Category: Garden / Allotment

Second Quarter Review 2017

On By TontowilliamsIn Annual Review, Being Positive, books, Film, Fork To Fork, Garden / Allotment, Life, Self-sufficient, tv, Video2 Comments

Each year for the past few years I’ve been doing a year end review; last year I split that across the year, doing one at the end of each quarter. This year I’m going to try and do the same as last and do a quarterly review – books I’ve read, films/TV programmes I’ve watched and other things related to life, work and the allotment. The 2017 Quarter One Review is here if you’re interested.

Work – It’s been a very quiet quarter. I’ve been doing a lot of proposals and business development work, but it has yet to lead to any paid contracts. I think to an extent that uncertainty around Brexit, the General Election, and a few other things mean that things are quieter than they were this time last year, and as we now enter a traditionally quiet time that will probably continue for a while yet. I’m conscious as to how long a contract drought can last before I need to bring in a wage or income from somewhere else. I’m not there yet, but it is something I’m thinking about at the moment.

Allotment – These second quarter months really mark the start of when things really get going in the new season. Although it’s been a little bit odd with quite a few failed or only partial germination, most notably with sweetcorn, courgettes and cucumbers. Second sowings have been more successful, but the timings have been no different to last year, although the weather has been a little bit cooler in April & May, although June was a scorcher! So far this year doesn’t feel as strong as last year, but that’s just the ups and downs of growing.

Books – I’ve reached my GoodReads target of reading 25 books early. It feels like such an arbitrary number to me, I sometimes wonder why I bother with the challenge, but I’ll leave it alone for now.

Highlights this quarter, include Guests of Summer: A House Martin Love Story by Theunis Piersma and Bee Quest by Dave Goulson. Both excellent natural history books and both sadly showing evidence of decline in many of the amazing species on our planet.

Films & TV – Still watching the reruns of  “All Creatures Great & Small“. Although, apart from the Christmas special all have been shown now, and the channel has started back from the first episode again. I have a good few stacked on our DVR still to watch.

I did enjoy the BBCs Line of Duty, although this is in its fourth season, it’s the first one I’ve watched. Although some of it has been a bit of a stretch, it had me watching each week. I’ve also been watching a few things on Amazon Video. Bosch returned for Season 3, and was excellent, it’s a series that keeps getting stronger. I’ve also been catching up on The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead.

Finally I’m going to mention American Gods. I had great hopes for this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book, and although there were some high points generally it was a disappointment.

Life In General – Although things are moving on there is still a lot to do following the passing of my Dad and Grandma. I suspect that it will be a running theme of the year and dominate a lot of what I do during the course of the year. I’m more aware that I’m thinking about my Dad and being a bit introspective in terms of my own life and it’s direction.

I’m also waiting to hear about my Mum having a knee replacement, which is likely to be sometime before the end of the calendar year, so the upcoming six months, have a certain level of uncertainty about them.

I’ve also been having car trouble, it’s not let me down, but has been back and forth to the garage for a scheduled repair where a part failed repeatedly, this might mean that I have to replace the car in due course, but I’ll see how that goes.

Red Sky Updated

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment1 Comment

So I posted a little early yesterday perhaps. When I went into the kitchen for a cup of tea yesterday evening, I looked out to the garden to see it was raining, and had been for a little while.

I’m pleased. Pleased that the proverb is still good, but more importantly that this is the first rain that we’ve had for over a month. It rained all evening and continued over night, and was still going this morning.

I popped into the allotment this morning to uncover some of the seeds I sowed at the weekend, so that they’d get a good drop of rain. I truly believe that rainfall is the best thing for plants rather than direct watering from a hosepipe. I hope it continues for little while, we need a good drop.

Red Sky

On By TontowilliamsIn Garden / Allotment

Red Sky At Night, Shepherd’s Delight;

Red Sky In The Morning, Shepherd’s Warning

When i got up this morning, and let my dogs into the garden, the first job of everyday, the sky was a vivid crimson red. I was therefore expecting a rainshower or two at some point, something that would be good for my allotment. Reality didn’t live up to the proverb however as it was a nice sunny day. Shouldn’t grumble however.

Update From The Potting Shed

On By TontowilliamsIn Fork To Fork, Garden / Allotment, Self-sufficient

This is the first update from the potting shed for 2017. My tomatoes are out in their final growing spots, a little earlier than I would have liked, but they were getting leggy and needed to go out, but they are just putting out their first flowering spikes so it’s about the right time from that point of view. Also a quick peek at some of the other seeds that I’ve got germinating.

Starling Madness

On By TontowilliamsIn Birds, Garden / Allotment, Video1 Comment

I’ve been trying to capture a video of the starlings in our garden “eating” from our mealworm feeder – decimation would be a better adjective as they can empty it in minutes. I’m not sure whether this is deliberate to share the worms with their fellow birds or whether it’s just a consequence of their rather mad feeding behaviour on the feeder.

There are often three or four on the feeder, but this is a small proportion of the total flock of around 15 birds. The remainder are on the ground under the feeder, hoovering up the fallout.

Hope you enjoy the video, which is a series of clips edited together.