Stones in his pockets !!

I thought I would add that title for my post although it's got nothing at all to do with plants, allotments, or growing anything. This evening I have been to see a wonderful Irish play ( of the same name as the title) that I have been meaning to see for about 7 years. It was running in London for ages then went touring abroad and is now back and it was at our local "newish " theatre. " Stones in his pockets" http://www.stonesinhispockets.co.uk/ written by Marie Jones has won lots of theatre awards. The amazing thing about it is that two brilliant actors play 15 characters between them ( I know that's difficult to imagine!) If you ever get a chance to see it you wont be disappointed. It's very funny and wonderfully acted. enough said !

I had a great time last Thursday in London catching up with my long lost friend, we talked for England ! for about three and half hours and then she had to get back to another part of London, to help her daughter with her new baby. This was the main reason for her visit here from Spain.

Now for some Lottie news.

I worked on the allotment over the week-end. I put my peas in their bed. I grew them in toilet roll innards and they were just growing over the tops, so in they went and are now coming on well and all covered in netting to keep the birds off.

The Mizuna that I sowed a week or so ago is up, two rows of it and it's looking good. I think I can just see the spinach beet peeping through, well I hope it's that and not weeds. That's the only thing about sowing into the ground ! one never knows if it's a weed or not until they grow some more.

The rhubarb is looking good, and the raspberries are starting to shoot up again. I have potted up the masses of strawberry runners, which I will give away, as I already have a bed full, plus some new ones I want to try that I bought in the garden centre sale last year.

I grew some lovely "Burpless" cucumbers last year in the greenhouse (at the lottie) I bought just one plant and they were really delicious, and one plant gave many fruits. I have been looking to buy some seeds of the same, for ages and have just found a packet. They are "Thompson & Morgan" - cucumber, burpless tasty green F1 Hybrid. that's what it says on the packet.

I recommend them, I don't know about the not burping bit as I don't have that problem with cucumbers anyway, but for someone who does it may be worth trying these.

Well I am being a bit of a gasbag here with this lengthy post, sorry about that, but it's been a while. I have posted a few photo's below that I took today.

I am off to London again tomorrow, my youngest son's home this time. He lives in central London in a lovely area which is easy to get to all the good places. We are back on Thursday, so I won't be posting again until the week-end. My plants are being looked after by a lottie neighbour ( the ones in the greenhouse on the plot) and my daughter is stopping by to see the plants in the 2 mini greenhouses in the garden. I do hope they will all be OK. They have taken so long to get them to the stage they are at. I will be glad to plant them out when all danger of frosts are over. I have many more seeds to start growing, and I just don't have any more room until the current ones get planted out.

One of the rhubarb plants starting to fruit ( I have five ! I think I overdid that )

My sign , now attached to a stake, it was just on the ground before.

The wallflower bed outside the lottie greenhouse

Can you spot the first Cerinthe to be planted out ?

The other Maureen's shed has a new sign, I love it !

A post at last !

I know I haven't posted for almost a week, but I have been very active on the plot since getting back from the babysitting. I once again took some seedlings with me to my son's. I think he is getting used to my eccentric ways now and just humours me. The basil, Lemongrass and Emilia (Irish Poet) common name("Tassel flower") had all just began to shoot up through the compost, so I couldn't leave them to dry out and die, so they came with me to Surrey.

Little Bertie ( 18 months) was keen to have a look at them with me each morning so fingers crossed we have a little gardener in the making. I already have a little gardening tool kit for him, all in it's own wee bag which I got in the sale last year at Asda.

Today I potted on my sunflowers, coriander, and kale. I have another plastic mini greenhouse now in the garden, which is full up, but at least we have our windowsills back. The greenhouse on the allotment is full of my dahlias, I must take a photo tomorrow as they have really come on. I lost about 5 when we had a severe frost, but I now cover them with layers of fleece.

I planted out the sweet peas today that I had grown last autumn, they have been in an unheated greenhouse all through the severe winter, so hopefully they will be ok. Just to be sure I wrapped some fleece around them as well. They are planted at the bottom of my "goal post". Last year they climbed the 6ft and more, and I was picking them every day all summer. I still have sweet williams growing at the foot of the post, it's amazing that they came through the winter and are now growing like crazy.

I have also put in the remaining parsnip seeds that were chitting. I planted them in-between two rows of garlic, I hope that wasn't a mistake and that they have enough room. If they outgrow the space I will just have to pick them as baby parsnips. I almost forgot ! I also planted some Mizuna and some spinach beet. Tomorrow I will take some photo's as the plot is looking good.

I am off to London on Thursday to meet up with a friend who is over from Spain. I haven't seen her for about 30 years, so I expect we will be talking nonstop ! I can't wait to see her, we lost contact years ago when I moved to Hampshire from London and she and her family moved away.