared two beds. Planted spuds and peas.  All good.

Saturday 11th April 2020 
Down at the lotty - Another bed cleared.  Repaired one of the raised beds that had started falling to bit.,

Sunday 12th April 2020
The hardest bed cleared so far.  Top tip for allotmenteers DO NOT PLANT MINT IN A BED put it in a container!!