Happy days are back in the mandycharlie household now we are back onto an allotment. Hubby has finished putting together our greenhouse, his 4th, he’s getting quite quick at putting them together now. It feels perfect as a retirement hobby, fresh air, exercise, fresh fruit and vegetables and somewhere that makes us happy to go. I think one of the problems in retirement is filling the days and I know we will never tire of trundling up to the plot to do the odd job or chat to some of the other allotment holders. Quite a community develops by the end of the gardening year before a biting wind and freezing temperatures often means one only sees the odd glimpse of a person in the distance when one is popping up to get some vegetables for Sunday lunch.

Our allotment is within less than a five minute walk, I think we live closer than anyone else on the site, which makes it a pleasure to walk up to do the watering once (or even twice, depending on the heat) a day during the height of the tomato growing season.  Those who have read my allotment blog before will remember my love of the humble tomato, and just how many I can cram into a greenhouse, for those that don’t know me as well, LOTS!

Today I started to plant seeds, while hubby got the paraffin heater going and started to weed out all of the fruit bushes that we have.

I planted,,,,Rocket, chives, coriander, salad bowl lettuce, tomatoes gardeners delight and san marzano which is a lovely big plum, chilli’s, cucumber, brussel sprouts, cauliflower,  courgettes, leeks, sunflowers, marigolds, nasturtium, alpine strawberries, sugar snaps, garden peas, climbing beans and more sugarsnaps.  I wrote it all down in my Hobonichi diary with all the varieties and recommendations as to when to resow to ensure a continuation of the crop and toddled off home in the pouring rain.. laughing,,  memories revived of just how often I walked home in the rain as I always want to stay just another five minutes. As you can see there is a fair bit of weeding to do, but apart from that the plot is in good nick. The soil is a lovely rich dark colour, it has been well looked after in the past. We have two areas ready to go, one perfect for the spuds which are now chitting on the kitchen window sill. Hubby seems happy enough. And my shed is a wonderful heath robinson affair, half brick, half wood. It is very mandycharlie and I love it.

I think we are going to be happy here.