The Potting Shed, Now

Or conservatory, as I'm perversely inclined to start calling it. Obviously, no actual gardening could be done today with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. But not going to the allotment on a Sunday is a bit like not having a good old garlicky red-wine gravy with the Sunday dinner - almost unthinkable.  Anyway, I was curious to see how it would look in snow - a first. And also to see how much fox activity there'd been overnight, from tracks in the snow.

There had been some Reynard activity, as you can see from the photos, particularly the blood-and-feathers, which were downy and grey. Perhaps a wood pigeon which was investigating the compost heap and was too fat for the fox? I hope so, we've more of that species than we need. And it would have made a nice meal.

Anyway, I got the potting shed/conservatory cleared. Lots of plant pots and green garden netting, (protection against said wood pigeons). Couple of nice old metal boxes containing metal things like hinges and wall hooks, which I need to get some oil on to restore to usefulness. One of the tins was lined with newspaper, a mouse-shredded Daily Mail from 1987. Best of all, a substantial bit of actual fishing net. I'd guess, when it's stretched out, about 5ft wide by 20-30ft long. Perfect for peas and beans, as well as aesthetically pleasing and appropriate.

The last two times I've been down, clearing out first the tool-, and then the potting-shed, a robin has appeared, and perched on the old dead hedge plants at the SE corner, as if to say, "Why don't you bugger off? I want to look in that shed for the invertebrates you can't see." And so each time, I've duly buggered off.
Lunchtime today, looking north from the shed

Just some of the fox tracks - seems to have been bounding along here
Bird prints, fox prints, blood and feathers


From near the North boundary. You can just see the "pond", left foreground. 


Find of the day: a load of proper fishing net

The "Conservatory" BEFORE 
...And AFTER. The making of a serviceable potting shed. Though, mind, the roof is rather low. 

Look carefully, and you can see a Mrs Robin Redbreast in the middle of the photograph. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

LTPTP XXV: We Shall Overcome

Image
We shall indeed.  It's a lovely wee tune to learn.  I've almost memorized it this morning, the idea being, when I encounter a piano, I want something to sit down and play on the bugger.  I've a feeling that my keyboard's keys are lighter than a proper piano's, and there'll be a bit of effort transferring the skills I've gotten so far.  Probably, at some point this year, I'll be in workplace with a piano.  I'll print off some simple music and scales, and work at it, but it's likely to be in a public place so I want something to avoid making a twat of myself initially. It feels right that this should be the first tune I learn by heart.
Read more

Leech or flatworm? Ants and Swiss Chard

Image
For the 2nd time in a week or so, (1st time regarding dwarf beans ), I'm following Alys Fowler's advice, this time with regard to Swiss chard .  Long story short, after midsummer plants which often bolt if planted in spring will resist the impulse to do so, probably because of shortening days; (I say shortening, but in Glasgow, in July, we're still getting 18 hours of daylight).   I got a packet of Bright Lights , at a good price, (another reason to wait until July before sowing, lots of bargains, I've noticed). But where to sow them? Most of the 2nd bed is under a tarpaulin, but it wasn't quite big enough to cover the whole bed, so the last 5ft or so went under a sheet of plastic, (in the background of the photo in this post, here .) Transparent plastic was a foolish idea, weeds were growing underneath it, so I covered most of it with sheets of metal from the old shed. I decided to leave the tarp, but use the area beneath the plastic for the chard. Who-ah there
Read more

VINEGAR!

That wine I started a while back has turned to vinegar. Well, that answered questions I was asking myself back then, viz., 'Do we get vinegar flies around here?' And, 'Are all these little flies vinegar flies?' The fuckers. I thought I was being a clever recycler, not buying proper air-locks and using the old plastic-and-lacky-band method. Ah well, another step up another learning curve. Anybody need three gallons of white wine vinegar and two gallons of the impossibly exotic strawberry wine vinegar? It's been a 'business day', dealing with officials and filling out forms. Don't get me started! Alex came over tonight. He gave me the Aphonic CD (he's been in touch with them and they sent him several copies). I thoroughly approve of this new trend of bands getting their work known over the internet, by-passing (initially at least) the poisonous attentions of the music industry. Come to think of it, some of the people in that business are rat
Read more