Bailing Twine Holds the World Togther

The earlier part of the week was cool, dry and sunny.  Brilliant weather for getting things done!
The piles of plastic buckets and the other things that were raked out of the polytunnels were hauled away.
I sowed some more seed.
Corn has made an early showing.

These two showed up to try to protect the plastic at one end of the smaller polytunnel.  It has a couple of rips and the increasing winds threaten to rip it further.  Bailing twine and cable ties hold the world together.

This wonderful old machine is called into service

I don't even know what make it is. . . I'm going to have to ask.

Three of us spent a little time pulling up old pea sticks and the frames that used to support beans.  We also pulled up some unrequited leeks, old turnips and ancient brussel sprout stalks.  Those were thrown into the field for the sheep and donkeys to have.

Geoff is in his element.

The first furrow is made . . . perfectly straight.  I think he's done this before.

Now look!  The garden is all plowed over.  It will get rotovated in a few weeks to make it ready for planting.  I'm going to dress it with agricultural lime before the soil is tilled for the final time.  We've had a LOT of rain over the last couple of years.  Vegetables do better when the soil is not quite so acidic as it is now.

Showing Improvement

I've been up to the new garden every day now.  Keeping things watered is important.  I can't miss a day now.  I've sowed some seed.  By the time it is safe for them to be put out, they'll be well on their way.

Piles of plastic that is destined to be hauled away Saturday morning.

The workbench was sorted through.  I've kept all the useful things and thrown away all the crumbling, sun damaged plastic things and poisons.  It still looks like a jumble, but I know what everything is and where it is when I go to use it.

Strawberry beds are almost cleared.   There are some gaps in some of the strawberry beds.  Those can be filled at some point.  It isn't a sprint.

There are definite signs that somebody is there and caring for the place.

Two Hours Today

After a morning appointment, I nipped across to a local garden centre and got some supplies, a few seeds and some plants out of the "scratch and dent" shelf.

I then went home and finished gathering all the things that are going over the the garden, grabbed the dog, packed a lunch and away we went.

Unloading the car in the wind wasn't fun. . .

The seeds are now in a mouse-proof container so can be safely left over there.

Sowed the bean seeds and some flower seeds.

Having something that I've started in the polytunnels is good.  I'll have something to cluck over.  Beans can't actually go in until June. . . so they've got six weeks of start time.  I think I'll start the sweetcorn too.

I just pottered around.  I may go back this evening and scratch around in the strawberry beds a little while longer.

Forgetting to bring the radio was a big mistake.  I hope I don't do that again.  It was quiet.

This is the door all closed up and rabbit proof.  Yes, I used a hay fork to keep it closed.

I Can Smell New Life!

It's been almost two months since I left my lovely home.   I now live about three and a half miles away in the next village.  It's been an enormous adjustment. I don't think I'm going to plaster my heartbreak and sordid details all over the internet.  I will say that I am seeking a divorce from The Man of the Place.  It isn't fair.  Life isn't fair.  As I don't have control over some of the events, I do have control over how I move forward.

I now have neighbours.  I have to remember to lock the door.  I have a small postage stamp of a back garden.

To keep me busy, I asked a friend if I can have a corner of their garden in which to work.  They responded by giving me the entire vegetable garden!

These are the before shots:

They are going to plow up and prepare the soil.  They have a tractor and rotovator and I don't.  This is going to save me weeks of digging!.

In the meantime I have all the work inside to do.  This polytunnel has a grapevine in it!

The other tunnel has potatoes at one end and strawberries at the other. Lots of things that will need to be evaluated for their usefulness.

There are rabbits too. .. . that is going to have to be managed.  Polly spent most of our time there, trying her level best to chase the rabbits.  By the time it was time to go home, she was so tired she had to have a bit of help getting into the car.

I will also need a wheelbarrow

Did mention that there are donkeys that live in the next field?

After hauling all the things I have scavenged from my old place from the car to the polytunnel, I worked at cleaning and straightening up.  Tools were put in one spot.  The paths were raked  and I started weeding the strawberry beds.  It was so very dusty!  Later on when I had a drink, it tasted of dust . .   After about three hours, having removed my jacket despite the cool weather, one strawberry bed was much tidier.  I then set about watering all the plants I could see.  I watered some that may already be dead . . .just to see if they can be revitalised.

It seemed that three hours was a good enough start.  Don't want to overdo it. The rabbits will have their merry way, if I don't shut things up properly.  I shut the top tunnel up and went back to collect my jacket and radio from the tunnel I had been working in. . . . and I noticed that it smelled differently.  Where it was dry and dusty before and didn't smell of anything in particular, now it smelled of life!