Sunday 4 August 2013

Thunder stops play

Last Sunday we were back in action, reasonably early (for us) at 11am. The weather was a lot different, there was cold air and then sunshine back and forth until later the heavens exploded and thunder rumbled, rain poured and I thought for a moment if our shed would work as an ark - boy, the rain was heavy! In the end running out to get tools and running to the car and back etc I was soaked through - that sort of soaked were you just start to walk at normal speed; you simply can't get any more saturated, lol.

My big project was to sort of the back of our shed and get things off to the dump. It was rather daunting to begin with but then I really got into it and loved it all. I love creating a clean and clear area out of a complete mess - it feels like I am clearing my messy mind at the same time - it's calming.

So here it is (shame all on show here)...


We came to the same point about our old broken bench; there was no way we could save it, the wood was rotten so much in a lot of areas (and secretly, now Andrew has his fancy saw, he wants to make a new one altogether!) So he went all caveman on it and smashed it to bits. Fun!

Is it just me or are the slugs bigger this year, goodness there were so many under the old timber we had laying at the side of the plot. But when I meet our frog again I thought to myself, no way am I getting rid of this, I shall merely stack it up neater - obviously it's a great habitat for wildlife.

The finished cleaned up area - that big white bag has our fire wood in it and I even managed to get the wee hand rotary mover over all the grass. What a great workout for my bingo wings :)

Andrew was dealing with the old broad bean patch, they were all ready to be lifted and the peas too behind them in this picture, growing up a little net support.  I do love my broad beans so it's great that Andrew had done a succession planting and we'll have a new batch soon :)

There is something so utterly satisfying about those broad bean roots and those little nodules shown below; Chemistry and Biology in action! These nodules actively improve the soil by depositing nitrogen into the ground which is a great plant food and benefits the next crop you plant in that space ~ hurrah! Plus the stems are great fodder for the compost bin = free natural fertiliser and soil conditioner, and you know I love freebies :)
going
root nodules
ha ah, gone! and a nice big harvest in the shopping bag
Then little rain showers started to happen. They weren't particularly long lasting but they were heavy and put a stop to works for a while. 

 We hung on but then the real thunderous downpours came. The shed became our place of sanctuary; the noise of that rain on the roof was deafening and Maggie just was not happy at getting wet at all, she clawed at my leg until I picked her up and then I took the keys and ran to the car with her tucked under my arm - lucky she's so wee :)


But from all that work and the harvests of the day before we were able to come home, cold and wet from the (what felt like buckets of rain thrown on us) lottie and have this stir fry rustled up in no time - bliss. Chard, carrots, dwarf beans, turnip, all only a maximum of 24hrs old :)

7 comments:

  1. If you enjoy tidying up a mess then pop over and pay us a visit. You've made a really good job of the back of the shed and I'm sure the destruction was a good feeling.

    My sister's dog Tivvy hates the rain too. When it is raining she has to be pushed out of the door and is not pleased at all!

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  2. Yummy! What a lovely harvest!

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  3. Wonderful, I loved this post, it had a very cosy feel to it. A little tidying, then escaping the storms wet and tired, to eat your own allotment grown food. Bliss.

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  4. Yeah, that's not a proper mess: you should see pur plot! Broad beans are just the best. We've got tonnes, I think I'm going to look up a recipe for whizzing them into a Lebanese style dip.

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  5. Goodness you were busy. A most enjoyable read, and terrific pictures. Flighty xx

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  6. Yum! That harvest sounds heavenly. Looking forward to seeing what Andrew comes up with for a bench.

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  7. I love the color of the shed and it does look very nice all cleaned up. You did a great job.

    It must be nice to pick the beans and other vegies and then enjoy them in a meal. I bet they taste extra yummy in the tummy:~)

    Good day to you, Carrie!

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