My Allotmen and loom band braceletst!!

It is a few days since I posted as I went to Kent to look after my little granddaughters (or did they look after me) whilst Mum and Dad went to a wedding.  It was to nice to see them again and we seemed to do a great deal.  I was shown by a 5 year old granddaughter how to make a loom band bracelet, on my fingers, using a hook and I was so pleased that I made one on my own; so something 'crafty' accomplished.  My one complaint about the weekend is having to go over the Dartford crossing - queuing for 50 minutes on the way South to get over the bridge and 30 minutes coming back through the tunnel; and you pay £2 each way for the privilege of all this waiting!! 

However Tuesday was my Cambridge day with Ellie, my granddaughter, and after our usual trip for coffee, juice and a shared bun it was back to get on with some gardening on 'my allotment'!!  Whilst having our refreshment a little girl at the next table was making a loom band bracelet and we got talking about them.  She very kindly gave me a hook so I can make more of these bracelets if I want or even a necklace.  I think I would lose the will to live doing a necklace as I do find them quite tedious, but they are the latest craze and even my 8 year old grandson is making them.

When my son first moved into the Cambridge house seven years ago, the garden was very overgrown and neglected, but he has transformed it and in the process found a very large area surrounded by concrete paths.  He decided to turn it into a vegetable plot and after leaving carpet down to suppress the weeds etc managed to get it into some order.  At this point I suggested that, as I hadn't managed to get an allotment near home, would he like me to help out in exchange for vegetables.  He leapt at this idea and so every week when I go there I dig, weed, sow and collect produce and have done so for over four years

May 2014

Freshly dug over but note all the covers on plants and seeds.  We fight a battle against the muntjac deer, squirrels and of course, pigeons!!  In the photo below you will see some of the seeds are in tubes, which are mainly from the centre of toilet rolls and kitchen paper all collected the previous  year.  Just fill with potting compost and then put straight into the ground and the roots aren't disturbed.

Seeds in the greenhouse - May 2014

Bu this is what it looks like now with all the seeds planted out.  What a difference a few months of rain and sun make!

Runner beans and a wigwam of climbing French beans

Sweet corn, still with protection because of the Muntjac!

Courgettes or zucchini.  Odd shaped one there.

I have come home with bags of potatoes, carrots, courgettes and runner and french beans. Yum yum!  Large dish of raspberries for all the family as well.  Worth all the work and my back which is a little stiff today.