Monday 23 February 2009

The Half Term Holiday.



The children are back at school today after the best half term week. The sun shone a fair bit and even when it didn't the air was so much milder than previously and we spent much time outside to make the most of it. The allotment now has sixteen beds of approximately 10ft by 4ft each, dug and manured where needed thanks to Mr Davey's incredibly hard work. Already broad beans and salad leaves are growing, onions and garlic planted and shooting away rapidly, and potatoes planted out. I have dug out and split rhubarb from our own garden to be taken up there and the fruit beds will have redcurrants, raspberry canes and a grape added to them hopefully next weekend. The picture shows it at the part way stage and unfortunately doesn't do it any justice as the grass paths so desperately need cutting. Ah well, take it on trust that it looks amazing and has galvanised us into action at home as well.



While Dave has spent an couple of hours each day working on the beds, the girls and I have worked away on our garden here which was sorely in need of a massive overhaul. I dug out the compost heap and used the wonderfully crumbly compost to dress the beds. The hen pen needed a bit of re-fencing so out I ventured, staple gun close to hand and Lucy raking up leaves all around. The beds I recently dug out to surround a new lawn area - dug out, raked and seeded now - are looking most Spring-like as the daffodils are breaking into bud ready to follow the pretty drifts of crocuses which are almost over. I found these very early and miniscule potatoes hiding amongst the compost



The geenhouse has also had a sort out and I cleared the side area too in order to use it as a place for pot stacking, a job which took all day and had me muttering darkly at the waste of a perfectly good day until I reached the fun part of building a little wall and step which is something I love to do. I planted primroses into the cracks and already their creamy flowers are can be spotted from the kitchen window. But the holiday did not only consist of gardening; knitting was also on the agenda! Dave completed this lovely garter stitch scarf, all warm and snuggly for a day like today where the sun has left us once more...



I finished the first of the socks I started a little while ago and now need to make sure the next one does not have the slight laddering effect near the heel which I forgot to check on as I knitted...sighs deeply in annoyance. Other than that I am pleased with the sock and the tones of the wool please me muchly. Dave tells me it feels amazing to wear with the heel cupping the foot in a way I cannot understand as it is far to big for me. Knew I should have knitted myself a pair first (and there would have been far less to knit too!). I do wish I could photograph long things such as these in a way which made them look far lovelier than this.



A pair of mittens have almost come off the needles ready to be sent off to a friend who chose this gorgeous wool of slate blue flecked with chips of green, red and a paler blue. Such a lovely wool to knit with, but as the label is somewhere in another room I can't let you know what it is just now.



So, all in all a lovely holiday full of plenty of activity, plenty of knitting, plenty of outings to beautiful places such as this ruin by the river, the woodland trees on the opposite banks still sleeping their winter sleep and the heron basking in the shallows of an ebbing tide



and of course, plenty of eating too. In fact, I'm off for a one of these chocolate and orange brownies right now as Isabella and I are going to play picnics and these seem just the thing.



Hope you all have a good week xx

19 comments:

  1. What a wonderfully productive week you have had. Real family time - so precious.

    Sue xx

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  2. What an incredibly busy and productive week you have had! You are very forward with your allotment, our potatoes havent yet gone out, but Broad beans have...and have disappeared. Hungry mice I think!

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  3. sounds like a wonderful week.... now if you could just send your lovely man to Scotland to help me with my very neglected veggie garden....
    in fact i am off now to shovel yet more horse manure on to the poop mountain!
    i am also in awe of your finished sock - i actually gasped - my first is still on the needles much to Stephen's annoyance - i dare not tell him that if the heel turns out to be awful he may only ever have the one sock x
    t x

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  4. Hope you have a good week too Pipany. Last week was certainly very productive!

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  5. Gosh what a lovely productive week! The veggie beds look highly promising. I'm way behind you here (but then, you are in Cornwall!) The brownies look delcious too.

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  6. I've done a little gardening but your efforts put mine to shame.Could you publish the recipe for the brownies please? They sound delicious.

    Tracey

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  7. Hi Pips,

    Lovely post, you have had a very productive week, I adore choc brownies, will get pinny on and try and bake some this week.

    xx

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  8. Wasn't it a great week? We've been outside in the garden all weekend too, planting up the pond, finishing the fence around the new kitchen garden, I'm hoping for about a dozen raised beds. Won't be planting for weeks yet, although have started off peas and sweet peas in little pots and struck some cherry prunings into sandy soil. Exciting times.

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  9. Aaahhhh!! I feel quite envious, so love Cornwall this time of year. We are in our coldest, wettest month, snow on the mountain tops, yuk.Two of my friends have allotments in Falmouth.

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  10. Sounds like you have had a great week. We spent the weekend gardening and in particular planting up the tubs and pots with primroses and early violas and pansies. It was great to see the blue sky and feel some warmth from the sun. Love the socks but have never tried to knit them myself. Have a strange urge to crochet dishcloths at the moment, can't think where it came from but it is compulsive I have to say. Will post when one is finished. Dev x

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  11. Hi Pip, I have had a lovely catch-up with the Romantic Mr Dave (not personally, but through your blog!) and your lovely picturesque life!

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  12. That sounds to have been a very satisfying week. There is nothing so good as time spent with loved ones.

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  13. Trouble is, Pip, you always make me feel like such a lazy slob!! What a glorious productive, domestic week, the best kind of week! It's so nice to see the sun and smell spring in the air again.

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  14. Fancy showing a picture of that amazing chocolate cake - trying to give it up here!

    Sounds like your allotment is keeping you very busy. The potatoes look great and I do hope we'll be able to see photos as it progresses.

    CJ xx

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  15. I had to catch my breath after reading that, Pip! You pack a lot into a week. I like the idea of an allotment. I think there is such an area near town - it would be nice to have a garden that might be left alone by the deer.
    Those brownies.......

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  16. Wow, Pip you are so much further on with your garden. all I have planted is the garlic. Potatoes need chitting, broad beans need sowing, etc etc. i will try to reassure myself that we are so much further north, and higher and truly I am not as behing as all that!
    Adore your sock and am lusting after your brownie.

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  17. Ooooooooh, are those MY mittens??
    Yipppeeeee. jxxx

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  18. I used to live not far from that ruin! It's so strange (and wonderful) to see things so familiar through another's eyes. That particular walk/cycle ride early on a misty morning, with the water so still and the sun low, is just beautiful. Doesn't look like we're going to have such inspiring weather tomorrow though, does it! Hope you have a lovely weekend.

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