My Dad was discharged from hospital this morning, which I found incredible as he was still bleeding quite profusely from his wound yesterday evening.

Of course, we are all extremely glad to have him home.

So today hubby and I went to pick onions, peas and the best cabbage on our plot, just for him.

Tis indeed a cabbage for a king.

We are growing seven varieties, some of which are still in flower without having set any fruit.

Lets hope we get some lovely sunshine to ripen these lovely beauties.

Huge sighs of relief.

Mum and I went to see Dad this evening. Okay, he was not so good, he was sick several times due to the anesthetic, he was on oxygen and they recycled his blood. Which was a new process to me, as it was coming out and collected it got dripped back in, in 500ml bags.

But even with all of that going on, did he in anyway lose his humour, he did not. He cried a little bit, mainly because after all of the main men had seen him, cardiologist, knee surgeon etc, etc, the anesthatist said to him this morning, that he really shouldn’t have this done. That he was probably too weak and wouldn’t do this surgery unless there was a place for him in the Intensive care unit, fortunately a place opened up for him and he could go ahead with his surgery. Even better news was that he didn’t need that place. His heart pumped well.

Its early days, but it is looking very, very good.

Dad is in the hospital ward awaiting his knee replacement operation tomorrow. Everything is crossed that he doesn’t get cancelled and most importantly everything goes well for him.

Mum says he’s a happy bunny at the moment as he is in a ward full of Kenilworth folk, so they are all having a lovely time and Mum was sent home early! to let the men get on with their gossiping..

Our runner beans are doing well, taken late yesterday evening, which is why the picture is so dark.

Courgettes, Jemma a yellow variety, personally I can’t wait until they are big enough to eat. We are looking after them well.

so much to see.

So… just for a few weeks I will try and update my blog with a piccie from the plot every day! (or nearly every day). with just a few words about that particular photo.

I am still knitting and am finishing lots of little projects and I promise to update all of those soon.

Today, Spring onions..

Last year I tried to grow spring onions several times. I was hopeless, if any did germinate they were swamped by the weeds or damaged by me with a hoe and no matter how many times I tried to hand weed and I did try it was practically impossible to judge which were tiny spring onion plants and which were blades of grass.

So, this year, I thought I would try to grow them in a tray. One tray was very successful, the other tray was placed lower down on the outside rack and I believe a local rabbit or rabbits took a fancy to them as they were growing well and then were nibbled to death. Unless we have some very fat and flavoursome escargot hiding somewhere!

Although the weeds are/were sky high after all of the rain and a weekend not working on the allotment, it was good to get back to it on Sunday.

Our tomatoes are coming along well, lets hope they start to ripen soon. The marigolds are doing an excellent job standing guard against white fly in the greenhouse.

The marigolds on duty in the cabbage fields. Fingers crossed, no white fly as yet.

We have picked about 8lb of peas podded weight, with lots to come. I actually started another four trays yesterday, it will be touch and go to see if they have enough time to fully form, but I always hope for an Indian summer. Hubby’s picked at least 10lb of his favourite fruit in all the world, raspberries. (he ate three bowls full of raspberries and ice cream After a Sunday lunch, oink, oink!)

The slightly strange, paddling its own canoe, blackcurrant bush had some fruit ready to pick. This is the easiest way to pick blackcurrants. There is a draw back, you do have to own the bush to start with. I will do a proper job of pruning when its lost some of its leaves. Blackcurrants will only fruit on young canes, anything over three years needs to go.

As we had a very good piece of Aberdeen Angus waiting in the fridge to cook, I thought it was an appropriate time to crack open a dustbin of potatoes. It is a little early and I was a little apprehensive, I was also getting moaned at about how early it was, although the moaning stopped when He heard that potato blight had been spotted up at the allotments. Better to eat them, than let the blight get ’em. I don’t really want to spray against blight. I know the potatoes that I eat for most of the year will most probably have been sprayed for lots of things, but for me anyway, it goes against the grain to use chemicals up at the plot. (although slug pellets are an exception!)


There was one dustbin containing potato plants that had been heavily beaten about by the wind. The plants looked rather sorry for themselves and as the labels I had carefully written out had long since been lost we thought this was the best one to crack open. Sadly it was the King Edwards which are a late main crop.

There were lots and lots of small delicious looking potatoes. The tiny, tiny ones I will make into potato salad. I think about four to five pound in weight.

I then picked very small carrots and a Greyhound cabbage. An old boy we chat to gave us a lovely piece of horseradish which we thanked him with a couple of pounds of peas. I picked some mint, (I am a heathen I like mint sauce with all roast dinners, regardless of type of meat) There was a nearly blown, quite tiny cauliflower. (the only one that has survived, I think it is heading for the chickens) then I picked some Japanese onions.

And then I picked more raspberries, Sunday lunch is shaping up very nicely by this point.

Hubby put some more pea plants in the ground for me and some celery plants which my dad has requested. I did a bit of pottering and watering and potting things on.

Then homeward bound.

Son no.1 was home with his girlfriend. I shall call her L. Somewhere along the line and I’m not quite sure how, I invited her for Sunday lunch, (although it was gone 7 p.m. by this point) which she happily accepted. Then I had a full blown panic attack, (said in jovial terms) as it hit me, that it was the first Ever, entertain a girlfriend type meal. I think I went into a bit of a panic. It was a lovely dinner, roast beef, new potatoes, roast onions, peas, carrots, cabbage, mint sauce and horseradish sauce enlivened with some fresh root and some lovely gravy. Followed by raspberries and ice cream.

Was L impressed, I think she enjoyed it, was she stunned by the freshness and taste of my ingredients. She was not, (although she said she really liked the potatoes) as her father has an allotment and he has Two Plots, but at least she wasn’t fazed when son no.1 found some extra protein in his raspberries (a tiny, tiny insect, you could barely see it!) and she carried on eating hers. Unlike my two wimpy sons who stopped eating, which is Why, hubby ended up with three bowls of raspberries and ice cream. ‘wink’

At long last I can reveal our wonderful news. After two years of searching, often until long into the night, hundreds of mailshots, cold calling, many many interviews, psychometric tests, aptitude tests, understanding of mechanics type tests, working as a team type tests, and other types of tests I have long since forgotten. Our beautiful son (son no.1) has at long last secured an apprenticeship as a car technician with BMW.

🙂

I’ve had a wonderful day, I may never wash my right hand again. After a false start and not managing to achieve a photo that was blog worthy I repositioned myself, with the aid of a steward who verbally gave me the Royal timetable at The Royal Show. (thanks mate!)

This is the photo that I shall always treasure the most, within seconds of this photograph being taken Camilla shook my hand. Okay, well I did call her name,(as two other people had before me) did a semi almost stagger over yourself type curtsy and she had at that point just walked past me, but she came back and shook my hand. (and yes, because teenage sons have asked, I Was wearing the wig). I gave her the hugest grin possible with a “Oh My God” exclamation as she headed off. I mean, Me.. little old me (okay not so much of the little) shaking Camilla’s hand. Wow! There were only three of us that shook her hand (at this point) so I felt very, very honoured.

A fellow hand shaker and I exchanged information, she found Camilla’s hand cold, I just found it very, very soft and thought to myself just at that split second, that I really should start using moisteriser. Sand papery hands from digging an allotment are never good really, but its something you get used to. ‘grin’

Camilla in a fit of the giggles.

Some piccies of Charles, I like the one with all of his badges which are the organisations he supports.



A rather sprightly Prince Charles.

Camilla in another fit of the giggles.

Camilla, posing for me, I was the nearest camera, a sneaky position in the Members of RASE area meant I was actually infront of security! Me!

Starting to head home after a quick walk about with the crowds.

Heading home.

Byyeeeee… me merrily waving and Camilla waved to me.