The clock keeps ticking

It was been a week and life goes on, as of course it should and indeed, must. These past few days have been so terribly painful that I have found myself numb to feelings and confused by the utter silence I have been living in. Andrew goes off to work and I am completely alone now.

I hear her, well, I think do, every now and then and find that I still walk looking down at my feet (so we don't get entangled going back and forth), though she is not there. Her living room bed is now on top of the dining room one, I have gotten rid of all the food stuffs that were for her but the toys lie where they last fell and I can't bear to put her drink bowl and food bowl away yet.  I guess these things will simply take time.

That small collar with her name tag sits beside an old favourite black and white photo of her.

On a good note, I am more interested in the allotment now and have been there a few times since last Friday. Now it's a place of sweet Maggie flavoured memories and particularity of her last day, where she dandered about and lay in the sun before the trip to the vet.

The harvests have been prolific but the broad beans and the mangetout are now finished and some things such as the leeks and the broccoli have started to bolt. Our carrots have however been a triumph and after a few years of lament over them, we are certainly glad of success.

I haven't a photo but the Echlinville apple espaliers had their first harvest and a pie by Mamma G was duly made = darn good apples! There are more, so next time I'll give cooking with them a go.

Back again on Sunday and it was incredible how small courgettes the day before had become marrows! There were so many we had to give more than half away, literally carrying them to another plot holder's car and setting them down with their own harvest. Then the garlic was cleaned and it's perfect again, as each year so far - we have been so lucky.

Tonight were having more of our own vegetables, every meal has had organic, lottie-grown produce in it this week and so in an hour or so, it will be roasted root vegetables and a little chicken - I'm hungry! My appetite came back today and I am ready for a healthy feast :)

With love and thanks for your condolences last week,

Your Carrie x

In the shade of the shed

Time marches on, callously and without any regard to the quiet devastation that has occurred to myself and Andrew. How can anything, anyone, continue to live normally when Maggie has passed away?

It's not right, it's not fair, time must stop. We need to process, to grieve, to be enveloped in this beautiful pain. Our sweet little dog is gone.

We covered her body in allotment flowers.

Carrie x

Day 2- Ecotherapy and anxiety

Lo and behold my friend! I went back to the plots for round two on Sunday, which was another fabulously blue sky, super dry day. Two days in a row at the allotments after 6+ months of absence and boy did I put my nose to the grindstone, toil in the mud and ultimately... bedazzled!

Before and After of the two large asparagus beds - check out the wee box hedging plants; on day they will be a wee hedge

Both half plots are looking transformed and if only there had been a few more hours in the day, they would be looking perfect right now. We worked so hard I marred my back, knee, neck and hand, hahaha. But hey, we were out working with and surrounded by nature, plus Maggie was there :)

Zen Maggie at the Plots for the first time in 6 months :)

Andrew's incredible transformation of 24a has been captured in a flip book style of photos (he's very clever!) Bask in his glory by clicking the link to his Instagram :)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCTDi2MsGIU/?taken-by=gaulta

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OK. A lot of what I say about my time at the plots is bravado. I do not find it in any way easy and take sedatives before I go and sometimes even when I am there as well. I am constantly checking my back, checking on where Andrew is and am always aware of who else my be on site and hence alert to every noise they may make. If a person walks in the direction of our plots I am the one suddenly needing to get something from the shed, whilst muttering under my breath for the ground to please swallow me up.

At home the panic sets in for a while, the exhaustion and anxiety spilling out and accordingly I end up be-swaddled in my blanket on the sofa.... It doesn't get easier the more I do it, I'm just a determined fighter and know there will be good times for the memory banks.

Really, I abhor talking about myself in so personal a manner but I want to make sure no one confuses the messages I'm sending out. Yes I am an advocate for ecotherapy BUT it is not a panacea, the illnesses don't go away.

The true joy comes when I look back on my disaster-free time there and that's why I revel in my before and after photos, those little notes I take and the hugs and kisses from my amazing hubby and my cute-as-a-button wonder-dog.

Anyway, I'm off to read a book...

Happy St. David's Day!

baby daffodils for St David's Day :)

Love
Carrie

Finally planting the potatoes

Okay friends, let's talk about the Easter week work we Gaults achieved at the allotments; if I don't get it documented I have a terrible fear I'll forget - I have been super forgetful the past few months, thank goodness for cameras and camera phones!

Remember I showed you the two spud varieties we had chitting beside one another? The ones on the right were hollow to the touch and had been in a too hot environment for too long; they were Sharp's Express. As Flighty rightly pointed out, we could have planted them and probably had a good crop, but as we were only planting two rows this year, Andrew wanted healthier looking specimens and thus we planted the Pentland Javelin lot instead.

So, first task on our Easter break was planting those spuds (a little later than we usually do due to the poor weather, but it won't make much difference to the end product). I stood by with  my camera and Andrew did the hard grafting :) Here he is preparing the soil...

* Using an adaza to make a nice deep V trench

* Flattening out the bottom with a spade 

* Adding a layer of good fertile wormy manure to the bottom

* Next the potatoes were placed about a foot apart (chitted eyes upwards) onto the yummy manure

* Lastly some organic blood, fish and bone was lightly scattered into what would be the back fill

And here are our spuds for the coming season. Two rows all planted and ridged up; looks a little like two burials but I promise no animals or indeed humans were buried in the making of this blog post! 

Plus here is a sweet little vignette of some other lovelies spotted on the plots that day. We cut the biggest of the Purple Sprouting Broccoli and ate it that night - gorgeous!!! Maggie was very vigilant in her supervision of our activities and these lovely blue anemones opened up in the sunshine.

Hugs and love - more soon

Plus a hearty thank you to those who commented on my last post xx

Carrie

March at the Plots

Saturday saw a great change in my allotment activity; instead of merely writing about it as it seems I have been doing for a while now, I went and worked.  Maggie supervised as usual, she's a slave driver though you wouldn't know it from her cuteness :) (She has had her hair cut since this photo!)

The plot (24a) didn't know what had hit it, I can tell you.

Whilst Andrew was working is redesign magic over in 14b I ripped, tugged and destroyed every blasted weed on the other plot.  It may not sound like much but in almost 2 hours the place was a spotless dream and my big pink trug was almost full (that's about a zillion weeds right there). I didn't even wear gloves, that's how hardcore it was!

Here are some sexy photos of our purple sprouting broccoli which seems really healthy this year :) Plus there are wonderful fat buds on our apple trees, blueberries and the garlic is well on it's way - happy times.

Pity the place was practically empty and still, STILL, the plots beside us are over grown wildernesses. (Though kindly a volunteer group strimmed them back). I could squeak with anger and occasionally do, at the thought of these people who just purchase a plot and do nothing with them. Gggrrr. There is a waiting list for genuine people who really want a plot!

Anyway, on Andrew's part he laid out then drew an amazing picture on top of a photo to illustrate the progress and planning for 14b. You can just tell he's a senior archaeologist and well trained in the art of capturing the scientific detail of places ;) 

OK so this may need a little interpretation, haha. The pink square denotes my 2 flower beds and the brown is the edible forest garden. All the yellow lines are box plants making up a four part parterre; the two on the left will be asparagus beds, then there's the rhubarb bed you can see and finally the back right bed is for squashes. Hurrah!! 

Now it's down to the planting of seeds...

Hugs and love
Carrie

Hi ho, Hi ho...Bank holiday weekend work

I wish you could hear the bird song going on outside in the back garden. It's beautiful. Do they sing because they are happy to be alive or because they need to or is it for my pleasure - today it's hard to tell.

So I'm standing here in the corner of the kitchen which looks out to all those shades of green and brown and red in the little oasis Andrew has built me; I picked a good one there :) I'm making more red gooseberry jam, only really it sets like a jelly. It's so calming to just be at the point where the kitchen has been tidied up, dishes done and all I have to do is watch over this saucepan, stirring it often and marvelling my apothecary skills :)

Yesterday was a truly awful day, and that doesn't even include my visit to the dentist (I deserved a sticker for my dental hygiene, why is it only kids get them, haha); today is still bad but at least I'm off the sofa and not constantly sleeping. I count that as a good thing and the start of another batch of good days to come soon.

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There are many a photo and tales to tell from our extended weekend. In case you were unaware, Northern Ireland just had the 12th parades which takes over the weekend, thus people get Monday off  too and in some cases even the Tuesday (Andrew is one of those lucky latter ones). We had plans to attack the allotment and visit a beautiful National Trust property but in the end is was all Lottie and watching films :)

The first few days I didn't even take my camera - I was there to work. But I had my phone and grabbed some important moments :) The first of which you all know is my favourite - digging up the spud harvest. How kind of Andrew to let me enjoy the magic furtling alone.

12th July 2014
Saxon potatoes out. We're eating these now and they are beautiful. Taste rather like Pentland Javelin but slightly waxy, they hold their shape really well. Andrew has been making Patatas Bravas with them - yum!)

Kestrel potatoes out. My goodness the yield on this variety is insane but sadly I had to throw a lot out too, they same a little more prone to green patches and invertebrates eating away at them). We have yet to try them.

Some of both that show the problems of inconstant watering... rain makes them swell and then suddenly it gets warm and they dry out a good bit and spilt :(

Andrew took the last mangetout harvest and removed the peas and the frame altogether. Those were excellent mangetout; I think we have a little tiny bag left now. We've been much better at only growing what we need and not getting gluts this year, successional sowing is the key!

The perpetual spinach was thinned out by Andrew too and all the stuff in that bed look great; really healthy. I must say I am rather excited by the sweetcorn and we have even eaten a mini courgette already :)

* Maggie simply wasn't in the mood for all this work, hahaha *

Bees all over the new batch of broad beans; love the big pollen lump on his leg. Bees really do love a good pea flower, at any one time there will be at least 2 or 3 bees doing their thing on this little patch.

And that's enough for one day I think, plenty more to share though...
Your
Carrie xxx

Celebratory Photograph Time!

Yes, it's the morning after the morning before and it did really happen - I was at the lottie yesterday! I still can't quite believe it and I feel so scared at the idea of going alone again that I can't quite understand from whence the strength came from before! Or was it total insanity that grasped me and took me on my 2 hrs long adventure?!

I feel everything about this whole surprising, marvelous event deserves an exclamation mark!

Here, let me share my photos with you, put them out into the world so that it can be seen, remembered and one day, attempted again (eek!)!

And there she was 24a in all her welcoming glory :)

Bed #1 - lettuces, courgettes, sweetcorn, chard, purple sprouting broccoli

Bed #2 - loads of beetroot (various different colours), celeriac, turnips, carrots, parsnips

Blueberries coming into colour under netting - ha, take that pigeons!

Bed #4 - garlic, broad beans, mangetout, french climbing beans

Some of the many flowers that are in bloom, or coming into bloom :) This really makes me happy as I saw so many bees and butterflies on them whilst I was there. I love our plot to be full of colour and helpful insects. Cornflower (purple), dahlia, red velvet rose, marigold, california poppies.

A good hour of my time was devoted to this path and making it safe. All I had was a push mower, hand scissors and my grit and determination. Note how Maggie is NO help :)

2 hrs later and look how sleepy Maggie is (the cheek of her, she didn't do anything!). One last look back and what a happy little sight the marigolds on the shelf under the shed window are :)

All in all I am pleased I pushed and today I have plans for the back garden. Thank you for your comments on the last post by the way and if you are a Facebook follower xxx Harvest photos next time and I have some lovely Mount Stewart nature photos from the weekend too.

Hugs and Love

Carrie x

The Joys of A24a

Hey there lovely people and welcome to the weekend! I hope you get at least one good wee segment of time to yourself to enjoy your lottie or garden in the next days. May the weather be just tip top!

I told you I was last at my own plot on the 1st June, eeek!, that's only one weekend missed and it feels like forever. I shall definately be at beautiful 24a tomorrow, I'll be easy to spot - just look out for the girl who seems to be dying from the sheer force of nature herself....blasted hayfever!!!! I've been on the medication a month now and doing fine but during this week, something crazy has happened and I often wish I simply didn't have a nose of the a roof of the mouth - arrrghh. She* does is you know, even though I love her, she attacks my face every year to some degree. (*nature)

Anywho, time for a photo update on 24a, I wonder how much it's changed already!?

The four main beds and so much green goodness....

But even better than a few photos I have something special for you all today. Yes, let me revel in the drum roll that is going on in my head right now (can you hear it??) I bring to you a HAND DRAWN PLAN!! (And the crowd goes wild!!!)

pretty awesome plan of the plot June 2014

I hope it's self explanatory; the the brown is bark mulch and then around the shed there are cement paving slabs and pink gravel. OK, it's not as good as when Andrew draws a plan and it's all to scale and perfect but mine is colourful and gives you the same idea :) Feel free to ask questions or complain about my handwriting being hard to read.

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I drew the plan last night and finished it this morning whilst Miss Maggie was with the Vet. Maggie remains 'the wonder dog' but she has been finding it impossible to use her right back leg, it has wasted away and after treatment for arthritis wasn't helping she needed more tests. Turns out she has nerve damage (it may even been in her spine), she isn't paralysed in that leg but she doesn't feel it much apart from some discomfort :( We also discovered she has liver damage. 

As seen on Instagram this afternoon

At least she didn't have to go through with an x-ray as she is a little old for all that and has a heart murmur - the sedation could have been dangerous. So we are much happier to now know what is going on and I have pain medication for her if she has a bad day.

Well must go, my nose needs blowed, again...

Love 

Carrie

Duality of the allotments

Over the past few days I have been taking Maggie for a walk right the way up the road and through the allotment gardens, out the bottom and along home again. It takes us about 25mins and has definitely been a huge step for me personally. It's funny how one's own fears and anxieties can be pushed to the side when you need to help another being - Maggie has developed arthritis in her back leg and needed a little more light exercise to ease the stiffness...she now has medication too, poor darling.

So on one hand the allotments are a great aid to us; somewhere quiet to walk and take our time, undisturbed and I think we'll be back tomorrow.

from my instagram account

However, no matter how much I try to enthuse about the place and remain optimistic our two the plots, only one is filling me with any joy these days. 14b is a weedy nightmare yet again with the damned plots around us casting all their blasted weed seeds into my lovely virgin soil yet again. It's enough to make a girl scream.

So permit me to just show you 24a; it's really maturing and we are loving it. This is by no means all that is happening there but just some highlights. In fact it's only the 2 beds on the right of 24a ('A' - for awesome!) Though of course Andrew only sees the things that aren't perfect and which he hasn't had time to do which puts a downer on things..

broad beans, garlic, mangetout

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The spuds doing good so far :)

Tomorrow I'll share with you all about our Celeriac seedlings :)

* Now * - the most happy news of all.....the bird box I made years ago now has it's 3rd family of bluetits. That's a family every year in a row :) I am so terribly impatient when it comes to taking photos of birds - sorry....

I swear I made this by myself, with my dodgy vision and wonky handsaw skills, so basically anyone can do it. Here's the link to the RSPB website which shows you how to do boxes like this....nestboxes for small birds

Hugs and love
Carrie

Visiting a Nursery :)

On Sunday we made the very darning decision to go out for an hour to a local nursery (ie I have been going bonkers with this cold and this blasted sofa!). As soon as we entered we saw this display of spuds and had to stop...had to peruse and consequently buy :) 'Kestrel' was the spud that caught the eye and, well Andrew gave in right away, haha.

British Potato Variety Database

Personally I felt amazed at being out and was more interested in seeing everything I could, including this beauties in the sunlight...

Of course I was coughing and shivering and generally showing the signs of someone too ill to be up and out so Hubby dearest took me for a coffee and scone. Really, I used to get annoyed that nurseries these days are about 40% plants and tools, 35% cafe and the rest, gift shop lovelies...to be honest, on Sunday I could have kissed the cafe people for their warm drinks and comfy seats. Basically, I'd found myself exhausted in no time and in need of rest.

Back home, before returning to the sofa and my blankie, I went out to the potting shed and saw the other potatoes chitting away = exciting times. Maggie came too, you know she likes to be involved :)

http://instagram.com/chrryblossomtat2

Back on the sofa and asleep in no time; Andrew planted the Celeriac seeds though there isn't anything to see yet but the soil in the little cells so I'll spare you any photos of that.

May your week be going delightfully, may the weather be getting better slowly but perceptibly and may you dear one, be feeling healthy and happy xxx

Hugs

Under the weather

Maggie and I are really feeling low, its terribly sad, I know. You want to make us cakes and biscuits and send chocolates? Or that is very kind, thank you :)

Yesterday we were both firmly ensconced on our own sofas, wrapped up in blankies and simply looking at each other and then out the rain splattered windows then sighing..

Forgive us, we aren't going through the terrible heart wrenching floods on TV, we aren't snowed in and really its not been that bad but the rain has been heavy and continuous. The sky all grey and darkness at 11.30am yesterday! I know I feel like the storm has got inside me :(

Today Maggie is brighter but my brain is still addled, I can't get warm, the bad cold is back and ohh I feel so confuddled. Thank goodness for coffee and a friend and a brighter sky or I think I would still be in bed; I look like and feel like poo but that just because it's a bad mental health day.

Desperately I look through gardening magazines, books and cookery websites. I so want a classic trug made of wood which Maggie and I will go and fill with our own cut flowers to celebrate the colour and joy of summer (if it ever comes). Oh simple dreams as we vegetate in this weather and mental fug..... Anyone know where a girl can get one of those trugs without taking out a second mortgage!??

The pictures of Maggie above are from a new little venture we decided to try - we have started an Instagram account. I downloaded it when I got my newest phone but never used it until someone at the Culloden started to take photos of their friends for their account and I thought - 'oohh I can do that too'. The first photo on my account is that dessert from that night :) The rest, well it's all Maggie so far! It'll be fun I think when we are at the plot together to take little photos and videos and we are reaching a whole new audience of dog lovers and outdoorsy types :)

Click here if you would like to follow Maggie in her adventures - photos everyday. You can't have enough Maggie in your life!
(Don't fear I will make a super cute little button for the right hand bar later)




Hugs and love