So that ends May

Another month comes to an end. A month of adventures, I wonder what June will bring.

The Battlefield Line

Yesterday we went out to The Battlefield Line railway day. The weather stayed nice for our adventure, as it usually does. The event is on over the bank holiday, yesterday was much nicer than today. Today its rather windy. OH went to the allotment this morning though, and bought back a few strawberrys, very nice they were too. There was only a few and they are gone now.

We found the station cat in the sunshine, which I imagine is where any self respecting pog would be.

We were lucky enough to arrive just in time to see this arriving.  Which pleased me of course.

Just a few cases, just in case!!

We had a play in the garden later. I've just about planted all of the plants that I'd grown from seed. You never can tell how many are going to germinate. These are leeks and sprouts which will be planted in June, which I can hardly beleive is just around the corner.

The cold frame is almost empty of plants now. The is an experiment, I've never grown a tomato in a grow bag standing up in this way. The general idea is it makes for easier watering which is a killer for toms if you don't get it right. Its erratic watering that makes tomatoes split, so this should work, oh and a nice *hot summer wouldn't go amiss either.

This is our back garden veg plot. It really an half cider barrel which we bought on holiday from a cider farm. We had it in the back of the car all week, whilst on holiday. We were never sure if we were over the limit from the fumes.

Anway, its made a little veg plot where we grow various things as you can see.

*The sun came out as I was typing :-0

Moira Canal Festival and Giant Hanging Baskets

Today we went to Moira Canal Festival

The boats were impressive and alot had photos of restorations that had taken place

The weather was kind, if a little windy, this is the events 11th year and was well organised with alot of vistors and exhibitors.



Don't try this at home, he said to "go next door and do it" !!!!

He hammered a nail straight into his nose as well, how do you find out that you can do this?



I guess this is a bad day at work for the assistant.

Ferrets looking very cute.

Finding a little train, always makes me smile

Outside catering not upto much, not really, one of the exhibitors, maybe showing how some people used to live.

The biggest hanging basket in the Midlands, or so it claims, under construction. Looks impressive, I wish I had something which held mine upright whilst I planted, rather than have to wedge it between pots.

I just had to take a photo of these in the garden at the nursery, they were just there with no explanation

In the nursery gardens

An adventure to share

Whenever we have a day out at the weekend its always known as "an adventure"

This was a transport event.

We were treated to a flypast, the photo isn't brilliant, but I'm sure you will appreciate you just have to point and snap as its over in a moment, this sort of thing oftern brings a tear to my eye.

Something else I love to see and watch....



Very impressive, well I think so anyway

Wouldn't it be nice to pay these prices now

As part of the transport exhibition, there was an exhibition of travel posters.

Nice, arn't they? 

This fish and chip shop was inside the museum, and was re-created from one found inside someones house, the front room, if I remember correctly.

The reason that it was in a transport exhibition was that fish was a cheap meal, due to the easy transportation costs on the railway.

Thats not the case now, we have chippy chips every Friday and the £4.50 bill for the two of us bears that out!!!



A day at the sea-side.

Hope you enjoyed that, have a good weekend all



Saturday work and play

We are being plagued by snails, or more to the point our plants are under attack, so today it had to be done

The least said about that the better, apart from its been applied.

After this I had a picnic in the park, aka a shopping trip for Mother, which lasted over lunch time

Then it was back home to play in the garden.

I found the white bucket thingies at a nursery for 50p each, I bought 3, they were sold as being suitable for growing tomatoes and indeed they are.

So I bought a couple of grow bags to use the grow bag compost to fill the tubs with.

Someone might spot a petunia in with the tomato, I didn't intend that to happen



What do you think?



Pickling

I've read alot about pickling and jam making and always wanted to have a go. So at the nursery where I work I was given an home grown cucumber, weighing in at 1lb. (A few thousand £s of hot house helps) Now we like cucumber as much as the next man, but we can only eat so much!

So, having tasted pickled cucumber before and finding it rather nice, I decided to have a go myself.

So I had a quick read in my Farmhouse Kitchen Cookbook, the receipe called for a number of spices, all of which I didn't have.

So I used good old Google and found you could get all ready spiced vinegar. Wonderful.

So off I popped to Tesco and did indeed find some ready spiced vinegar, which came in a jar suitable for pickling 2lb of winter veg as well, bargin.

Saved jars and sliced cucumber



Cucumber previously being soaked overnight, I think I might have overdone it on the amount of salt I bought, enough to last a life time there.

The finished result, I expect it will still be as nice without the fancy gingham covers.

Our Allotment

Some more of our little world.

This is our strawberry bed, all off cuts from just 12 strawberry plants bought over the years. Quite a few of the other plot holders do tend to comment on what a good crop we get. We must get some straw or similar to bed down for the berries to sit on.



 This logan berry was just a small cutting a few years ago, its grown really well, the thorns scare me though, OH dosn't seem to mind though!!

 

Potatoes next, first earlies and main crop. The tops got caught in the frosts this week, but fingers crossed they are recovering and shooting again. Isn't nature wonderful?

Our Little Patch

We both enjoy the garden, please have a wonder around.

Lots of promise of a summer of flowers

Some nice dinners in the making

We do enjoy our books

More dinners in the making :-) and a good read as well