Paths, pruning and a pumpkin

Andrew was off for a few days (hurrah) so we got to spend some time out and about at a National Trust Estate, worked hard at the plots and also got some art up in the house - you know, all those things you really want to just get cracking on with but time (or the lack of it) gets in the way...

So the paths - I have to say that the Council still isn't doing the majority of the work they really ought to be - there are overgrown pathways at the plots still and on Saturday I took a fall :( Well Andrew and I have taken it into our own hands and the grass paths around our plot edges have been cut down to nought with shears first and then lawn mower-ed with our little old fashioned hand powered/sweat powered machine.

This strip took 2 hours alone, but on the plus side I have sore and toned arms :)

Andrew pruned back the fruit arch yesterday and found an apple up top which he ate as his reward and I cut back the blackberry (or bramble berry as I like to call it). It makes me nervous, still after all this time, to do what I call 'proper gardening'; but this was easy enough, just cutting the stems that had fruit on them this year and tracing them all the way back to the ground level. I was all eager to do the tying in of the newer stems but it's so darn fiddly and with double vision I just hadn't the patience. There were other things to be getting on with.

I am still on top of the weeding on 14b (mostly). I shall take a bow here if you don't mind - it's blasted hard work with so many untended plots surrounding us and blowing their nasty seeds onto my lovely soil.

Lastly - here is our total pumpkin harvest for the year. It wasn't the best year for us, haha. This one looks good from afar though :) They will taste lovely I know but this time last year we had an attic floor carpeted with glorious squashy -ness. Nevermind :)

 I have a photo of an amazing one on our friend's plot. I don't know what he's feeding it but it's twice the size of my head, goodness know he will lift it.