De fences are up!

I realised, the other day, when viewing the allotments from our bedroom window, that something looked different. Then it dawned on me that new fencing had been erected at the top end of the plots.

This morning was rather dull and damp but really quite mild, and just the opportunity to make a visit to my plot, and inspect the new defences which should keep any intruders at bay. Mike drove me over and waited for me to dig up some pretty large and healthy looking parsnips, a few turnips and some rather pathetic leeks, and took the bagful off home with him, leaving me behind to potter about for half an hour or so. There are fat buds on the blackcurrant, green shoots on the two clematis, the cabbages under their fleece tunnel look OK, the garlic shoots showing at last, and the onions look OK. But, alas, no sign of anything under the second fleece tunnel, where I set the broad bean seeds.

A few days ago I checked through my seed collection, and it's time I began to think about sowing a few things. The first thing I'll do is sow some more broad beans, followed by sweetpeas (which I should have done before Christmas), but I can see that the greenhouse has, once again, become a bit of a dumping ground and will need some attention. If the weather stays as mild as today, I'll be in there tomorrow, with my mug of coffee and my music, clearing it out, and making room for the seed trays.

It's almost 6pm and I've just realised that, for the first time for ages, we haven't needed to have the central heating on, nor have we even lit the fire. After finishing off all the Christmas and New Year type food I've been craving salad, and I'm looking forward to our evening meal of cold chicken and lots of crunchy green stuff. Roll on the days when I can pick our own, down on the plot. In the meantime we are still enjoying all the fruit and veg we harvested from the allotment over the past year.