Sorting out the pond

We seem to be having a lot of projects at the allotment this year. Or perhaps that's how I view these things that we do. Some of them might be just projects but some of them are real challenges too.  So our latest project challenge is the allotment pond, and it really is a challenge.

When we first took on Plot 8 we were pleased that it had a pond, although we might not have noticed that it had a pond if the allotment officer hadn't told us. The whole of the pond area was taken over by irises and  weeds as well as all the rubbish which you get with a new allotment.

There's a pond here amongst the weeds

We were delighted when the frog spawn appeared, but sad when the pond dried up and we realised that there was a hole in the liner. So we knew that we would need to sort the pond out as soon as we had sorted the allotment out. It's a job which has been put off a few times because of more important allotment work and also because we knew it was going to be a big job and we needed to work out how to do it. But finally this year we got started.

Richard and Helen digging out the weeds

 We decided (well my husband did ) to get rid of the old pond but put the new pond in a different place. We just wanted a wildlife pond and it didn't need to be big, so as we are into recycling and reusing things we recycled and reused an old galvanised tin bath which we had found on the allotment and which was quite sound--no holes. The area where we have placed it is a fairly wet boggy area so we can also plant up a bog garden. We are also needing some space to put a small greenhouse or polytunnel and the area where the old pond was would be ideal.

The new pond

The first job was to dig out some of those weeds and plants which had taken over. That is a big job and we still haven't cleared them all.  But the old pond is almost cleared away to just a hole in the ground and the new pond is in place.  As I said earlier this is a big  challenge so we are still working on it. There is much still to be done but it's good to see the progress we've made so far. I've been collecting plants together for the pond and bog and I can't wait to get them planted up.

Building things

There's been a lot of construction work going on at our allotments recently. The shed and the cold frame I have blogged about. The other things, well first there was the growhouse.  That's on Plot 8. It's only a plastic walk in growhouse from Aldi and we don't know how well it will work.  But it's got a good solid wooden base to stand on and it's well secured to this base because we know how easy it is for growhouses to fly away on a windy day. A cheap growhouse like this is not the ideal, but we're on a tight budget and if it doesn't last long then at least it will put us on until we can afford a better one and there will be a good base to fix it to.

On plot 10b a recent 'structure' is a platform for the water butts.  They needed to be raised up so the taps could be fitted and we could easily get a watering can underneath.  It looks very smart and has tidied up the front of the shed area. 

The latest new project on plot 8 has been making a level  area outside the shed  where we can put the table and chairs. It's all ready now to put some membrane down and then top with gravel. I love this little space. With the weather improving we will soon be having our allotment picnics and this will be a good place to sit out when we want to take a break from our hard work.

All of these new projects as usual have been made using recycled wood or paving.  It keeps my husband busy. He loves a building project, I only have to say I would like something and he gets his tape measure out and starts to rummage through our collection of wood. The least amount of money spent the better. Now what next? It could be gravel paths, which might involve spending some money. I suppose it had to happen sometime.

Autumn projects

As soon as autumn  arrives I start to think about  projects.  Crafty projects like knitting, sewing, and baking. They are all rather cosy, domesticated activities but I tend to think of autumn as a cosy season; a time to stay indoors when the weather is too bad to go out gardening.

I'm always full of ideas for Christmas presents or decorations to make, nature projects to do with the grandchildren and much more. Although I have to say that thinking about what I would like to do is often as far as I get. 

Well we're into October now and  I'm doing quite well so far. I'm already knitting myself a sweater, and have plans for other things to knit like sweaters for the grandchildren or wrist warmers for when I'm out gardening.  I've also got some blackberry, raspberry and rhubarb gins started for drinking at Christmas. I won't post the recipe on here, if you want to know how to make it click on the link above to read my last year's blog. The rhubarb gin is a new flavour this year, but it's made in the same way. I added lemon zest and ginger. Ginger goes really well with rhubarb.

I'm feeling quite pleased with my latest nature craft project too, it's an autumn wreath. I got the idea from an article in the Sept/Oct issue of Land Love magazine.   Some of the things in the article I didn't have so I adapted it to use other plant material which was readily available from the garden or nearby hedgerows.

I used a soaked oasis ring because I find the mossy or wire wreaths a bit fiddly to use and I was short of time. It's much easier to stick twigs into oasis than wire them onto a mossy ring.  I used hydrangea heads and astilbe seed heads from the garden, rose hips, hawthorn berries and ivy berries from the hedgerow down near the allotment. I also cut some small sprigs of oak from our tree in the garden to fill it out.  I was surprised how colourful the finished result was. It should keep for a few weeks, but I can probably replace anything which goes over from time to time before the oasis finally falls to pieces.

I wasn't sure where  to hang the wreath once I'd finished it, my Christmas wreaths are always hung on the front and back doors, but I wanted this one to go somewhere in the garden.  I thought about hanging it on one of the garden gates, but finally decided on the shed. The shed is one of my favourite places and I can also see the wreath from the house.

I'm used to making Christmas wreaths so the idea of doing an autumn one was quite appealing and a little bit different.  It's a lovely way to enjoy the fruits and colours of autumn.

Making a bug hotel

I've had a few projects planned for the garden recently and one of them was to make an insect hotel.   

We do a lot to encourage wildlife into our garden, so this was just another thing to do and a great way of getting children involved. I got some ideas from Dawn Isaac's book, Garden crafts for Children and also from the Internet.

My husband made the framework from an old bird table and bits of wood he had lying around. He drilled some holes in larger pieces of tree branches and we collected stuff from around the garden, like twigs, leaves and bits of rotting wood. We also used cardboard tubes, drinking straws, pine cones, old plant pots, bits of moss and straw. These are all the sort of materials which bugs like.

Our 8year old granddaughter really enjoyed putting this together, the 6 year old helped a bit, but he prefers to dig up the garden.  We placed it in a little corner of the woodland garden. I think the children will be checking each day to see if any bugs have moved in! We enjoyed making it so much that we plan to make a bigger one at the allotment.

Plans and projects

This week we're back to normal with everything. My husband is back at work after taking a longer than usual Christmas holiday, the grandchildren returned to school and so I am needed again for grandparent duties.  Holidays are great but it's good to get back into a normal routine. Not just with domestic duties but with eating, exercise, shopping etc. It's like the new year has just started for me this week, and I can now make plans and get more organised.

I'm not one for making resolutions. But I do think of the year ahead as a fresh start, to make plans, think about new  projects.  Some of these plans and projects I might not start until later in the year, some things which I abandoned last year I might pick up again. But I don't think I've failed miserably if I don't do some of these things.

So first of all I'm planning  to get back to normal with my  healthy eating and my regular walking exercise to regain some energy and lose those extra pounds I gained over Christmas. These are things which got put on a back burner for a few weeks. We are hoping to have a new kitchen this year (about time, I can hear some of my family saying!), so there are plans to be made there. A project I want to tackle is to tidy up and declutter an old chest we have which is full of family memorabilia.  That will also lead to another project --to sort out the family photos.  I'll probably blog about that later in the year if it gets done. There will be knitting and sewing projects, I know, but I've not thought those out yet.

If it ever stops raining for long enough (it's doing a lot of raining here in the north at the moment), I want to get out into the garden to clear away leaves and tidy the borders.  Then I will go round with a notebook and pen and make some plans for the garden.  I'll decide if any plants need moving or dividing. I've got a dry shady corner which needs redesigning. Some trees need cutting back and I need to decide what to do with the raised beds at the top of the garden. I also want to go down to the allotment, dig, put down manure and plan again. But one thing I want to do is visit the allotment more often.  My husband retires at the end of March so we should have more time together to be able to do this.

What are your plans for this year?

One year on

 

I realised the other day that it was a year last month since I retired from work, so I've been thinking back on the last year.

In the weeks leading up to my retirement, many of my work colleagues asked me what I was going to do with myself when I was no longer working.  I had lots of plans and projects in mind.  I was looking forward to having more time for the  garden and allotment. I was going to be looking after 2 of my grandchildren before and after school 3 days a week. I had hobbies which I'd not had much time for in recent years and wanted to take these up again, knitting, sewing, crafts, baking.  There was also the pastoral work which I am involved in at my local church.  That was enough to keep me busy for a while.

I worked for the NHS as a ward clerk on a busy orthopaedic ward. It was a very demanding and at times quite stressful job.  I was very well organised, in fact I was probably a bit of a control freak. But I really did love my job. When I went back a few months after finishing work to see my work colleagues, they were surprised when I said that I didn't miss work at all.

I was so glad to get away from that mad, manic busyness.  It was great to be able to relax and please myself what I did everyday.  I am still busy, but busy doing what I want to do.  There aren't enough hours in the day sometimes.  When I worked I often heard retired people say they didn't know how they had ever had the time to go out to work.  I now know what they mean by that.

I saw retirement as a new phase in my life, another role to take on, like starting a new job almost.  But doing what I wanted to do, not being bound by rules and regulations.  I'm still very organised,  having grandchildren commitments means I have to be and I love being involved in their lives.

As I look back on the past year  I can see how much I've achieved.

• I've lost weight and I'm more active now. I don't 'do' going to the gym--walking and gardening help me to keep fit.
• I've mastered  my camera and how to upload photos. I'm now sorting them out into folders. Still lots more work to be done there.
• I wanted to improve my writing skills. I've made  a start, here I am writing a blog.
• I've converted a spare bedroom into a craft room.
• I've had a massive paperwork clear out and reorganised our filing system for bills, statements, policies etc. There's still 2 bin bags of shreddings waiting to go on the compost heaps when there's more room.
• Done loads of knitting.
• Tackled a few new projects in the garden.

These are just a few of the things I've done this past year and there are still projects I'm wanting to get on with. Now maybe I'll start to make my plans for the  next year!