Three day weekend - thanks St Patrick (pt1)

Saturday 15th March -

We visited Mamma G and Maggie got a cuddle and kisses. Those are her daffs too and look at that sky = gardening weather!

Then we went and got a few bits and bobs, such as these new flowers for 14b (and much more than this photo shows) and a new kettle for the shed - hurrah!! Hot drinks are back :) Now we can warm ourselves up after facing the N. Irish winds - bbbrrr.

* I strongly believe in buying flowers and even some vegetable seeds in these discount shops. Not everything has to come from a great nursery or a named supplier. We regularly get things for next to nothing and they turn out to be just as good. If you aren't looking for a certain type - I say go cheap and you may be very surprised. For example our spuds last year came from a nursery and some from a pound shop, different types but both extremely abundant when harvest time came.

Look how happy Maggie is and how shiny our new wee kettle is :) The sky was blue but there's usually a nip in the air, hence the jumper and need for tea. Earl Gray for Andrew and Three Mint tea for me...you are always welcome by the way and sometimes we even do coffee, plus you'll always find a biscuit or two :)

Okay, ready to go. These are the weekend's 'Before' photos. The 24a one will not shock anyone but I have until now, resisted showing you the unbearable shame of 14b. Maybe I should explain? Blush! Last year we decided were going to give up this plot and just sort of forgot about it, thinking we shouldn't waste anymore time there. The plots around it are so terribly neglected that the weeds from them had invaded ours and simply - we were miserable. But, during the winter we had ideas flowing and not enough room in one half plot to accommodate them, so.... It's an ugly duckling ready to bloom :)

Andrew kept going on 24a, getting rid of the last of the chard and mooli which had gone over and mulching everywhere liberally with horse manure. There were a great deal of times that I could have sworn that he was just standing there, doing nought, but I am assured in my heart that he was planning, always planning ;) Haha. 

Though it is true.... Had there been anyone else down there they may have thought he was a slave driver, but there wasn't, not a one in our field and the others looked empty too, to be frank. Kind of makes you mad...

Yes! I tackled and sort of conquered/ made a dent in 14b; got rid of the dead raspberry canes and I honestly don't know how many massive thistles and dandelion plants, not to mention the grass that had conquered the beds. Is there much better than getting the whole root of a weed out in one swift movement? :)

I did enough work to get really excited about and even lament home time; though I was exhausted and sleeping standing up. It's been a long time since I felt that strongly about the place and how we (Nature and I) were nurturing one another. I felt such love for my plots, my wee pieces (literally) of Eden.

The Allotment Gardens as a whole are a damnable shame and to my eyes, a failure. Poor infrastructure, lack of commitment, still poor access and a real need for strong leadership and rule reinforcement! I could rant for days but I shan't, instead here are the 'After' photos for Day 1 - I believe Maggie was quite happy with our progress :)

Hugs and love
LOADS more to come :)
Your

Carrie x

Joie de Vivre (part 1)

Let's just forget all the posts I was meant to write and wrote many times over in my head whilst I was ill there. I had another mental breakdown - so boring!

But dear friends this last weekend was a true celebration of life, nature and love. So I think we ought to just start from there, okay? Maybe one day soon I will do a big post of photos from all the harvests Andrew brought home but for now we are drifting back in our minds to Saturday *insert waving lines here*.......

The noise of the birds, the rustle of trees, still air, deep breathing and the rhythmic sound of Andrew's scythe. I stood for a moment in the brightness and warmth of the sunshine and the world seemed to disappear and there were only these moments and a feeling of contentment and love. In this place, in this peace, I found I was smiling, genuinely at ease - all was a dream. Having been so mentally ill it was as though Nature was holding me in her arms, cooling my burnt out soul and giving me a sense of purpose.

I took upon a task -' the corner of shame' was going to be tackled and I was the one to do it. I had energy I had foresight to see the finished results and the relief for both myself and Andrew; we both had been ignoring it :) Really, we had it ignored it to the point where things were missing in there, the climbing rose was dead and goodness knows the majority of it was rubbish *blush*

Andrew did great work on the paths which had started to become dangerously long and I had fallen more than once already (look at how it is just past our plot). The council is meant to keep these under control but they don't - I guess they haven't the time, resources or the interest. Pity as it takes up most of a good days work, particularly when it has to be done by hand...

I found Alan II - I was sure he was lost for good, in fact I secretly thought he had been killed and disposed off in my absence, hahaha. He raises once again as guardian of the plot :)

 But then, guess what?! A timely phone call came reminding us it was Rylee's 1st Birthday and there were cuddles to give and cake to eat :) How can you say no to that?? Though darn and blast it I forget my camera so I have had to steal this from Mamma G's Facebook page....though I had to add a birthday frame :)

After the party we went back to the plot and Mamma G and Anne followed behind but I think that is a good place to pause in this post...more soon from Super Saturday...

Why don't the plants love me back??

Sunday afternoon was fabulous, a glorious day at the lottie and hardly a soul there so I wasn't even panicky = result! BUT as I was cutting the grass and moving along between plots the grass pollen attacked and I was vanquished, left as a sniffling, dripping, itchy mess; completely bowled over :( Why?? Oh Mother Nature, why!!

I cut all that my hand and let me tell you, you cannot think when doing work like that. It is fabulous; menial work yes - but you have no room to think negatively - the mind is clear :) Plus I met a gorgeous frog in amongst it all, sadly he was very camera shy.

Anywho, I got my medication from the Dr. today and by the weekend I shall ready to once again go to my plots. But it's so cruel, my anxiety and depression hasn't been that bad the past few days, yet I still couldn't/can't go and get in an hour of Allotmentherapy - life can be so nasty sometimes. Boo and indeed Hiss

However - I shall not let this get me down :) No dear reader I have photos from the weekend and the pollen therein can not affect me through the laptop screen. So here we go, let us bathe ourselves in the beauty.....

I am loving the flowers on 14b, both my Poppies are doing really well, the red one is flowering as you can see, even though it went through a big move in the winter from one plot to the other, the purple one has loads of buds and I can barely wait :) I left the chives and the big artichokes to flower, the bees adore them and I don't eat them so its a win win situation. And ohh! look at the all the blossom on the blackberry (or as I like to call it the brambleberry - which makes life awkward for me sometimes when I call my phone my brambleberry too hahaha) Then the 3 roses, well they are now 2 :( Remember the photo I put up of the white 'Polar Star' covered in green fly and aphids, well it was worse and we just had to get rid of it, it's never been the healthiest plant...aww well I have an excuse to buy more :)

Another bed we have left for the bees is the now bolted purple sprouting broccoli - oh isn't a mecca for insects over there :)

Here is that updated photo of the garlic - so proud of it! Yet here is a photo of one of the apples that has fallen victim to the 'June Drop' and I just heard a moment ago that loads of leaves have suddenly fallen off the cherry tree.

Ahh, Nature, she teaches us so much. We can worry ourselves stupid about things but truly we are not in control, never are, never will be. Gardening is a roller coaster and such a get metaphor for life.

Thank you Nature

I am not religious, but I came across this Jewish song today and by replacing the words Lord and God with that of Nature it became so beautiful and as I read it my heart swole even in this day of hailstones and freezing winds. Nature leads us through these inhospitable times in order to show her beauty, power and prescence and in order to make the sweet spring all the more uplifting.

'I will extol Thee, O Nature, for Thou hast drawn me up, and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me. O Nature, I cried out to Thee and Thou didst heal me. O Nature, Thou raised my soul from the grave, Thou kept me alive that I should not descend into the pit.'

At these times of poor weather, of cold and hard ground, this period were I can not be in touch with Nature She still gives me strength. My Depression is utterly woeful but I look to my photographs and try to remember the joy of seedlings, of much colour and fragrance and rich bounty from the soil. May you do the same.

My warmest wishes to you  all xxx

All just peas in a pod

We can all rely on Mother Nature. She gives us what we need whether we realise it at the time or not. I needed that rain yesterday, I needed to turn my face away from the world and into her arms. She let it rain and that was the tears I could not cry.

She is always there for me making beauty appear all around me, giving me storms to cuddle up under a blanket with and feel safe, warm, protected. Looking into her eyes I am calmed, her voice is the bird song, the waves breaking; her smile is hope.

Nothing like a biological mother, she is much more -stronger, wiser, ever knowing. She tests me in ways that help me learn, to appreciate. Never malevolent, she pushes me to the limits to experience unease and heartache but only in order to feel the extremes and enjoy the beauty of laughter and peace all the more. She takes and she provides and there is a home in her heart where I am free.

I look around today and see the same mess, the same dull grey clouds; hear the same droning noise of cars and trains, the almost unbearable sound of my own breath and my fingers taping on this keyboard, alone in this room. Yet somehow today I sense the magnificence of simply being. One of many billions who have walked this earth, I am still unique and so are you.

(The last of our sweet delicious peas, now all gone, all done for another year)