With Grandma who was not amused by all the mud
All this work is very tiring!
The new path by the end of Saturday when we had to give up for the day and go home because the light was fading fast
The start of my new fence
Peter digging the legumes bed and the completed path
Mini helping Mummy in the shed
Saturday morning the path had collected loads of water where we had dug it out
I just love this pic she was having a great time being out in the sunshine
After her fall into the puddle, it was the first time the bath has ever been very dirty after she's been in
Telling Daddy what to do, note the new plot number I mounted on the shed
Well it's been a few days since I updated, we spent most of the weekend down at the alloment and then my daughter and I have been a bit poorly with the wicked winter bugs so I haven't had a chance to record our progress.
Saturday came and the weather was excellent, it was more like a good spring day than the middle of January, so after nipping to the DIY store to get some roofing felt we went straight down to the plot with sandwiches packed for lunch, we togged Mini up in her waterproofs and wellies which was a very good job as she quickly found the mud and the puddles and within twenty minutes had fallen head first into some very cold water, she was fine I was closely supervising her but it was one of those moments that go in slow motion, I couldn't reach her quite quickly enough to save her from falling I lifted her up and she continued playing with a mud streaked face and messy hair. It did highlight the dangers for a small child on an allotment, especially an unprepared site such as ours at present, water has pooled and collected in a few spots and it is vital that we watch her at all times, this also means that although there are two of us there we are not both working 100% as we always have to watch a young toddler.
Our colony has a members shed and shop where you can get hold of essentials at very reasonable prices, they also have a seed swap tray and other useful bits and bobs, it is only open at weekends and for 2 hrs on a Wednesday and is staffed by volunteers. We went in to introduce ourselves and enquire about membership of the allotment association which is a very bargainous £2.50, apparently the cost of membership is going to be reviewed at the AGM in February so until then we can't join. I found this slightly frustrating as it blocks our ability to purchase from the shop at a time when we are clearing our plot and this facility could be particularly useful.
The site was very busy on Saturday and whilst making enquiries about membership we learned that halfway up the site there is a bay where wood chip and straw mulch is dumped every now and then for any plot holder to use. We had already spied the collection on an earlier visit and discussed how useful it would be for our main path so we made the most of the free resource and gathered some to use. It was quite a trek from our plot and 14 barrows later we still hadn't quite finished the path. A friendly neighbour offered his larger sized wheelbarrow on loan so that we could transport more in one go, I thought that was really kind, there seems to be quite a sense of community and that excites me because living in a city that is hard to find.
Later in the afternoon my Mother and her husband came over to take a look at our plot, my Mum is not an outdoors type by any stretch of the imagination but it was good that they took an interest. She was quite concerned at how dirty her Grandaughter was which quite amused me. I took her for a run out to the garden centre because I needed to get some supplies whilst Barry helped Peter to strip the old felt off the shed and re-roof it with new felt. They also did some more work on the path and took down the plastic greenhouse which was getting into a bit of a state, they used the shelving in it to make shelves in the shed and re-organised all the stuff in there so there is now a lot more room. When we came back I started to build a fence with some wood offcuts and chicken wire to the boundary line to the west of our plot, my Mum is quite old fashioned about things women should and shouldn't do and I think it unnerved her to see me saw in hand chopping wood and building a fence, eventually we allowed her and Barry to go back to our house with Mini then Peter and I stayed on for another hour until the light went on us.
On Sunday we went to church so it was afternoon when we got to the plot, Peter's main task was to start digging the legumes bed that I had marked out using stakes and garden twine. It was very cold with a bitter wind and raining on and off so Mini and I dropped him off for a while and came back later to join in, I don't want her to be put off if she gets too wet and cold so we aren't overdoing it just now. When I got back our neighbours were on their plot, the couple who we had met last week who had told us about their Grandaughters. The woman and her son and grandaughter were there and amazingly we already know the son and his wife and their daughter was at our daughters birthday and vice versa because Jenna and I met each other at a postnatal group after our babies were born. We couldn't believe the conincidence and with just 5 days between them in age the girls will be able to enjoy playing together as the weather gets nicer. Everything that has happened with this allotment makes it feel like it's just meant to be and after my initial reluctance I am really enjoying it. While I was there Mini was in her buggy as it was afternoon sleep time and we popped her into the shed with the door propped open so she was sheltered but we could still keep an eye on her, this gave me the opportunity to prune the tree on the plot and take off some of the very low branches that would be dangerous to a small child, it looks loads better. Peter dug out the legumes bed as we are trying to prepare it to put in some Aquadulce Claudia broad beans by the end of this month. Things that I think in my mind will only be a quick job invariably turn into a much longer job, either because I have been unrealistic about the pace of work or because we have to rely on the weather and the land itself to co-operate but I am alreadys starting to see big changes in how the plot looks and I just want to be there all the time.
The other momentous event this weekend was the purchase of a pair of wellies for me, I haven't had wellies since I was a young child but I soon came to realise they were a necessity. At first I thought I would have some lovely fashion wellies with pink spots or something but on closer inspection I soon realised that although they looked nice they were by no means practical for actually doing any work so I purchased myself some red town and country ones, they feel completely different to how I remember wellies being and are really comfy, the first time I wore them on the plot was brilliant and they will be a permanent feature for me certainly in the winter months. I am amazed at how much my attitudes have changed since having a child, 2 years ago I would not have gone on an allotment site or wore a pair of wellies but then I also thought that I didn't want to breastfeed or use real nappies yet when the time came those things just seemed right, the allotment is already doing us good, we are outside enjoying the open air even in winter and we have a family project where we can achieve something together which will improve our diets, be of educational value to our daughter and make us spend quality together. There are loads of other reasons why it will be a good thing too, I just hope we have some success with our growing in the first year.
