Not much blogging this year. There wasn't much growing, at least nothing that the slugs didn't beat me to. There were a few dramas though. The guy who was annoying me and had gone told where to go, the break in when a hut was burned down and the chickens let loose. A fairly miserable year to have an allotment in Queen's Park. Still, ever optimistic for next year, I've raked up the leaves and put them on the raised beds as a mulch so it will be ready for next year and I've ready to go to war with the slugs. Slug inns and oat bran at the ready!
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Sunday 10 June 2012
Rhubarb muffins
As always, the first thing ready to eat this year was the rhubarb.
For a change from the usual crumble I baked rhubarb muffins.
I used this recipe: http://purelyfood.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/best-blueberry-muffin-recipe.html and just substituted blueberries for rhubarb. Turned out well.
For a change from the usual crumble I baked rhubarb muffins.
Tuesday 5 June 2012
My Artichoke
I'm now obsessed with its size. Hers is a very large bushy plant and while I wasn't expecting to get a crop from it at least till next year I was still hoping for it to be more than just these three leaves.
Monday 4 June 2012
Catching Up
Although it's been a while since I wrote about it. I have actually been working on the plot.
Over winter I started clearing out the blackcurrant bush at the side of the plot as it has got pretty wild. I've still got a bit to tackle next winter, just now I'm letting it fruit.
I now have even more to weed though. yuck!
I'm not sure what the plant that is growing wildly on the right is but it covers up an old shed that a plot holder from the past had.
It might be quite exciting when I get round to clearing that out.
No one likes weeding I'm sure but with my soil it's just removing huge layers of soil as the roots and grass are so stuck in it and the soil is so dense. I wish I had the means to put raised beds in at a faster rate than I am just now. They make so much difference.
After had cut down this bit of bush I had a lot of wood to burn. It took several attempts to get a good fire going but I discovered that burning the old broken bench (varnished) got a good fire going. When I next visited the plot it was clear just how high the clay content of my soil is when I saw the colour of the earth round where the fire had been.
Over winter I started clearing out the blackcurrant bush at the side of the plot as it has got pretty wild. I've still got a bit to tackle next winter, just now I'm letting it fruit.
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| The weedy gap i the middle is the bit that has been cleared so far. |
I'm not sure what the plant that is growing wildly on the right is but it covers up an old shed that a plot holder from the past had.
It might be quite exciting when I get round to clearing that out.
No one likes weeding I'm sure but with my soil it's just removing huge layers of soil as the roots and grass are so stuck in it and the soil is so dense. I wish I had the means to put raised beds in at a faster rate than I am just now. They make so much difference.
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| my accidental kiln. |
After had cut down this bit of bush I had a lot of wood to burn. It took several attempts to get a good fire going but I discovered that burning the old broken bench (varnished) got a good fire going. When I next visited the plot it was clear just how high the clay content of my soil is when I saw the colour of the earth round where the fire had been.
Sunday 15 January 2012
The 9 1 1
I got the gossip on the letter today.
It was, as I suspected, our allotment misogynist that was to blame. Apparently it's been brewing for a while. He tends to pick women who have the allotments to themselves, of which there are quite a few up in my corner of the allotments. He starts off helpful then takes over. He turns nasty when people say he's to stop. He doesn't take hints so you have to be quite forceful.
I think what happened was that some women complained about him to the secretary (who knew already but had done nothing to stop him) then this guy complained about the secretary keeping chickens and claimed that they were mistreated. SSPCA investigated and said they were in good condition, and that they were being used for commercial gain (against the allotment rules).
This guy has at least two plots of his own which he doesn't maintain, he's been threatened to get kicked off one and this is when he complained, I hear with the help of some buddies who don't even have plots.
Today I also hear that he no longer is allowed to work in schools (I knew this already but didn't know the reason) because of his behaviour to female staff including pinning another teacher up to a wall. Now he's quite an old man but he used to body build.
He's also in the BNP - he tells everyone. I've not seen the guy for ages but I'm told since all this started back in the summer he's been seen quite rarely and it was once with a known paedophile and once with two EDL members. It's like I'm gardening in the ghetto.
It was, as I suspected, our allotment misogynist that was to blame. Apparently it's been brewing for a while. He tends to pick women who have the allotments to themselves, of which there are quite a few up in my corner of the allotments. He starts off helpful then takes over. He turns nasty when people say he's to stop. He doesn't take hints so you have to be quite forceful.
I think what happened was that some women complained about him to the secretary (who knew already but had done nothing to stop him) then this guy complained about the secretary keeping chickens and claimed that they were mistreated. SSPCA investigated and said they were in good condition, and that they were being used for commercial gain (against the allotment rules).
This guy has at least two plots of his own which he doesn't maintain, he's been threatened to get kicked off one and this is when he complained, I hear with the help of some buddies who don't even have plots.
Today I also hear that he no longer is allowed to work in schools (I knew this already but didn't know the reason) because of his behaviour to female staff including pinning another teacher up to a wall. Now he's quite an old man but he used to body build.
He's also in the BNP - he tells everyone. I've not seen the guy for ages but I'm told since all this started back in the summer he's been seen quite rarely and it was once with a known paedophile and once with two EDL members. It's like I'm gardening in the ghetto.
Intrigue
I received a letter yesterday from Glasgow City Council's Allotments Officer with regards to a complaint that a fellow plot holder submitted with regards to the running of the allotment association.
The matters that have been raised are untrue, the person who complained said that there is no AGM when in fact I myself have attended the AGM almost every year since I got the plot. I suspect someone has got a personal complaint against a member of the committee and has submitted a vexatious complaint .
I'm going to get my detective at on.
The matters that have been raised are untrue, the person who complained said that there is no AGM when in fact I myself have attended the AGM almost every year since I got the plot. I suspect someone has got a personal complaint against a member of the committee and has submitted a vexatious complaint .
I'm going to get my detective at on.
Sunday 8 January 2012
A new decade - a post i wrote around this time last year and didn't publish
This weekend I turn thirty. It's making think about how far I've come in the last ten years and how far I still have to go with my life.
My 20th birthday was the last one I had when I didn't live in this flat - that's a bit of a thought. It doesn't seem like so long since I moved here.
In other aspects of my life many things have happened. When I turned 20 I was studying my undergraduate degree and working part time in O'briens sandwich bar and working at the G.O.A.L.S project - I led workshops on the theme of further/higher education in schools with low levels of participation in formal education.
Since then I have had three other jobs (including my current one) completed my Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies.
My 20th birthday was the last one I had when I didn't live in this flat - that's a bit of a thought. It doesn't seem like so long since I moved here.
In other aspects of my life many things have happened. When I turned 20 I was studying my undergraduate degree and working part time in O'briens sandwich bar and working at the G.O.A.L.S project - I led workshops on the theme of further/higher education in schools with low levels of participation in formal education.
Since then I have had three other jobs (including my current one) completed my Undergraduate and Postgraduate studies.
Winter
Winter is a quiet time on the plot. So i've not had much to blog about. My neighbour gave me an artichoke cutting which is doing well so far. I'm looking forward to feasting on them for years to come.
We've had some awful weather with really high winds but my plot seems to have escaped mostly unscathed. My bench was blown over and as it was on it's last legs anyway finally lost its battle. I also have a few repairs to do on my fence and gate.
Back in November on a lovely sunny winter's day my pals came to help me clear out the weedy patch beside my greenhouse. We got a huge amount done in just a few hours and just in time before it got dark. Cheap labour too I bought them for a pint each.
We've had some awful weather with really high winds but my plot seems to have escaped mostly unscathed. My bench was blown over and as it was on it's last legs anyway finally lost its battle. I also have a few repairs to do on my fence and gate.
Back in November on a lovely sunny winter's day my pals came to help me clear out the weedy patch beside my greenhouse. We got a huge amount done in just a few hours and just in time before it got dark. Cheap labour too I bought them for a pint each.
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