grand designs 2

Some mornings the top of Canary Wharf is shrouded in a Trollenberg Terror type cloud like it was on Saturday. I’m not quite sure why I like it when that happens, because it normally means that we are going to have rain all day. But by the time I came out from my stretch, soak and sauna I was surprised to see that the clouds had gone. And even more surprised when I arrived at the allotment to find that John had spent the morning laying the last of the York stone slabs outside the shed to make somewhere for us to sit, eat and admire. It was amazingly warm when the sun came out briefly, perfect for testing whether the new pavement was large enough to accommodate a deck chair and a table.

I also managed to plant some garlic. For years I used to plant “Christo”, originally bought in an old fashioned seed merchants in Dublin about seven years ago. None planted last year, so no Christo. These fat cloves are Printanor organic garlic from Tuckers. I'm optimistic.

The soil is still wet and cold, so we’ve been turning the manure in to try and lighten it, though it still does not look too welcoming to me. We’ve also been preparing the bed for the asparagus by raking in sharp sand to lighten the clagginess of the heavy soil (grateful thanks are due to our kind neighbour Sally for her generous gift!). And to these neighbours too for theirs.

And getting ready for the vernal equinox, the daffodil bulbs we transplanted a few weeks ago seem to have survived. Hardly comparable to the swards which have appeared all over the borough in the last few weeks, but a start. But only one stick of rhubarb under the forcer, not enough for a feast yet.

And today, the rain has been a good excuse for staying at home and catching up. I managed to assemble a little temporary greenhouse to house some seed trays of tomatoes, aubergine and peppers. I’ve also put in some lettuce and leeks to transplant later when the soil warms up. Rather an elegant little construction, I think…