300th Post!!!

Unfortunately I'm not in a celebratory mood though. I am in the midst of a horrible day of panic attacks and depressive lows, at the same bloody time. I feel like road kill. Luckily Andrew will be home a little earlier today and we are going to go to the lottie and have a picnic. God willing I will feel better for the company and the air; please let it be quiet down there, any noises are making me jump. Andrew phoned a little while ago and I swear I was nearly off the sofa, just so scared and trying to get away from the noise. Silly girl.

Luckily I have taken meds for this latest panic and I hope (I so hope) I can get sleep or at the very least just lay down and not be shaky and think those bad thoughts for a while. I am writing because I need to keep busy and other people's words on TV or in books don't seem to make much sense at the minute.

This is also the last part of the Family Fun Day write up. I have little left to tell....

The closing chapter:

Field B held its own Pitch and Putt, I saw the green and it was fabulous but I didn't manage to get a go :( And also in field B Ricky had made lottie soup and rolls for sale, I really wanted some; I had heard it was so good but this sign greeted me at the entrance to their field. I was not amused!! I had said the night before I wanted some soup set aside, people, really, they can be a pain sometimes, haha. I did get some fresh soda bread right off the griddle though in field C so all was not lost. In fact I stick my tongue out at the idea of soup (lovely lottie and chicken soup....) and embrace the warm yet crispy soda with vigour. So there.

I'll ask Andrew if he really does want to contribute to the post but I'm not sure if he will. Look out for an Update.

Suffice to say, we all had a great day, raised lots of money (not sure how much yet!) and a good few of us staid at the lotties until it got dark, laughing away like eejits. We even tidied the whole place up, you wouldn't know there had been 100s , dare I say 1000s! of people there all day. Maggie particularly enjoyed the evening, teasing Gus (her boyfriend - sadly they are both neutered) all night, chasing him all over the place, she had him exhausted.

Field C, how I had neglected you...

With our Allotment Site now being officially the largest in the Island of Ireland, it is pretty easy to be overwhelmed and stick to what you know. I find that in walking down to my Plots and back to the car park I see Field C quite well. However, during my time at my Lotties I barely think to go and dander around it, taking in all the fabulous work that goes on there and clicking away with my camera. Well on Saturday that changed. Here is a whistle stop tour around Field C. I met a few very nice people (sorry I have a brain like a sieve when it comes to names) and saw some really good plots (and ideas I'd like to pilfer).

There are a few plots that have yet to be started, but in the main, the fellows in this field are cracking on a pace. I think the fact that most of them had been waiting for a plot and therefore had time to plan and get things gathered together has helped in that respect.

I wish them continued good luck and sorry again if I seem to ignore you. Field A is my home and I have a bias I guess.....While I'm at it ~ sorry to Field D too. :)

Self explanatory and just plain pretty and inviting

2 fabulous plots bursting with produce

Bird scarier and slug/pigeon/everything protection for precious cabbages

Is it just me or is there joy in seeing perfect, neat rows of veg?

If you get 5 minutes.... / venture further a field

When Andrew got home from work last night, it was case of everyone in the car and away; we had a quick picnic dinner at the Lottie. Andrew needed to get into the prep of our new half plot. Luckily Bill was there and lent him his petrol strimmer - I left him to it, he seemed to be enjoying himself, hehe.

At the meeting the night before, Myrtle (our Chairwoman) asked me to give out some leaflets; I find it hard to say "no" to people (don't take advantage of that information!) and so I ended up with 20 odd to hand out. (alanromans.com has discounted seeds for us on his on-line shop - cool!) It was a colder evening and I was freezing so the walk would do me good anyway and I couldn't really help Andrew with the strimming; I doubt I could lift the contraption even if he had let me.

Firstly I visited friends that hadn't been able to make it to the meeting. Davy and his son were having a wee tea in their shed after picking Cow Slips for Davy's wife. How cute are they?! Then over to Rab who has just swapped plots, now he's on the other side of Ronnie on a piece of land that isn't water logged all the time. He has achieved more in a couple of days on this plot than he did in a year on his first. The enthusiasm is back and it's looking great already - Well done Rab (and David).

On up at the top of Field A I met Mary for the first time. Ridiculous I know, we've both been at the Lotties since they started and I often admired her Dahlias last summer but never spoke to her. My Goodness I was missing out on someone special there ~ she is lovely, make that LOVELY. We had a good old chat and I'll be back there again for a coffee and natter, that's for sure.

The only people in Field B were committee members, (Maxine and John) I didn't realise who they were until I was right up beside them. That was somewhat of a wasted journey, of course they had the leaflets I was handing out!

Field D had a good few people on it as usual. The new plot holders have so much energy and drive, I love it. I even bumped into brothers who are hoping to get a plot and were checking the project out. You know I spoke to 5 or 6 people in that field and was so nervous by then that I couldn't even tell you one name, I don't even think I introduced myself! I really do think the Allotments have grown too quickly for me, I can't begin to keep up with all the plot holders, I was just getting used to my group of friends in Field A!

Lastly (to complete my loop back to my shed) I went through Field C. I first met another Davy and very nice he was too. My Papa (grandfather) always said you can tell a lot about someone by their hand shake - well his was lovely, firm and friendly - I instantly warmed to him. Then there were friendly 2 families (one of which sat behind Andrew and I at the meeting, but of course I don't know their names - I'm so bad) and then 2 nice blokes working hard. At the very end I bumped into dear Donald as well.

Andrew and Maggie had by now started their own little search party for me! Andrew had finished his work and wanted me to see the plot cut back and pegged out. It is great and the soil under that black plastic is good but I am still holding out for the plot adjoining ours, I just need to get in contact with Mark & Charlene and see if they will swap with us.

Anyway, it was really great having a reason to force myself out there into the wider Eden Lottie world and chat to people. It's pretty obvious we all need to socialise with each other more, it has become quite segregated into different Fields and I don't like that. It's also obvious that communication is terrible on site and people are hearing either nothing or all sorts of rumours from people - Chinese whispers. I look forward to the AGM and the Fun Day - hopefully we can all become more of the community I hoped we would be.

So after talking to so many people I was a wreck, wine and meds both were needed for me to get any sleep and I was up at 6 this morning panicking badly again. I love to meet people but it makes me so acutely anxious. I'm on a self-imposed strike today ~ doing nothing but reading and maybe yoga!

Wow, that's got to be the longest post ever!

Good news all round

Yesterday I cut the grass in our back garden. This sounds boring but wait....I have an irrational fear of being outside at the best of times; I even feel uncomfortable in my own garden as it's over looked by, god, I don't want to think how many houses. I always feel I am being watched and judged - therefore laughed at. But....yesterday I went out there and I struggled and cursed at the stupid lawnmower because I could barely get it to the right height. And I cut my grass and trimmed the edging. Yes, me, all by myself. There were neighbours out there too, laughing and shouting (and cursing!) but I stood my ground - Hoorah for me!! It's starting to look better out there, it's been neglected for some time (the Lottie Rules our hearts!!)

I'm not one for lists but I also noted down what was doing good (i.e germinating) in the little greenhouse on the patio. It goes as follows:

Veggies ~

Kale
Leeks (2 types)

Brussel Sprouts

Broccoli

Pak Choi

Perpetual Spinach

Flowers~

Marigolds

Echinaceas

Canlendula

Yellow Poppies

Inside, on the many window sills we have :

Veggies/herbs ~

Rocket

Squash

Flowers ~

Dahlias

I'm still very impatiently waiting for other things to come through - grow you buggers!

*******

Then after a delightful salad, Andrew and I quickly visited the Lottie. Only to be met by the glorious Cold frame!!! And teeny tiny, Carrot and Turnip seedlings in the sun tunnels. The 1st lot of Broad Beans are flowering! All the fruit bushes are filling out nicely and the Raspberries are sending out shoots, the Apples and Pears are budding and the Plums look like they are thinking about it! Good visit!!!

Couple all that with a nice chat to Ivan, waves and smiles from others, who we haven't seen in ages and a dander through Field C, which is going extremely well and has some great innovative minds and good soil prep already; and we were pretty happy. Eden Lottie Folk are the best. Oh, and we posted our renewal form and cheque for another wonderful year of Allotmenteering!!

Which reminds me of this photo Andrew took of me during the week - yippee!!!

Happy Weekend!!!

For Bangchik - Broad Bean flowers x

A not quite bird's eye view of the whole Allotments

They join on to each other quite well though of course it really is hard to get a clear photo of it all. Maybe I should hire a microlite. How cool would that be!!!

The one below has our wee shed highlighted with a red circle - open it up x

The Plots Thicken

Okay, so really there is extremely little to tell you about what Andrew and I did at the Lottie. He dug over some soil and did a lot of looking, I did even less. Instead I dandered as I said in a previous blogette. So this blogette is about the hard work of some others about the plots.

First this plot. I have seen the gentleman who owns it working hard on this over the past few times I've been down. He has it looking great; edged raised beds, a compact cold frame and to add some (much needed) winter colour has planted pretty primroses all around the edge.

In Field B I spoke to Donald who had just finished equalling out the height of his plot by adding a thick mulch of medium sized gravel, with small drainage pipes underneath. Hopefully this will stop one side of his site from being just too soggy to work. Now he has lovely raised beds and a great looking (and sounding) path all around. His little alpine plant raised edge around the whole place is also starting to settle in , but I think the 'Little Critter Hotel and Spa' is still under booked.

Field C is a mass of new members getting to work, ah, the heady days of a brand new plot, the energy and excitement (before any blight and failed crop pain of the seasoned allotmenteer kick in)! I can just imagine the sore backs and hands, the all consuming nature of 'the plan' and the 100s of books being bought and the joy of ordering a shed. Good Luck to them all!!!!