Monday 10 November 2008

I'm keeping a lookout for Noah.....

Well surprise, surprise lots of rain again on Saturday, so soaked through to the skin once again. I took some photo's on Sunday morning and you can see these below.

Anyway, I had my usual list of stuff to be getting on with, so....

1. Get 4 bags of compost from local council recycle centre. Good idea from my brother who mentioned it!
2. Collect wood from skip in Crichton Road for compost bins/shed.
3. Pay Nigel for the mattock!

...all while Tom was at football.

Then in the 2-3 hours in the afternoon; -

1. Double digging in preparation for the raspberries.
2. Put new sign up.
3. Clear second permanent bed.
4. Strengthen the compost bins and cut up carpet to cover them.

All goes to plan in the morning and after dropping Tom off, drive over to the Kimpton recycle centre, but there isn't a lot of compost left and it's pretty wet, but I fill up my bags with as much as I can get in and on way to the allotment stop and get a few pieces of wood, some for the compost bins and some I think could be good for the raspberry supports. It's a bit wet by now and there isn't anyone at the allotment shop, so hope to see Nigel later on or on Sunday. I don't' want to get a black mark against my name! Drop all the stuff off and manage to get back to collect Tom....pheeewwwwww.

The rain doesn't hold off and by the time I get down there in the afternoon it's all quiet and I set to work clearing the other permanent bed, which is full of roots and I expect these to be my friends over the next few weeks as I dig the beds. In the breaks in the rain I carry on double digging and add the compost I collected to the bottom of the 'spits'.

When I need a rest I set to work on the compost bins as part of one of them has collapsed as it needs fixing in place. Cut up some of the masses of carpet to cover them and put up my new sign. Now that looks good and gives the plot a feel of permanency I think. I'm here to stay.

As the time ticks on and it begins to get a little gloomy I set off hoping it will dry up for the firework show we're going to tonight.

Sunday is a new day and after the Remembrance service I set off to the allotments in search of Nigel and thankfully he's there and I can settle up. Also, Derek is preparing his plot with manure and getting his new raspberries ready to go in. Note to me...hurry up. If Derek is putting them in now, I need to be. I check with Nigel on the bags of manure and sure enough the shop sells them, 4 for £11...seems cheapish to me...but rather than go storming in with a order, I decide to check how good this is. Certainly better quality stuff than at the council's recycle centre and would save a lot of time having to go over there and get it.

When I get back, our friends aren't able to make it so after lunch, with the rain holding off, I race back to the plot to try and get some more digging done and maybe clearing, as next week I know I wont have a lot of time. No sooner have I started digging when the heavens open and I'm cowering next to Derek's shed thinking, NOT AGAIN. The clouds look pretty dark and so I pack up and head off home early. I then have a bit of time to research the compost costs on the internet and once again see that Nigel has quite a nice deal going there. Now I know how he sold 400 bags of it last year.

Next week is going to be tricky, but with luck I'll be able to do a little bit of double digging, buy some raspberry canes and get them in......now that will be something to see.

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