Plot update - a crime scene uncovered

We went up to the plot this weekend, for a last look before flying tomorrow morning. To our horror, we discovered bean theft! Not, I hasten to clarify, our original tp beans, which we all know and love. They are growing nicely.

However, I had planted them amidst a row of beans sown directly into the soil. On the advice of our plot neighbour, I then covered the tp beans with netting, to keep the birds at bay. Under the netting, the other beans are now germinating.

However, it appears that I was not careful enough. I had not covered the whole row properly and there are some pretty little holes, at the no-net end of the row, presumably where beans had germinated.

I wish I knew how to fiddle with this picture to put crime scene marks on! However, you may or may not be able to tell that there are 3 holes, just below the line of the string. Now the obvious culprits are the birds. However, Manda has an alternative theory, involving mice. Suffice it to say, someone else has had all the goodness from newly sprouted beans, but not us.

Learning from experience, however slowly, we have now covered the next plantings PROPERLY.

This contraption covers some spring cabbage and brocolli plants, put in yesterday. We're hoping they will still be there, after we return.

During this planting session, some of Colin's hard work was undone by some Mancunian lass with big feet stomping all over the beautifully dug earth. Manda, ever the dutiful partner, quickly grabbed a fork to make good the damage. Colin looked over, surprised and asked what was going on. Then we all realised that Manda had not had her picture on the blog - so here she is, hard at work!Notice Colin conversing with Millie, in the background.

She's probably asking him for treat, since both Colin and Manda are pretty generous to MsMillie!

Right now my lovelies, that's me blogged out for a while, so keep the place cosy for me, whilst we pop over the pond.

K xxx.

Oliver's Army and some shredding

In a change of mood, this post does not concern the plot! However, I have done more planting and, weather permitting, we'll be there tomorrow taking some cheesecake snaps.

Yesterday morning I went into the spare room (or Millie's room as it is generally called) to find that, overnight, Millie had indulged one of her favourite habits - paper tissue shredding. So, this first picture shows you (a) that Bentley is not the only one who eats odd things; (b) that our dog is so spoiled that she has her own room and (c) that she loves her "chicken head" toy too.

Today though, we took Ms Millie outside, for some healthier activities. She was very pleased when she realised that the car was heading for good ole Wythenshawe. She may have been less impressed than I, however, to discover old Ollie Cromwell has now come out of his scaffolding!

Before we got to see Oliver though, we walked across the park, past many lovely old trees, some of which are now in bud and one of which was adorned with some rather fabulous fungi.

We saw some other folks out with their dogs, even though it was pretty cold and threatening a "wintery shower" or "flurry" as they are generally called over there. Here's Annie, just in front of the Old Hall.

As we went along there was a deal of ball throwing ...

... enthusiastic fetching ...

... and triumphant return. Don't be too fooled by that relaxed face though, Millie only gives her ball back for treats, or if she drops it in order to go search for a squirrel or other critter!

Finally though, we got to see Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector (born 1599, d 1658). The statue says it was a "gift from Elizabeth Salisbury Heywood to the citizens of Manchester, in August 1875". There is a really interesting account of the history of this statue, which was apparently moved from a site in the centre of Manchester, on this web page: http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/MR/MR-MCR53.htm This account tells you that Cromwell has not been well regarded in English history (presumably because the monarchy was restored and so republicanism was then perceived to be problematic). Certainly, I recall being clearly on the side of the royalists, when learning about the civil war, as a child.

Oliver's Army and ideas of a more revoluntionary nature did grow on me though ;¬)

Mothering Sunday

First picture here is an apple tree, just in bud, up at the plot ... of which more anon.

Today is the British version of Mother's Day, which takes place on the fourth Sunday in Lent. So this morning started with a quick trip to Mum's to deliver a card and basket of plants. Next we (A, Millie and I) went to good old Wythenshawe for a pup's favourite run around. That was pretty good as the sun was out for most of the time, though a wind did blow up briefly that made us wish we'd put on thicker coats!

Later on we had some good friends round for lunch and one of those sweet women (Kay) has agreed to give my Mum a bit of help getting up the stairs at night, for a couple of nights whilst we are away. So after lunch Kay, Millie and I went round to Mum's again, to do the stairs show. Mum did fine and I do think it's possible that she will be ok to do that on her own soon, probably just about the time her stair lift gets delivered - lol.

After the gang had left our house A, M and I went over to the allotment to do a bit of planting. Above, you can see some bushes we think are blackcurrents, just coming into leaf in front of the hoops for a "polytunnel" but which needs some plastic sheeting over it (which I am supposed to get around to ordering - lol). However, today we planted a row of peas (Annie) and a row of turnip seeds (me). My turnips are not much to shout about just yet! Below you can see the newly watered pea row here, with the beans you already know right next door.

The next picture shows you the gate to the allotments, taken from the edge of the field. Our plot is behind that white plastic sheeting you can see beyond the first fence. Next, I turned around, on the same spot to take the next shot of the field, those houses in the distance are on our road. Ours faces one of the ones you can see. So, that seemed a fair way of trying to explain how close we are to the plot!

Millie was tied up safely whilst we worked, to make sure she didn't rampage over anyone else's veg (some of which is quite a bit further along than ours as you can see in the background of my turnip row shot).
Later still, Millie and I headed over to Mum's one more time, to get her up to bed. So Millie has had four walks today - come to think of it so have I! Hopefully then, the whole pack will sleep well.

Happy Mothering Sunday :-)

K xxx.

Beans update and ... heck, more flowers

OK so I've been a bit remiss lately and I do apologise. Some of the time life seems a bit tricky at the moment, between my health and my Mum's. However, today is lovely and sunny, so that's always encouraging. Here are some violas and crocuses, out in the garden today.

I love the purple stripes on these.

Yesterday we took some of those beans in tp tubes up to the plot and planted them out. Annie took a shot with her phone and, as she said, I look truly eccentric, wrapping netting around my baby bean plants so that the local birds don't just eat them!

I aim to get back up there this week and plant some onion sets and some turnip and carrot seeds. So, there may be more photographic evidence to come ...

Meanwhile we have had the carpet in the living room cleaned today, so we were sitting out in the conservatory this afternoon (porch) whilst we let the carpet dry. We both heard a fluttering sound and found what we assume to be a moth, with very lovely lacy shaped wings. Inside the wings were brown and orange but she/he didn't want to pose with open wings, so this is what we have.
She/he kept bashing against the windows so, after a bit, I gave up with photograpy to help her/him to safety - outside! Needless to say, by that time a certain terrier was also becoming interest in the fluttering noises ...

Growing stuff and a hero

Today's post is inspired by some sunshine. This morning is quite chilly, (36, according to the puter) but lovely and sunny. So, I have nipped outside and taken a few shots of the flowers in the garden (yard). One thing that makes me sad about spring is that we don't get to spend that much time in the garden as it is not warm enough for too much hanging around! This is more noticeably a shame now that we have been here a few years and so I have quite a few things planted and coming up all prettily.

One of the best things about spring, however, is watching stuff grow. The allotment gives me lots of excuses to grow different plants this year and this shot is of some broad beans (same ones that I planted at the plot) growing in TP tubes, in the house.

It is said that if you start some off indoors like this they can produce beans earlier, so I decided to try this out. The TP tubes are supposed to give them a good start as they are deep-rooted plants and the tube can go striaght into the ground, protecting the roots. So the next step will be to harden these off a little and then they can be planted out, in a few weeks. Naturally, I will keep you posted.

And finally, here is our plot hero, Colin. He has now given me his permission to publish his picutre which I suspect is a good thing all round, since he's clearly going to do a lot of work at the plot and I'd hate him to be invisible on the blog. I think he looks quite bemused by the taks here, and who can blame him! Thanks already, pal :-)

Morning all, K xxx.