After a week off, we finally started to think about our plot extension, Joe has taken what he wanted and it’s now all ours, this is the view from the back of the plot.
There is lots of work to do. One of my plans for next season is to do better at producing compost. We were gifted another, heavier plastic compost bin on Sunday (with a lockable list. So we decided to set up an area. We moved our oldest compost bin and all it’s contents, we did have compost at the bottom but all the stuff that wasn’t properly composted (and some bags of stuff that didn’t fit into the bins) was layered with woodchip into the new bin.
Behold the new compost area!
We are going to create two other wooden bins and move the black bin and it’s contents to this area, so the work isn’t finished yet but it feels like a good start.
That shed in the background needs to come down too, so we’ve offered to go halves on the cost of a skip with the allotment society, so we can get the stuff we don’t want off the plot. As we move the two compost bins we’ll need to sort out the areas left open. I also want to move the four gooseberry bushes we now have on the plot and split one of the rhubarb plants.
Then its sorting out the weeds and loganberries and building beds and tidying up. It’ll be quite a lot of work but we know more now so in some ways I think it’ll be easier. One of the good pieces of news for Ma is that Joe left a load of massive beetroot on the plot, which has made her month!
I’m doing pretty well considering and had a good, if busy, week. I got one event over with and am hurtling towards the team offsite, two days, one of work type things and another of volunteering. By the time that’s done, we (I say we, I mean my boss and the Heads of Audit) should have got the Audit Plan for next year and most of the Board and Governance meetings over with and work should be downhill all the way Ma’s birthday in early December, when I get a whole three days off, and then Christmas. Which feels ages away but isn’t really. I just bought Christmas books for the family, and now have to think about godchildren and other Christmas prep, once I’ve sorted out Oli and Ma’s birthdays!
Other things achieved this weekend, well Sue and I did good work sorting out food and tidying up for a seven year old’s birthday party, the boys in question were pretty good, the birthday boy was a tad overexcited (but he’s had quite the week!). Ma and I had a cracking day on the plot on Sunday and have started work on the new section, there is lots of work to do. I’ve also been having a low key declutter, so currently all the chests of drawers in my bedroom are very tidy!
The plan for this week is to cheer the hell up, Sarah is coming for dinner tonight and other than some time with Michael, I’m all about work until the weekend, when I’m seeing Christelle and spending a day on the plot. Actually, the biggest problem right now, is finding time tog do nothing. Right now, I have a day to sort out the flat and life admin and a day on the plot and then it’s time to go pack to work, I want some days to lie about doing nothing (actually, I want all the days to do that!).
It looks very autumnal at the moment but the kale is magnificent
I can deal with that, but the other thing that isn’t really my issue but is having an interesting effect. And while I’m going to be circumspect about the actual thing, suffice to say that some close friends are dealing with a child and a leukaemia diagnosis. It’s not at all about me at all I know this, but apparently, my brain is dredging up trauma because I’m watching my friends go through something similar to Stef dying (I’m in no way equating a seriously ill child with a dying fiancé before anyone jumps on me, just pointing out that my brain doesn’t distinguish). I’m dreaming about Stef, which hasn’t happened for a while and yesterday while having a perfectly normal conversation started crying. I don’t have PMT, so here we are. I’m having a reaction and this folks, is why I’m so keen on therapy, yep I’m having more because I need not to emote all over my friends right now but I need to sort my brain out!
Nic Dempsey 