Down The Allotment

Whilst we will miss our Friends From Across The Road, they have made damned sure we won't forget them!
We agreed a some time ago that we would look after their veggie patch/orchard whilst the house is rented out.

It will be good for us to have a bit more room for veggies, whilst still knowing that we don't have the long term tie of a big garden.

It will keep us busy in the meantime though.
So if you call in for a cuppa and we're not here; have a look down the allotment.

Is This Summer?

Last Year we had lunch outside for the first time on 14th April. This year we were about a week earlier. Last year we had our first BBQ on 20th of May. This year we had Pimms by the Pool on 17th April.


Our first BBQ this year was on 18th April. Happy Birthday Alison. I don't remember having a BBQ for your Birthday when we were kids! I know you weren't here, but we had a few friends round to toast your big day anyway! We had the odd gate crasher too....

In Days Gone By

It all looks rather different now.....

Looking After The Neighbours

We have a visitor this week. Buddy, our friends lab has come to stay for the week while they are in France. Buddy is a bit of a wimp. When I say a bit, I really mean a lot. He's a lovely dog, no bother at all to look after, and great fun, but he has a bit of an inferiority complex and an aversion to loud noises. Especially when they are made by The Red Thing.
Coming to stay is doing some good as we had all hoped. He is getting quite brave now, and will sneak past The Red Thing (with a lot of encouragement). At the beginning of the week it was a different story; if The Red Thing was in ear shot, Buddy did his best to hide.



Meanwhile The Red Thing tries out Buddy's bed. She always has liked pinching other dogs beds for some reason.

Fortunately Bud started to relax fairly quickly, and has made himself quite at home, pinching all The Red Thing's toys.

A Year Later

It hardly seems possible but it is a year since we moved here. Today we woke to a frosty morning with a few flakes of snow littering the ground. This time last year it was WET, WET, WET; with much of the county trying to recover from the recent floods. How much has changed in 12 months!

We're off out to celebrate tonight. A 'Majestic' wine tasting followed by an Indian meal - with our 'new' neighbours - who have now become very good friends.

It just goes to prove that good things do come to those who wait. It just doesn't feel very likely when you are doing the waiting!

De Ja Vu

Our neighbours field is being fenced tomorrow and they still have quite a bit of work to do to get ready for it. On impulse this morning, we decided to turn up and see if they would like a hand. The day turned into another 'working party' day, with the girls coming back for some impromptu provisions. We broke for lunch of jacket tates (cooked in the embers of the fire), cheese, baked beans and beer, in glorious sunshine.



Her ladyship helped for a while this morning, but like all old girls, came home for her afternoon snooze when we came back for the food. Buddy stayed to help all day though. At least, he helped with lunch anyway!

Working Party

Our neighbours have been busy clearing out part of an old hedge in their field, ready to plant a new one. We offered them a hand. 8.30am on a Sunday in September seems like a good time for bonfire night.

The boys get the fire going

While the girls move huge heaps of blackthorn from one end of the field to the fire

A back draught catches Husband out and removes some of his fringe, eyebrows and eye lashes


Time for a break as the first two heaps have been cleared.

Then the cavalry arrive in the shape of John and Gill, also friends from the village. John is the mad chainsaw man (ex forester) and soon has us moving more blackthorn, holly and rose down to the fire.

A barbecue lunch, cooked over embers from the fire sets us up nicely for the afternoon.

Then it's back to work with truck and trailer to transport more hedging to the fire. By now it was too far to drag it down.



Two sides of a 5 acre field later, and a huge pile of embers which Will probably still be burning in two days time.