Bloomin' Monday plus Onions everywhere - update!

The mini monsoon that hit us here yesterday (ie. 30 hours of sheet rain and gales) has finally stopped. The silence is deafening and all I can see out my velux window onto the world is a white sky which blends well with the white ceiling in this attic. Oh it sounded rough all night and being in the attic was a little like a rain storm when you're camping - loud but re-enforces that feeling of 'thank goodness I'm not out there'.

I took this photo at the weekend, or maybe it was one night during last week, I can't remember but it isn't important - all these darling blooms will be strewn all over the plot by now :( Hey, at least I always have a camera with me and can capture the glory moments when they do come. Feast your eyes on this load of happy colour :)

oh go on have 2

Look BLUE sky!!

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Oh and the onion comp. Well I didn't get to go. "Why not", you ask. "I was looking forward to all the pics and the gossip!". Yes, yes, so was I but before we went we decided to have a Chinese meal, of course Andrew ordered no onions in mine but....it would appear they just cooked it all and then poked them out at the end = food poisoning for Carrie - hooray! I can't eat onions, how many times does this need to be said!

Saturday night was thus a horrid puke fest for me and I spent most of my time in the bathroom. The irony was not lost though, even through the sea of vomit - I couldn't go to the onion comp because an onion had tried to kill me!!

evil onion

Wow, it's not like we were going to win anyway, so why the conspiracy?? Who at the lotties has taken up a part-time Saturday job at the local Chinese. No one is owning up......

So sorry about that. I will try to catch all the gossip the next time I'm there at the plots and who knows maybe someone has photos I can use. Hugs xxx

UPDATE - Tuesday morning
Going from a cafe to the car this morning I was shocked to find a very random and shifty looking red onion in the car park, the next space to us! I'm starting to fear imminent mass attack and have gone into hiding... ;)

Dear sweet (not burny) readers

I am feeling a little better :) Boy it has taken a long time for me to come around this time and I have missed you all. Thank you for your comments on the plan - which has been improved (more about that in another post, I am a tease) and now even has a 'story' or is it 'journey', I can't remember but it was Alan Titchmarsh (the god that he is) said that every garden should have one or the other years ago and I liked it.

I was at my allotment tonight, gathering sweetcorn for dinner and taking photos as I haven't been in a while. Mamma G was actually there too today harvesting some of our runner beans for her vegetarian pal who is on driving duty tonight ;) It was beautiful there, a warm sunny day and hardly a soul about as it was dinner time. I love it when it's like that.

I'll put up a couple of photos - but first I must tell you exciting news.....tomorrow (Saturday) is the great onion competition evening. Fear not dear readers I shall have the camera battery fully charged and will try to capture all the action for your pleasure. There is also a BBQ but we have been invited to another BBQ - oh crikey, we don't get invites for any parties for ages then 2 come at once! Either way both venues are veggie plots so you won't mind, will you.

We had the best sweetcorn ever this year, remember those beautiful red tassels earlier in the season? Well, this time last year we were in glorious Brittany and missed the height of the season. We tried the usual 'F1 Swift' but it failed on us :( so this batch is the utterly yummy 'F1 Sundance' - so good, really I recommend this most heartily.

Before I go I must tell/show you the nasty incident with one of our gorgeous Cheyenne peppers. Andrew tasted it and said it was sweet, I nibbled it, yummy and sweet, pass back to Andrew and again, sweet, then ...I took a photo and then I was stupid enough to taste it one more time. Arrghgghghghh - seeds and burny burny heat on my tongue - thus ensued the pain dance and revenge... I hadn't any milk (quite obviously on a plot) or water so I tried a blackberry...do not do this, ever! A burnt tongue immediately followed by a rather acidic berry = even more aow time including involuntary jumping up and down - the shame.

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

the great onion challenge

So it all started when Bill grew some 'Kelsae' onion seeds and each participant was given 6 seedlings each, all from that one batch. They were planted and then the secrets began, the 'special' fertilisers that people won't share, the fleece to protect them, the placement of the seedlings and what soil they were put in and goodness knows - the type of persuasive loving chats that each person has with their potential winners?, I wouldn't be surprised.

Oh I love the camaraderie of it all, the sneeky glances and the questions over whether the prize should go to the biggest one, or the heaviest one. Do they need to be trimmed and tied up according to the RHS show rules and more importantly -WHO exactly is the judge going to be???

There are far more people involved in this challenge than I have photos for and you will notice I have taken the pictures from different angles and some are close ups - just so you can't tell for sure whose looks best.

The big day must be coming up soon but this is a boy's game and I'm just watching from the side lines (though of course I know where my loyalties lie, haha).

Any tips for making your onions big and heavy (without cheating!) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks xx

Oh and the prize? some beer probably, a WEE CUP! and the knowledge amongst the lottie community that yes, you were the best in 2010!!

Dougie's

Our's (the best maybe, hehehe)

Stephen's ~ one of which is stuck in the yellow tube and is now a leek of sorts instead :)

Ronnie's

Colin's (he has a cheeky hidden one too that is rather big)

Bill's

News just in : there are 2 sections to this competition.

1- the biggest (weight) onion

2- the best pair (closest matching) out of the 6.

The competition is fierce my friends and I shall of course cover the big day for you. Including an interview with the winner perhaps!!