It never rains...

...at least, not in Norwich these days.

That's a bit of a lie.  There was definite misting this afternoon as we were planning on leaving the office, but by the time I had returned home the streets were dry and I got to go on the evening walk with Gav and Pepper.  Which was lovely. 

But not lovely for the allotment.

Yes, at long last we've managed to do a bit more work in the allotment!  Not alone, I hasten to add, it would have been impossible without the kind assistance of Papa B and under the watchful eyes of Zoe, Pepper and Rodney, but we finally have a Vegetable Plot.


The Vegetable Plot lives at the front of our allotment, possibly as far from the Shed (at the back) as you can get.  By the Shed we have got Tomato Corner.  More on Tomato Corner later.  The Vegetable Plot is positioned by the entrance because, just before the tree with bird seed feeders hanging from it, there is a water source.  This water source is kind of like a giant sink with a tap that comes from it, rather than a tap that pours into it.  Does that make sense?  I hope so...


Firstly, an allotmenteer must clear carpet from their patch.  We have done that.  Rolled it up into nice piles.  Ready for the winter when we want to lay it again?  Not quite sure what we'll do with it, but we are a family of hoarders.  Having cleared the carpet, it is time to get the shed built (done, but not blogged about - maybe another time) and the plot rotovated.  This is where the boys come in.

 Apparently, rotovating isn't as hard as all that.  Not that I was too interested.  I was completely distracted by the goodies.

I know it's not 100% how you should do it, but we've been contending with a lot, both procrastinating about our studies, I've worked away, Pepper dog takes up a lot of time, Norwich have been promoted, we've got a wedding to plan (dresses to try on) and none of our horses won the Grand National.  Which was pants.  But the plants were good.  

See what I did there?!  I'm a freaking comedienne.

In there we had a whole bunch of:
- Lettuce
- Leaf beets
- Beetroot
- pretty flowers, that I've already forgotten the names of
- 1 x cucumber
- 2 x chilis
- 3 x cherry tomatoes
- 2 x courgettes
- 2 x pepperes
- Kale that my parents started off
- 3 x tomato plants we picked up outside a house near my parents'
- Potatoes!!!!  Lots of

Plus, we also planted seeds for:
- Carrots
- Broccoli

- Artichoke.

I'm most excited about the artichoke.

Doesn't it look good?  We're going to put some scarecrows and netting out to protect our little plants this weekend.  Tomato corner lives by the shed, as it is a bit more sheltered for my precious plants.  The previous allotmenteers had kindly left us with many, many bottle 'green houses' that we are utilising to make sure the plants grow big and strong.  Not sure if we're meant to make them grow that big, but I'm excited.

 
So I've been spending my lunch breaks watering the seeds and talking to the plants.  It's really quite nice.

And probably the first time I've wanted a downpour in quite some time.

As I said, it never rains...

All work and no play

I love to complain.  What Anne cannot complain about probably isn't even worth mentioning.  Having said that, working away isn't always so bad and I really do enjoy my job on the sly.  Last week I got to stay in a hotel in Sheffield that made the best burgers I've ever had (and I've had some burgers in my time).  While the hotel seemed to be situated on a dual carriageway, it was within a two minute walk to a local pub that had a claw crane by the front door with perhaps the ugliest toys I've ever seen.  But, even better than that, I was introduced to the best pub quiz game I've played ever.  The pub quiz game is actually available nation wide I would imagine, but my kind colleagues introduced it to me here.  I was cheated out of a £2 prize.  Gutted.  Here's to the next time.

I also got to stay in a hotel that shall remain nameless because it really isn't worth mentioning - slightly Fawlty Towers-esque with 70s carpets.  Best pillows of the week, for sure though.  What I really liked about this hotel was the fact that it was situated in the Yorkshire countryside, just outside of Bradford, with a field of cows right beside us and it didn't rain.

Perfect.

  
After our first day I went for a little wander into the village and saw the pretty cotton-puff clouds in the sky.  There's something pretty lovely about a blue sky with the green grass beneath it.  I found a village green where the locals were playing cricket.  I sat and watched for a minute before remembering I didn't have the faintest idea about what they were doing and really didn't care.  Plus I was missing a drink and knew it was almost time for my next three course meal courtesy of the company.  So I headed back through the fields, past a cute church complete with stocks (still in use? Who knows what happened to the losing cricketers) and the best cared for churchyard I've seen in a while, with pretty little benches and hundreds of wild flowers.
 

 
The best part of it all though was when I got to pet the cows.  They (the cows) didn't let me near the little calves, but it was like a petting zoo with potentially really wild animals.  Don't tell the people left in the office just how much fun it really is working away, they'll all want to go too!

Wedding Fever

Leaving the palace in style

After yesterday I cannot imagine that many people aren't feeling a little bit of the warm and fuzzies when thinking about the royal couple starting their lives together.  There is a definite chance we're all suffering complete media overkill but, as a bride to be myself, I know I could not get enough of watching the crowds, the flowers, the dress and of course the looks that the couple shared during and after the ceremony.  I loved the nerves before the wedding, the smiles during, the excitement when it was all over - and of course the surprised look as Kate and William walked out onto the balcony for that kiss and realised just how loved they were.  Not to mention the fact that afterwards, I got to sit in a sunny (although slightly chilly...) garden with friends, drinking champagne to toast William and Kate for the day off work and discuss the minute details with my like minded girlfriends.

I would never suggest that my wedding will be anything like the royal wedding yesterday.  Goodness knows that there will not be street parties across the land, although having a member of the world's media present to assist with skypeing the ceremony so my grandparents can watch in Colorado would be a nice touch.  Having said that, while planning is still in the early stages I hope that I don't get lost in the details and remember, like I think William and Kate did, that despite all the hoo-ha all that really matters is the commitment you are making.  It's not about the diamond tiaras, or horse drawn carriages, or expensive (really beautiful) dresses.  It is about having fun with the day, enjoying each other and the family and friends who are there to share it with you.  Plus the hats, I am really expecting some good hats in the crowd...

I know that I'll be Gav's princess, not just for the day.  I can't wait! 

Catching up

It's been a while since I sat down and wrote out a little something to say.  I think it's because the sun has started to shine and the world seems a lot more exciting than in the depths of January.  Well, maybe not more exciting, but there is definitely more opportunity and willing here to 'do' the fun stuff than 'not'.

So, what have we been up to?


Not as much on the allotment as we'd like, unfortunately.  Gav's been busy with projects and work of his own and I'm not certain how to use the rotovator, which is our next big task.  However, we did have a busy weekend just after my last post, where I got to borrow a Very Big Van from work and drive it around the city, to collect a shed that we bought on ebay.  For the bargain price of £20 we got to dismantle the shed, put it in the van and then put it back together again at a later date.  I was extremely helpful in the dismantling and carrying and Gav's done a fine job of rebuilding and making the shed nice now.  

He's also rearranged our 'poo store' and put it next to the shed.  It's nice to be able to have a proper home at the allotment, we've put some chairs there and bought a wheelbarrow that can live in the shed.  It's probably bigger than some New York apartments so all in all, a good deal.

The plan now is to rotovate the plot and create some proper beds for me to start work at planting and growing.  I've already pot planted some raspberries, blueberries and strawberries so should hopefully have a pretty mean fruit salad waiting for us later this year.  Given our current time scale I think we'll have to aim for some late season bits and pieces, not quite sure what yet as Gav is the primary reader of the gardening books, but any suggestions are welcome.  I'm mildly shocked that it's already late April but think that even if we don't get huge crops from our work this year, we'll have laid out the groundwork for some pretty good years to come.  Especially with all the poo that Gav's purchased.


Some photos coming soon for you (woops, lost my camera!).......  

After today I am going to be enjoying the best 11 day break from work since Christmas, so it is entirely possible I will get some time to play on the allotment.  Or do some studying of my own!!  I hope that everyone out there is looking forward to a nice long weekend, followed by another nice long weekend, possibly with a nice short work week or (if you're super lazy like me!) three extra days off in the sunny sunshine that we're currently enjoying.

Don't eat too many eggs!!

Living in the forest

We live near a place called Mousehold Heath in Norwich.

Mousehold is pretty cool for walking in and especially cool now we have a dog - 10 minutes out of our door and you can pretend you're in the wilderness.  Or, as wild as it gets in Norfolk.  

I was walking home from work yesterday and arranged to meet Gav, his dad and Pepper on "our favourite walk".  I think it was a nice surprise for Pepper to meet me in the heath.  I wonder though, does she think that when I leave the house, I just wander the heath waiting for her to join me.  I bet she wishes she got to go to work, too.

 

Fortune cookies of the world

I spoke tonight with one of my favourite people.  Possibly the only person who could say to me, "even without the accent, I knew your voice...my beautiful Anne" without a hint of irony. It always makes me really happy to speak with Grandma and I know I should call her more, because I'm pretty sure it makes her happy too.

There's very little I would change in my world beyond distance.  I have been extremely lucky to have spent my life in all the places that I have and my friends are fortunate to be spread in all the far-flung corners of the world.  I know that if I was to ask for a couch in most places someone would be able to sort something out, and that's a really wonderful feeling. At the same time, the world is sometimes insurmountably big and we don't get to see the people we want to all the time so I know it's important to appreciate the phone calls and say 'hello' to the ones we love.  And the ones we just really like.  Not forgetting the people that make us laugh, or find different perspectives, or even just sometimes get our goat even though they mean well.


I wish my grandparents were closer, as I wish that I was closer to them (weather in Boulder today sounds glorious compared to Norwich).  I'm having a think about them and hope that you have a moment to be selfish too.  Pick up the phone, call someone you haven't for a while and put a smile on your face.

Grandma & Pa-Gordy on their wedding day.  Aren't they beautiful!

Nearly National...

Those who know me well will attest to my love of sports and running around a field filled with jolly hockeysticks and the like.  Or perhaps not.  Having said that, I have grown to appreciate the allure of sports since my days of standing in the rain (or, as I got older, "running" with Georgie and finding ourselves a piece of toast before heading back outside to and "look like we'd been active" by shaking water from the nearest tree onto ourselves in order to achieve that classic "rained on" look favoured by gym teachers).  In the past twelve months, I have been to see both an English and an American football game (Norwich and Denver each lost, so I am not a good luck token and should not venture to too many games in coming months) and if the opportunity for an ice hockey match should arise then I am there...love the fisticuffs.

Having said all that, I am very proud of my mother-in-law to be who very nearly became a national indoor bowls champion and proves that, despite what her son has sometimes said, second place is not first loser.   Well done Carol!!  Next time...

Published in the Ipswich Evening Star, 5 March 2011