Well, apart from saying I’m not going to talk about the rain, that’s the only time in this entry ‘rain’ gets a mention….
In the last entry, Internet access problems had hit us. Fair to their word, TalkTalk sent an engineer, who called us the day before to confirm his arrival time. He was early on the day, a thoroughly pleasant chap and very helpful too. Deduced that there was a tweak needed to the local exchange equipment, which he did remotely, and now our connection has been reliable ever since. A slight disagreement now exists with TT; whether we have to pay or not for the engineer’s callout. Umph….
Shortly after the Internet access issue; the shower in our en-suite decides to start leaking (argh); thankfully our very competent, friendly plumber has fixed it today.
Work has been slightly more productive this past week, but very tiring. One job involved shifting and spreading 1 ton of gravel by hand/barrow. Next few weeks are pretty much full with a variety of work which helps keep every day interesting, and a couple of new customers to visit too. I do consider myself fortunate in that I visit different gardens every day, sometimes 2 in one day; meet different people with allsorts of tales to tell me. Although some days I can work for 3 hours at a time, and not see or speak to a soul. My seasonal work with the National Trust at Snowshill Manor (the holiday cottages) is also a good place to work, with an enjoyable work environment and friendly work colleagues and volunteers.
The allotment was paid a visit this afternoon. Really cracked on a pace and caught up with: earthing-up all the potatoes; sowed carrots & parsnips and planted out broad beans. The soil was just about perfect for sowing; just beginning to dry out on the surface; easy to rake down to a crumb texture and the underlying soil damp and warm. I’m using fine mesh material to cover the carrots again this year. Last year’s crop was just about free of that pesky carrot fly.
A long view of the allotment below – early May 2012. Main crop potatoes in the foreground, then overwintering onions left, newly sown carrots under mesh covers, overwintering garlic right, 2nd early potatoes earthed up, newly planted onions + shallots, then rhubarb plants, ending with espalier apples. There are a few things out of view (strawberries, raspberries, black currants, beetroot & broad beans). Other crops that will be planted when ready are: runner beans, french beans, courgettes, butternut squashes, outdoor tomatoes, pak choi (a first for me this year - as I try to experiment with something new each year).
