Kale, Cabbage and Cauliflower

Today I've been planting out my vegetables from the Brassica Oleracea family   -and only really have Chard and some leeks (perhasp)  to be planted  in the ground  now.

Need to make sure that I keep away pigeons

Seems this genus has been cultivated for several hundred years and is good for us.

A few weedy looking plants

A small looking sample.

Cabbages and Cauliflowers are similarly protected

I'm bringing home soft fruit every day now and also courgettes - the first (but only a few).

 Redcurrants which I will have with some blackcurrants - If I think of each tub  as being about £1 it makes the allotment seem cost effective (almost) keep in mind that there's all this other good thing too.

I'm also having a go at growing some Melba Melons too - but they'll stay in the greenhouse (most of the time).

Now that was (National) Radio 1

It's £275

Ealing cinema, Housing and the Arts

A peep today -
(not the Egyptian Pyramids) 

Today I had a peep behind the hoardings at the site of the old /new Cinema site in Ealing.

Well I suppose the fact that work has started on the Cinema project is good news (it's going to be I fear now that developers St Georges have had changes to the planning permission it'll be  more about high profit housing than Cinema and Arts.).

If you want to make sure that local p[eople get some 'real' facilities' the Campaign for Ealing Performance and Arts Centre CEPAC needs your support (and perhaps) help - they're working to see that not everything is about commercial outcomes.

A front page picture in the Ealing Gazette (from me)  a few years back 

More on the subject of housing soon (it'll be connected with the removal of 'valued' and ' historic'  Allotments then).

Late November visit to Plot 202

Yes please.

So we're now in pretty much the dark days with little growing on the allotment.

Did pop down at the weekend though to pick up some potatoes and onions.


Seems that Pathways (A housing charity who oversee the allotments)  are continuing their unnecessary plans to reduce (the already reduced) allotments in Northfields - Councillors, MP and community are united in their defence of the site.

The land bequeathed by a Bishop of London for the purpose of allotment land can surely not have the purpose changed to merely act as a convenience for the charity.

An autumn late afternoon view

And what a shame if it's further decimated

Apples, Allotments and Red 8

Still unpicked.

 Apples

 I've noticed that in what appears to have been a good year for apples in the UK many fruits have (and still do) remain unpicked - I'm not sure what this says about the state of the country and our diet -I wonder if the trees had Twix bars there'd be more interest?

 (And here are some tips for pickers)

Allotments 

A historic site

Good to see that the London Standard has coverage of the story about 'our' (Northfields) Allotments - development proposals are being downward tweaked but for me there's a real principle involved -Bishop of London bequeathed (1832-ish) land for specific purpose - allotments not housing I don't think our Law would (or should)  support this high handed attitude by career administrators seeking to impress.

(BBC Radio London been covering too)

Red 8

Well we've had a few forms of Red in transport- busses, bikes, cars even scooters  here's a predominantly red taxi..

Usually black this is far brighter.

Around Ealing and Red 26

A little summary of some recent photo's in the 'hood.

There's talk of some of the local allotments being used for housing so this might be connected?

Surveying near Northfields Allotments 

And again

An incident or training?

This is the housing area which is being redeveloped - the allotments would be housing for sale and some social housing too.

All over the place

As mentioned yesterday I've got in touch with Ross at 365Project Blog, very welcoming he was  and I've now started the uploads (30 or so today).

Red 26

Spotted in what looked like an 'old style gents barber's' nearby

A rather jaunty looking sports figure in Red shirt and socks 

Pathways changing allotments and Red 49

Oldest (and best)

Last week I went to one of a number of consultative meetings regarding Housing Charities Pathway's stated aim to re-use land bequeathed by the Bishop of London in 1832 for Allotment use to provide Housing.



It's fair to say that this is causing a stir in the area of the site.

Pathways - bad guys?

It was good to see the Labour MP, Rupa Huq  whose ward the allotments sit in attending the meeting - she didn't make a lot of noise or fuss and I hope that here presence has a good affect on the outcome of the issue around the allotments.

Just more concrete or a community asset?

I can understand that a Housing charity should wish to use resources for provision of housing but that doesn't mean they can - there were, fairly recently  moves to change the law but for me as  a layperson the picture now is not that  clear.


I'm very far from being a Lawyer or Solicitor but do know that we rely on the law for a smooth running society - I also know that precedent is very important in English (and British) Law the idea that land bequeathed for one purpose should become available for another seems at odds with the way that the law operates.








2 points

1) It's not clear  that Pathways have the right to sell the land

2)  Can the Housing charity believe that   they will not meet any opposition?  - this looks unlikely to be the case - for sure the Bishop and Pathways were not set up to be a charitable institution supplying legal firms with work!

Part of a lovely green space.

Red 49

Sad to see an abandoned Henry  - odd too to think that it's a Henry (the Hoover) when it's not really a Hoover as Hoover make Hoovers.

But it's Red

Henry's still grinning