Sunday - a day of rest?

Well it was meant to be. A relaxing morning, then cooking a full roast lunch with all the trimmings, and a 'couch potato' afternoon.

But guess what happened - the sun came out, so I spent 2 hours working in the front garden, 'tweaking' it here and there, doing a bit of weeding, pruning - and the time just flew by.

Under gardener mowed the lawns for me, and went in to watch the cricket and other sports.

I managed to persuade him to take me up the lottie to dump all the grass cuttings and the two huges sacks of my garden debris before lunch. So we had a nice big pile to go into the big compost bins that I remade - and Addie can put all the horse manure on top, so we will have the perfect compost bins of layers of vegetation and manure. Really perfect stuff for next year!

I bought some layers mash for the chickens. They had been eating organic pellets, but they really did not like them, so I reverted to the layers mash GM free etc. but not Soil Association approved, but they do not contain any chemicals. The bantams had some this morning and dived on them and ate as though they hadn't eaten for weeks.

When I took some up for the three girls they stuffed themselves silly too! They are still laying three eggs a day, and they are getting even bigger! They also liked the melon, peaches, and apples I left them too - it is so nice to leave them looking so happy.

The plants didn't look like they had been chewed any more and there were half a dozen irises ou. I didn't take my camera as it was a quick visit.

All the tomato plants that I planted yesterday looked settled in and perky - we must have a lot of wind last night as the milk containers that I had put on them had been blown off. Not all of them but about four. I didn't secure them with a small cane as I thought the netting might have provided some protection from the wind.

The land was far to wet still to work on it - so it was no hardship to come home and cook lunch.

You will recall the there are new people on the three allotments next to mine - yippee - should be less weeds going to seed hopefully. Mike and his wife have been working on theirs since St Michaelmas Day, when they put some marker posts in and had the land ploughed. This year they have sowed some potatoes, onions, and planted apple trees at the top end, which they are going to grow as cordons. The raspberry canes that I gave them are really looking healthy - and they have a rhubarb plant too, which is also planted there.

They have now got their shed erected, but there was a bit of a mix up with the border lines, so he has now moved his posts over, and started to put up nice new chicken wire.

The next plot is shared by two brothers and their wives - retired I think. They, and the next plot, had their land ploughed, cultivated and rotorvated but one of the tractor lads and it look wonderful. But the did not do anything to them, and left the brambles at the bottom end by the track, and these have now taken off.

But last week the 'brothers' turned up, but didn't reply when we called out a cheery 'hello'. They spent quite a bit of time talking and looking but not doing anything for first time.

On the second visit, they arrived about an hour after us, and sat and looked and chatted, stopped for a tea break, and started banging sticks in, in great earnest, attacked bits of string. Then they had another tea break, and a smoke. This went on for a couple of hours and then they went off for lunch.

They have planted some potatoes, and they have had a wonderful brand new shed installed - very posh. Today, one of the 'brothers' and his wife were there setting up canes for climbing beans - they are selling plants in the village shop which looke really healthy.

They were putting them up the same way that I did - but I had to secretly smile to myself which was a bit naughty of me. The put the canes in first and crosed them over, then they wound the string around each cane about two feet from the ground. They were attempting to put some plastic fencing around them as I left.

The thing is, their rows are being planted from east to west, and we get lots of winds, so I am truly hoping that they frame will be strong enough.

On the plot next to them is the chap who sent his soil away for testing and is going to plant his plot on a principle that he read about on the www whereby you plant a clover then plant through it.

He has only been up there once, and the only sign of that are the tall bamboos that he has planted in a big square block at the front end next to the track. I guess the theory is that the bamboo with grow and block out the light and smother the weeds - I hope that they are no the invasive sort for his sake. I am really interested in how this plot is going to develope. It will be brilliant if there is a method whereby you don't have to spend hours on end digging out dock weeds with roots that reach down up to three feet, thistles that have roots that run under the ground for yards and pop up all over - and the deadly bindweed!

After lunch, the clouds blew away, so I took the opportunity to pressure wash the bantams house inside and out, and their perches. Dilly and Freckles were not amused, but soon cheered up when they saw the layers mash, and some chopped up fat from the pork. Then afterwards some melon. I thought that I would get the pressure washer out before they issue hose pipe bans. I don't use a hose pipe for watering the garden - ever - my plants have to survive without extra help from me, I can't be doing with spending hours watering, life's too short, and if the grass goes a bit pale or a bit yellow in the height of the summer, then I don't mind, it just means that we mow it less, and it soon goes green again after the next shower of rain.

After washing and drying and redoing the bantams house and run, I decided to pressure wash the patio under the pergola. It had got a bit green over winter, so I spent another hours cleaning the slabs and they look like new now. My next job will be to pressure wash all the paths - depending on how I feel. But if the sun is shining tomorrow I will be up the allotment weeding.

Hope you are all having a great Bank Holiday.