Allotment and garden

Hubby was available for digging so I took full advantage. He dug three trenches like this one. We covered the potatoes with a generous helping of well rotted stable manure and then backfilled the trench with soil.

The following day I dug two more so now we have five rows of potatoes. I'm growing Desiree (maincrop) and Charlotte (second earlies). They are both waxy potatoes as I love that kind.

The forsythia in our garden seems brighter this year or it is just all the sunshine it is reflecting. I didn't bother trimming off the shoots from the trunk and it looks much better messier. Quivering stems shooting up and down.









Ribes has a scent of currants. These flowers will be over soon but I have some delicate tulips underneath to take over the show.











Chinodoxa I believe.

The hellebores are still flowering quietly, heads down like they do.

Finally I've managed to get fritillaria to grow in my garden- pictures soon hopefully. I have the delicate snake skin ones that have a checked pattern on them as well as the Fritillaria Imperialis which has regally raised its grand crowned head but the orange flowers have not quite opened yet.

hellebores, sprouting seeds

Pictures of hellebores in my garden. The second photo is how they really look as they are very shy. Propped one up so you could see what the flowers look like.

I peeped through the polythene bag I had placed over the pot I'd sown my parsley seeds in and I could see GREEN. So I took the bag off and was very happy to see the parsley had sprouted. Parsley seeds are notoriously hard to germinate so was very pleased. Just have to wait till each seedling has four leaves then can prick each one out into its own pot.


My friend gave me some Physalis franchetii (Chinese lantern plants)- the flowers are gorgeous orange lanterns. The leaves are a bit nettle-looking but will excuse them that. I split and moved some arum plants -think i was meant to do that in autumn but they seem ti have survived.

Forgot to thank my friend Tina (see followers) for inspiring me to take the crocus photos last week. She took a brilliant photo of a crocus -you can find it under the post titled blue skies.

Yipppppeeeee!!!!!

I went up the hospital today sat in various queues- plaster off with circular saw while technician chatted happily and I wonder how many people get sliced. My friend told me it stops on contact with skin but how do I know that's not just an urban myth. Queue for X-ray and then was happily queuing again - for no reason it turns out coz I should have gone straight to nurse ('DIDN'T YOU READ THE SIGNS?') there were lots of signs but obviously I didn't read the important one. And they said it was fine though they pointed to fracture healing that I hadn't known was there as the last time they pointed to a different fracture. Never mind - it was my arm and the 'after' shots definately looked better than 'before' x rays. They sent me to physio and I cut to the important stuff and asked when I could dig and she reackons 8-12 weeks. I wasn't expecting that long but luckily have volunteers lined up. I usually use digging to offset PMT so I guess I will just have to shout instead or write. We have a new laptop and I am still using old delapidated one and feel unsure whether to transfer to new or keep using this rickerty one. The sensible thing would be to let go of this on. Can I do it- go on girl let go.....
I am the girl who at college sewed her shoes up to get more wear out of them coz hate wasting anything. Will post some photos soon - hellebores in garden beautiful deep pink almost plum colour. Before I can do that have to decide which laptop to download to. It's sunny here - have a lovely day.