Work in progress

No photos this time as any view of my plot, at the moment, is a bit dismal.  Still, I've made a start on putting it to bed for the winter.  Met up with my fellow plot-holders Pat and husband Nick over the past two mornings, doing the same thing.  The front of my plot is gradually disappearing under the , fallen sycamore leaves which, until I decide what to do with them, I've swept into a pile at the bottom of the roadway.  The compost bins and messy compost heap (now cascading over one of my paths) need attention, but what to do with the stuff I don't want to compost, such as all the autumn raspberry canes, which I've started to cut down?  I've already got two bags of rubbish, and a further one containing the dismembered scarecrow awaiting disposal but, without a car, what do I do with them?  I did remember to take a mallet down with me, and it was much easier than using a brick, when straightening the leaning arch, and the collapsing fruit cage.

Two jobs need special attention.  I have decided to move the raised water butt which Mike had set up to feed a drip hose, which I haven't used for ages.   As a third butt in a run, filling from the gutter on my shed, I will be able to store even more water.  Then there's the shed, looking rather tired and unloved and in need of a new green coat.  I've got enough shed paint - just waiting for a dry day, and some incentive. 

Before leaving yesterday I dug up some good looking (and hopefully tasting) parsnips and, on the way past Nick's plot I couldn't resist helping myself (with his approval) to a couple of squashes he had for the taking.

Sad news.  Robert, from 3B, called at my house on Sunday, to tell me his partner Fred had died suddenly, at home, on Friday. 

Next job - make some Blue Hubbard squash soup for lunch. 

Autumn at Hillwood, and the AGM

I'm loving the cold, clear and crisp weather and it's an opportunity to take some photos of the trees changing colour.  It's especially beautiful later in the afternoon, just as the sun is going down and low enough to light up the trees at the top of Hillwood Lane.  Blink, and you've lost the moment.

Last night was our Hill Allotments AGM and there was a really good turn out.  This past growing season had been quite a contrast to the previous one.  It appears that many of us were overwhelmed by the amount of courgettes we produced.  Will this be a lesson to grow just two plants next time?  Still, it brought out the inventive chef in us.  Paul suggested that we should submit recipes (not just for courgettes), using our fruit and veg, towards producing a booklet to sell towards funds for the allotments, was a very good idea - courgette curry, cake, fritters, pasta, soups etc maybe?  There were a number of cups and shields awarded to some very well deserving plotters and, as usual, Jason topped the lot, for all his dedication.  The scarecrow competition and the harvest supper are to carry on next year and, hopefully, into the future.  These events brought us all together, and there definitely was more social interaction between the plotters this year.  There were some excellent photos of plotters on their plots, on display.  I loved the one of Hazel admiring her beans!  After all the talking, there was a table full of refreshments to tuck into.  Well done to all the Committee for their hard work over the year.  Well done to us plotters for all our hard work too!



Autumn kitchen

 

There I was thinking I had harvested all my grapes, made lots of grape jelly, juice, and frozen the rest for future use, when I realised I'd missed the vine that grows along my garage wall, bearing not so many bunches as the other, but what there were, were much larger and heavier.  I've no idea what variety this vine is, as it was a 'lost label'.  The grapes look really tempting, but taste far too sharp for eating.  However, they do make good jelly.  Just six large bunches weighed in at 3k.  I had to move a lot of stuff round in the freezer to accommodate them.  I'm gradually working my way through all the fruit and veg I've frozen over the past year - there's not even room for a spare loaf of bread in there at the moment.

 My plot was looking a bit worse for wear when I called down on Sunday.  The poor scarecrow had fallen off her chair, and collapsed in a heap alongside her bottle of wine, looking completely out of it.  I gathered her discombobulated remains and piled them up for future collection.  The arch, supporting my clematis, was also leaning rather drunkenly and it appeared that one of its 'legs' had rotted off so I had to do a temporary repair, supporting it with a wooden post, knocked in with the back of my spade.  Made a note to take a mallet down with me next time, as this wasn't the first time I'd had to use the spade - or a brick. Thought I'd taken down all my bean wigwams, but no, there are still two to remove.  As for the fruit cage over my currant bushes, well that looked even worse than the scarecrow and arch. Looked a bit like someone had taken it out on my various structures, or maybe it was just the wind.  Thinking of calling down after I've blogged, to sort things out a bit, before it goes cold and dark. 

There were lots of ornamental gourds to collect, so many in fact that I couldn't carry them all home, and left some in the shed for the next visit.  I'd already got three smallish, but heavy Blue Hubbard squashes, four butternuts and, would you believe it, the last.....the very last.....four courgettes, to carry. 

Yesterday I roasted two of the Blue Hubbards, and once cooled down, scraped out the flesh to freeze for future soup making.  As there's no room to squash in the squash, I will have to take something out of the freezer first!

It's the most beautiful afternoon, and I've been incarcarated indoors all day, doing this and that, entertaining a friendly neighbour, and have just answered the door to yet another man in a van who has an uncle who may be interested in my caravan.  Are all these people related to each other or something, because this seems to be the standard story.  I've experienced it three times now.  Firstly the so-called interested party asks me if the caravan is for sale (a bit dumb as it has a notice in the window reading 'FOR SALE'), then asks me if it is a Buccanneer (even dumber as that is pretty obvious that is what is called), and finally they ask the price, and then ask what I am prepared to take, so I reply 'the price I have just given you'.   Also, they are all tree pruners, and during the enquiries, suggest that my trees need pruning, so I tell them that I do my own tree pruning - thankyou!  This latest one asked to look inside, then shut all the doors I had left open, and shut and locked the fridge, so when he'd left I had to open everything again.  Grrrrrrrr!  Please, please send someone decent to buy my beautiful, old but perfect caravan, so I can relax from the defensive attitude every time a man (plus, usually a school age  boy passenger) in a van pulls up at the end of my drive.

I'm off!