I'm back :)

Hello! and warm affectionate hugs to you all. Did you miss me? did you? I missed you.

I arrived home from lovely France yesterday and sitting here in front of my much missed laptop I can tell you...I am cold!! It wasn't exactly roasting in Brittany but I was shivering whilst inside, that's for sure; I don't think I was supposed to be a Northern Irish girl at all, ahha.

As I am sure you can all appreicate, I am exhausted! 16 hours on a Ferry (rough crossing home - I was sliding up and down my berth which was funny but meant I was awake a good bit) and 4 and half hours driving up through Ireland home = sleepy me. And on top of that, when I'm sleepy, my double vision plays up even more so I can't really see that well today. What I am getting at is I will share my photos and stories later if you don't mind too much and just dose here on my comfy sofa this afternoon before any migraine would decide to set in!

One thing though - I now utterly despise Mosquitos, bloody HATE the beasts. I have a left forearm that is all deformed with huge bites that are so frickin' itchy I could punch something. Plus one on my leg and one on my face, on my face people!!! Arrghhhh.

Anyhow I shall be in touch soon, with photos and tales of yummy food, inspiring gardens and public spaces and scrumping for delicious red apples. Plus this evening we are going to the lottie and I have been warning that it is a mess - I ain't too proud that I won't share the shame, hahahaa.

Anyway, nice to be back xx

He who dares wins

They have marched into the fray, 'gone over the top' of the watering can, all teeth furiously bared and battle has indeed commenced!! 'Arrrgghhh' is the guttural war cry that is too microscopic to hear but I know it's happening. Leather jackets, sawfly beware we have sent in the troops; no longer shall we bare witness to your terrible attack on justice, on the right for our plants to grow and thrive and be consequently eaten by us, not you, you good-for-nothing scoundrels!!!

Oh I know you can feel the fury of righteousness in your bellies, your pulse is quickening too isn't it??? Though, like me, many of you are pacifists you know, deep down, that sometimes violence is the only answer!!

I'm talking NEMATODES!! Well, it would appear I am yelling about them with some gusto and an scary anger that obviously is repressed (I should maybe seek help for that.....)

We went into operation 'Kill the Cads' on Tuesday 24th at approximately 19:46 hrs. A quarter of the pack did 5 beds and early indications show that the enemy is still thriving - darn and blast it all. Though I did find ONE dead leather jacket in amongst the broad beans, so maybe it was but the first of many fatalities.  Time will tell....

I just thought you'd like to know :)

say NO to leather jackets

pink flamingos

I live with the perpetual sense that I am just not good enough, ever. I fight it every single hour of every single day. But the 'me' who is fighting to just be okay with myself never wins. I never win. And now this......


The allotment has gooseberry sawfly, aphids, slugs (and millions of slug eggs), snails, mildew, big red moth pupae, cabbage white caterpillars, wireworms, flippin' pigeons and the bast*rding leatherjackets (and there's probably other stuff too, like flatworms - we had them last year). Plus hayfever has returned. What?! the whole world of sentient beings have turned their evil hatred against me now - is that how the game is being played??  

f-ing leatherjeacket that destroyed one of our asparagus crowns

Andrew is not a happy gardener - he talks in terms of EVERYTHING is crap and what's the point. The wind is so bloody annoying and the weather is just unpredictable and unhelpful. So there - today I just want to blasted well concrete over everything and put down plastic turf, fake flowers, a tramopline and some deck chairs, pink flamingos and some very stylish gnomes.

pink flamingos — aug 23, a photo by theogeo on Flickr.

Deep breath - I shall resume normal lottie based blogging next time and not be such a grump xx