Chopping chopping chopping

Had a day out with my friend Leila and my new loppers and BOY did we cut a lot of bramble! It was fantastic. In a stunning contrast to her usual fashionable style (well, her own style at least) Leila donned sweats, hoodie and boots and loved using the loppers. So spent a lot of time piling up the wheelbarrow to move the chopping down to the bramble wall.

Also borrowed neighbour's saw (with his permission of course) and chopped down a couple of the hawthorne trees. So here's a pic of me with my first felled tree! (yes, I did yell 'timber')






We had quite a few tea breaks too. Sitting in my eBay old army chairs, purchased from the National Theatre props dept.

B&Q Bonanza

Today I cycled down to B&Q to spend my gift certificates from Christmas. Of course, getting it all in the basket on the back of the bike was rather challenging. Rather than putting on the proper pannier rack I had strapped my old front basket (from the hybrid bike) onto the mountain bike pannier which is just held by the seat post. So as I packed up all the shopping I realised I was beyond the 9kg limit for the rack! Plus it all wobbled back and forth nicely, so the ride home was slow just in case I had to stop to grab potatoes or a trowel off the road!

Main purchase was a lovely big pair of Wilkinson Sword Large Gear Action Bypass Lopper. Whew! This was the main big treat because I figured with about 30m of bramble to chop down it would be well worth it.

And...
Hand trowel
Hand hoe (double sided, it's so cute!)
2 bags of seed potatoes - early crop and salad crop
A rose bush (yellow roses with blush edges, can't recall the name)
4 mini tester pots of outdoor paint - to paint pictures on the shed once it's built
Zip ties
Lots of seeds! They had a couple 'bargain packs' for herbs and veg so more seeds for less moolah. Herb pack of parsley, coriander and basil. I want to get mint too, and I have lavender at the plot. And then a veg pack of cabbage (2 kinds), sweet corn, broccoli, leek, white onions, courgette, early carrots, autumn carrots, spinach, parsnips, brussel sprouts. Now I wanted all those anyway except for the sweet corn so good deal. I bought seeds for peas and beetroot separately.

We're supposed to have snow tomorrow though, so have to wait until I can go play with the new toys.

Photo update

Not too much done today, hard digging this afternoon and not much light. Here's some photos!

First, introduction to the plot as is.
1. The sand and paving slabs free from local skip. :) And my nifty hand-painted plot number board. Will make something more interesting later. 2. Plot as is. 3. Cement roof tiles from same skip to make some paths. My beeeeeyooooteeeeful Howies jacket my parents bought me for xmas is also hanging there.


These pics don't really do them justice but here are some of Shelagh's lovely birdbaths:


And finally the beds. 1. The garlic is growing! 2. Flower bed hoed and primroses put in. 3. The new bed extending from the garlic bed - will be potatoes, and longer too. It doesn't look much but I did dig out 2 big bramble roots.


And I'll finish with a pretty primrose photos. Aaaaaah

Dry at last!

Thanks gods January is gone. And we seem to be having spring days, though I'm sure the frost will be back to haunt us. (We've only had a few nights frost last week, that's been it all winter.)

Wonderful day out...
Planted a bit more garlic. 'Hoed' (with my hands) my 3 beds and it's wonderful how the cold really has broken up the clay soil! One of those things I just didn't believe but I have lovely smooth(ish) soil to putter about with. I smoothed things out and weeded the flower beds. Put in a few more bulbs. Dug out a few bramble roots in order to make a little herb corner - just teensy little parsley plants in now.

Friend Leila bought me 6 primrose plants at the Manor House Gardens farmers market yesterday so I put them in a little row at the front of the flower bed. They look quite cheery!

I also put out 3 ceramic pots, made as birdbaths by my friend Shelagh, on the ground as either birdbaths or little ponds for frogs. Whatever wildlife might like them. Sunk them a bit and made sure there was earth banked up around them, tried to have one a bit hidden in grass.

Also chatted to Hamish next to me and decided to put my shed up at the top of the plot. There's a space I've already cleared, fairly flat and ready to go. So if I can get to the plot tomorrow I'm going to move the sand and paving slabs up to the top. That's a bit of a task in and of itself since I can only carry one slab at a time.

Light out until about 5.15pm. Will get some photos tomorrow.