Pumpkins, Peas and Polling

Busy with planting out this afternoon - Pumpkins and Peas will hopefully be on the menu eventually   - I'm not sure how I'll squeeze remaining seedlings in but where there's a will..

A row of Peas protected by plastic

5 pumpkins in total

Polling

Today we've had the chance to vote as Winston Churchill (a big and important Prime-Mminister) is reported to have said.. 

democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

I've voted and hope you  have too.

A chance to express a preference 

More money

£241 50

More Planting and Minimalism (Danshari)

Cabbages and Cauliflowers 

Today I've been planting (in seed trays)  again - Lettuces,

Lettuce and Broccoli 

Pumpkins, Peas all sort of things and also planted out a couple more Sweet-Corn plants too.


The greenhouse on Plot 202 is getting congested and I hope that I'll have ground prepared soon.


Which strangely brings me on to the topic of the book I'm getting engrossed in it's called Goodbye Things and worth a read I'd say - taking actions to de-clutter is a goal but I feel that Fumio Sasaki (the writer) has some issues - I expect it'll become clearer as I read on.

[Slightly ironic that the book has added to my clutter and that there are so many words about this topic in Japanese - Danshari is the one  Fumio opts for most often.]

Of course it says a lot about the writer 

And I'm still going

Okay £215 50p

A late spring on Plot 202

Many other plot-holders and vegetable growers have like me been finding the seasons not behaving as normal this year.

A courgette 

Conditions are very dry and the cold weather earlier in the month has delayed planting out - today though was warmer and as well as potatoes, peas and onions I now have courgettes along with (baby) Sweetcorn planted out.

Sweetcorn in grid formation

A few odd spuds

I have other vegetables in seed trays beginning to shoot in trays and some Tomato seedlings are being hardened up.

Another milestone

Hitting the £200

Photosynth and Red 58

Quite some time back (2 years) I did a panoramic 'stitch of Plot 202  at that time you used Silverlight and ie - here's another one using Microsoft Photosynth- it's easier to navigate


[Here's the blog entry]




Starting point here

We start on the left (see the bus?)

A few clicks later

And looking towards Adriana's plot

Here's the composite image

And this is what we get at Photosynth (you can move the image  around and zoom in).

Red 58

Not Ruby

Down on the allotment there's sometimes a feline visitor or two - Ruby likes a red accessory

My Friend Ruby

More on Plot 202 and Red 149

Protecting Kale from the Pigeons

So I mentioned that I'd got a Popadome at the local Garden Centre- today I put the construction up over half a dozen or so Kale plants  - it was actually quite easy to assemble and am hoping that it'll do the trick.

Another row of peas

I've also planted another batch of Peas, the idea is to stagger them and the annoying thing is that these although started about 10 days after those already planted actually look bigger and stronger that the ones already growing.


On a side note it's a little sad the my neighbouring plot (204) is now vacant Matt who actually appeared on TV's Great  Allotment Challenge failed the challenge to pay the rent for the plot and new plot holders will be found (without much trouble I think).

Sadly Matt has been overtaken by events

Referenda

I know that the remain camp in UK's EU referendum is feeling under pressure and ex Premier John Major (remember him?) has weighed in to his own party colleagues who wish to Exit in another show of Blue on Blue infighting but the debate is very much alive and is something about Democracy.

On the subject of Democracy I'm not sure if it's be in the interests of reflecting the voters wishes to follow the in/out vote with a General Election regardless of what happens, certainly it would seem right if we're to have a new Prime minister.


The referendum in UK is not the only one hitting the news sadly 'Basic Income' vote resulted in  defeat in Switzerland but although the opponents managed to get something like 75% of the vote - I'm not too dismayed the point is its getting people talking and 1 in 4 supporting it is not too bad.

Ali - The Black Superman

For people of my generation  Cassius Clay//Muhammed Ali has been around nearly all our lives- he did much for society (and was perhaps a founding father of rap) I don't see boxing disappearing but maybe we could change the sport so that fighters at least protected their heads and it  would hopefully mean fewer had to  live with Parkinson's disease.

Red 149

And back on the allotment  - I like this design

A red feed container for a red fruit

Down on the plot and Red 183

The greenhouse is being used in 2016

Days growing things are rarely wasted but I've had a disappointment with sweetcorn and am  hoping that it's not too late to recover from this.

The seedlings were doing fine sharing a seed tray until I transplanted them into individual pots.

Subsequently I've stated a fresh batch - fingers crossed

Tomatoes in their pots

Courgettes and  Pumpkins are now looking healthy, I've also got Aubergines and celery in seed trays in the house (for now)

A border for flowers

I've started taking seedlings from home to the greenhouse on plot 202 and delivered some peppers there today too.

Seed trays

Have decided that beetroot, cauliflower and some other brassicas deserve a head start and these are in seed trays too.

I'm keen to make my plot look tidy and even pretty this year - so border and edging are under maintenance - as can be seen.

As usual I feel I'm playing catchup preparing the ground for planting out immediately before transplanting.

Red 183

So this is the halfway point - not sure if I'm going to end up with tins of red paint (and using them on other objects), but here's a detail from a 20 year old T shirt of mine

I was there as was this shirt

Planting potatoes by the score and Red 196

Part of the score.

Earlier on this week I was listening to Roxy Music's first and eponymously titled  LP my goodness it's great and I think would have sounded far out in 1972.

Wellone of the songs has lyrics that say 'planting potatoes by the score'  and that's what I was dong yesterday - Maris Pipers to be precise - not the most usual pop lyric is it?

{here's the song - live version}

Rhubarb to be picked soon?

Very pleasing to see the rhubarb doing so well to reminding me of the old joke - conversation between two country folk -
one remarks Rhubarb looks good
The grower replies:

I put  Horse manure on it.
The first person again:

I prefer custard with mine 
(boom boom)

Red 196

Red as a danger sign? I don't mean to worry you but that  £5.00 one might not be that great ..

It's a financial term too

Sowing ( and harvesting), Red 207

As always this time of year I should be busier than I am at the allotment some preparation has been made for sowing potatoes and onions .

Dug over and now Screaming out for potatoes

Also at home been Sowing Peas outside, as well as lettuces and Aubergines (inside).

Sweetcorn and tomatoes as well as courgettes are getting to the stage where they can spend some time outside getting acclimatised -  but peppers and aubergines  still have some way to go.

These are just some of the plants!

Who Likes Paying Tax?

Now there seems little doubt that David Cameron has not managed  his own families' involvement in the  Panama Tax story well but I do feel that many are being holier than though. 

In truth the tax on the £30,000 or so he's talking about is pretty minimal as a proportion of  the family wealth - both his and Sam's' family are not just rich they're seriously rich. David Cameron is not responsible for the seeming sensible (and legal) actions taken by his father with regard to minimising the tax payments made by him.

I know few people who think that the government is better at spending their money than they are - we all try and keep our money (or is it just me?) - problem is this feeds into an anti Cameron agenda, he's got very few friends in the press and day by day unity is drifting away from the good ship  Conservative party as he finds the distaste many of his so called 'colleagues' have for him . 

My analysis is that the price for this (and other poor decisions)  could be a disastrous harvest  for the UK and European economies.

[Note: Oh yes and just because many rich people have not been implicated in this particular leak does not mean that they too are not minimising their own tax bills.]

Red 207

London Book with a nice text in..

And above

Buds, Mulch, Broad beans - something free and Red 213

In the fine weather (or at least when it's not raining) it's a pleasure for me to spend some time out in the fresh air leaning against a garden tool or making it look like I know what I'm doing.

I do tend to think a lot when I'm down there and there's generally someone to at least exchange a few words with.

Yesterday I observed many signs of (horticultural)  life in particular fruit trees budding.

I've put some home produced mulch around several of the trees (hoping that they're sufficiently neutral) - the idea is that the mulch helps the roots by maintain moisture.

I've planted some Broad beans out - they don't look great - which might mean that the pigeons don't feast on them - time will tell.

The broad beans could be a disappointment

Fruit trees in bud

Some mulch at tree bases

A freebie

A gift from me

I've got a few books and things I'm more than happy to pass on -the first is a book I've got two copies of - drop me an e-mail and I'll stick it in the post (UK only I'm afraid)

Red 213

Reds for fire and for the fire brigade

I've seen Fire

London Mayor, Plot 202 and 223 Red

Our Mayoral voting details popped through the letterbox yesterday and it reminded me how disappointing (in different ways) the list of candidates was.

In 2011 there was at least  one  outstanding candidate Siobhan Benita who it seems to me identified some of the big issues facing  London and looked to solve them away from party political lines.

Boris has over the last 4 years done less damage than he might have but his eye has always been on the bigger goal, Livingstone was the archetype political animal.

With the current front runners there is too little in the form of independence (for Labour's Sadiq Khan) and a lack of true grit on the Green Issues (Zac Goldsmith).

If Sadiq distanced himself more openly from his 'official' party line to champion London or if Zac stopped negative campaigning (and produced less election landfill documents) and declared himself an 'Independent'  I could go with either of them as it is I'm going to have to look further down the list.

Plot 202

Great day yesterday and managed to get Garlic planted out - plenty of seeds started indoors and out but need to get focused as we move to the busies time of year for the allotment -eers.

Not looking too bad

Outdoors Broad beans

Indoors - Tomatoes and more

A row of garlic on Plot 202

223 Red

University pennant (or pennon) flags hanging in a row.

Those little Uni' flags

A 2016 visit to plot 202 and Red 276

Down on plot 202

A prune and a clear up

Fiddlers on the roof

It felt like a new year sort of thing.

The sun was out there were people doing outside things.

What with the weather and putting my photo's out there it's been some time since I've been on the allotment, Thursday was a lovely day so I decided to go and do a bit of a prune and tidy up.

All the fruit trees have grown over the last 4 or so years and I thought I'd have a go at moving one of my Rhubarb plantings too.

It's one of two and it's got a new home -hope it survives

A greenhouse and lovely day

I was interested to see Simon's shed  development (plot 198) too it's certainly different.

Simon's shed mark II

My shed, my rules

A time to burn too

Red 277

you can see here how the brightness is reduced in shadow 

Yeah -Respect