Last couple of days

We've just been taking quick nips down the allotment these evenings, it's cold, windy and generally not the most pleasant place to be, plus I have the cold.

Andrew ate another James Grieve apple on Tuesday night I think it was. It wasn't ready - the pips inside there translucent, but he ate it anyway. He thought it was like a super tasty Redburn, I thought it was like the most bitter, sour Granny Smith apple ever produced on this earth. I took a tentative nibble and, in a very lady like fashion, spat it out again! We took a nice photo of said apple and the tree, which I have recently mentioned (2 tree varieties in 1!, which may be very very common, but still impresses me).

I also took the last harvest from the main pea plants, the ones with all the powdery mildew. Once I'd finished that however, I just started hacking back the plants themselves - they weren't producing anything more and well, the mildew was just ugly and I like pretty things in my garden/plot. We'll have to get rid of the stems and leaves rather than compost them. I'm quite jealous in this respect as a few people on the site have little fire pits/chimeneas and they burn everything infected. I love fire, in a healthy way! and think it would be nice to burn stuff and watch it with a coffee, all cosy and such. And we could use the ashes, I think - potash, right? Anyway, they're gone.

The beetroot is also finished - well they're in the fridge but they needed lifting. They were great, definitely grow them again.

We also picked some lettuces and turnips; Mamma G got home from Italy last night and we thought it would be nice for her to have tasty stuff in the fridge. Today is quite a nice day, I think, maybe she brought some good weather home!

Took Maggie for a walk this morning and cried the whole time 40 mins of it! I feel low today again but writing about this has cheered me up a little. I've been talking to some really lovely people on the BBC Gardening Message Board and someone mentioned Ecotherapy. What I'm doing at the allotment apparently - known to help with mental health probs. Going now to look that up on the Internet. (Update: 'The Prince's Foundation of Intregated Health' is one of many good write up on this!!!)

Oh, the sun is just out from behind that cloud, hoorah! Maybe the Allotments will dry out a bit today. Look at our road...