It’s OK folks, it’s back to gardening today. You can come out from behind the sofa. I’ve pulled myself together.
*Audible sighs of collective relief*
I’m pretty chuffed with my unusual pumpkins. As Barb (sorry, no link provided) so brilliantly commented on my original post about these, they are indeed Sucrine du Berry. Must be – they look nothing like any others I’ve seen.
It’s a traditional old French variety – and a delicious one, as it turns out (sweeter than other pumpkins I’ve tried).
Probably not the best for savoury recipes, but no doubt brilliant for pumpkin pie, in the American style.
Shame I don’t like pumpkin pie, huh?
Posted on 29th November 2009
Under: Cucurbits | 8 Comments »
I’m having a midlife crisis.
No, not that kind. I hate Porsches, and can’t afford one. And I’m apparently invisible to simpering, leggy blondes (for which my wife is at least sporadically grateful).
It’s more like a who-the-fuck-am-I-anyway sort of crisis.
It derives, I suspect, from my working life – where so much has changed and is changing. I’m quite good at change, and mostly enjoy it. But my job is unrecognisable from the one I started 20-odd years ago.
I’m like a man who’s just arrived in Shanghai, and can recall every minute of what he did during the journey… but can’t remember where he came from.
Of the things that animated, exercised, obsessed, worried and delighted me even 10 years ago – let alone 20 – not one now remains. I am an utter stranger to my younger self.
Such a stranger, in fact, that the professional disconnection has bled into my non-work life. I feel like Dr Who after a regeneration. How the fuck did that guy turn into me? Was I ever him, or did I dream it?
Allotmenteering is about the only thing that connects me to the past. Not that I would have dreamed of 20 years ago, of course. But it’s the only thing I do now that I know the young man would at least have understood.
Everything else would be a total fucking mystery to him. Plus he’d be appalled by the size of my arse.
Posted on 26th November 2009
Under: Rants | 22 Comments »
… and so my thoughts turn to Christmas.
I wish they wouldn’t. I loathe Christmas. It’s an ordeal that I rank up there with unblocking the lavatory, protracted root canal work and proctological examination (which last I have yet to endure, but visualising the procedure’s psychological effect demands minimal imaginative chutzpah).
There is one small glint of moonlight in the morgue, however: by some horticultural miracle, last year’s potted tree is still with us – just.
Granted, it’s lost half its foliage. But at least I can save £15 by re-using the bugger. Assuming I stand it against a wall.
It’s got me thinking about other things I could re-use. Hey, why not? If you’re hating it anyway, why not claw back a few quid on the deal?
I’m figuring a bit of glue and concentration could probably resurrect the Xmas crackers, if you remember to save the pieces. And the Christmas cake’s a dead cert. Nobody eats the fucking thing anyway, so they’ll never notice if I wheel out the same cake 10 years in a row.
I’m inspired by the . The eunuchs knew she only touched the same 10 favourites every day, so the rest were served up, untouched, week after week… until they were rotting under the porcelain tops.
That’s my kind of hospitality.
Posted on 23rd November 2009
Under: Rants, Uncategorized, Winter | 10 Comments »
Good points made by Matron in her “Food Security” post of Nov 12 (can’t link direct, but it’s a short scroll down her main page):
“There will come a time in the not too distant future when supplies of water and fuel become scarce that we will all need to grow our own food. Most people in the UK have no idea how to do that, and therefore it will be up to you and I – the food growing bloggers – to show them how, before they all starve to death!”
I wish this were melodramatic, but I don’t think it is. And it got me thinking: if I were suddenly required to help people grow food – en masse – would I be up to it?
Specifically, what could I do? What specific tips would I hand out to would-be vegetable growers in the ?
Reams of detailed, complex advice would be too much for a total beginner (remember how that felt?). But trite, obvious stuff is also clearly pointless.
After much thought, I reckon my initial, brief ‘Here’s what you need to know’ checklist would look like this:
- Prepare to irrigate. You’ll need access to water and you’ll have to water crops MUCH more than you think
- Get a horse, or befriend an equestrian. The only way to keep up soil fertility, when fertilisers have vanished or become too expensive (already happening), will be to add TONS of compost and manure year-round
- KILL ALL CABBAGE WHITE BUTTERFLIES ON SIGHT
If you had to give three specific bits of help/advice to a total vegetable virgin – once the oil and fertilisers have gone – what would they be?
Posted on 19th November 2009
Under: Uncategorized | 21 Comments »
I was digging like a Terminator on Sunday. Managed to get most of this year’s sweetcorn on the compost and even spread a bit more horse shit.
Grim job, though. Back hurts, arse hurts, arms hurt, legs hurt. Had blisters the size of Flying Saucers (remember them?!) when I’d finished.
More of the same come the weekend. It’s so important to have something nice to look forward to, don’t you find?
Posted on 17th November 2009
Under: Sweetcorn, Winter | 2 Comments »
Another splendid example of His sense of humour: Took today off work to do some digging on the allotment, and was greeted with this.
It’s not just raining. It’s coming down in streams as thick as pencils. If I stood stark naked in the garden for five minutes wielding a loofah, I’d have a convincing shower (and my neighbour would have a convincing embolism).
So what to do? Well, I could rearrange my seed drawer. Or perhaps study the outside pebble-dash through the conservatory window.
But I won’t. Instead, I’ll flob on the sofa watching daytime TV, then burp and fart my way through an hour or two with YouTube. Then I’ll give up in despair and go back to work.
Jeez Louise.
Posted on 13th November 2009
Under: Winter | 13 Comments »
Doesn’t look much, does it?
Bugger.
As predicted, I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped. Surprise. Even so this represents three hard hours of work; had to pull out mountains of weeds before I could dig it over and spread manure.
Only another 10 or so days like that, and I’ll be done.
Marvellous. Can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it.
Posted on 7th November 2009
Under: Winter | 12 Comments »
Wretched pigeons. These were meant to be my autumn cauliflowers.
I had a few heads from them, so it’s not a dead loss, but the rest started to go to seed (I’ve not been to the plot much) and the pigeons were able to reach through the net to pull them up.
Irritating, but there it is.
D-Day for digging and manuring rapidly approaches. I’m praying the weather is dry this weekend, because I need to make up some time fast.
Posted on 4th November 2009
Under: Brassicas | 3 Comments »
The artichoke flowers turned out nice, although I’ve left it a bit late for the photo. They were at their best a week or two ago.
I’ve been very lackadaisical at the plot of late. Hardly any progress on clearing up for next season, and time is ticking by.
Still, I have days off on Friday this week and next, and some serious allotment work is pencilled in. This time in a fortnight, I’ll be fully on top of it*.
* Editor’s note: This may well prove to be bollocks
Posted on 2nd November 2009
Under: Globe artichokes | 4 Comments »