Roll on 2007

Well, the winter was with us this weekend. With turnips now appearing in our weekly veg box, it can only be a matter of time before sprouts spring up (heaven forbid!) And with the dark nights eating up the day, my plans are already afoot for next year's garden.

This year was spent sorting out my book, and as much as next Spring will be spent writing the next, the plot isn't going to suffer (the veg not the story... I hope!). But I'm going to return to basics. None of this 'trying to grow six types of chilli unsuccessfully' malarkey - instead I'm going to focus on the basics, which made last year so succesful to me. I really missed my courgettes and the countless runner beans that prospered on the slopes of Crystal Palace. I might even rope in a friend to help - a plot halved is a plot solved eh?

Well, maybe not, but I can live in hope. And Anything but Sprouts can be truly up and running again!

Slug

I was just looking at this post on the Pumpkin Soup blog and it reminded me of when we lived in a flat near Tooting. I used to wake up to find slug trails across the corridor floor. Horrible things to see - especially when you don't have your slippers on. And then one morning I went to fill the kettle and found a very boiled slug floating in the small amount of water that was left in there from the last time we made a cup of tea. I gagged, in no small part due to the fact that the last cupper had been brewed only an hour earlier.

Thankfully, we're in a raised ground floor flat now!

Autumn delights

Autumn's arrived.

As if the weekend was summer's last gasp, Monday morning brought with it steamed-up windows and a chilly wait at the station. I must admit that I love this time of year - or moreover, the weather. I love hearing the torrential train pelt down outside, and I love seeing breath flee my mouth when I exhale. I also love the fact that it's now much more preferable to drink red, rather than white wine, and I can't wait for the first drop of Port to be officially poured.

And it's true, I can't wait to put on a jumper.

Some minor achievements

Anything but sprouts has been a bit quiet of late. The garden hasn't seen much loving, and even the birds have been complaining about lack of food. But even with my lack of time and effort on the plot this year, there have been a few minor successes.

The Broad Beans came out beautifully before they got savaged by blackfly. I did love them, and I'll definitely try more next year. My Blueberry bush has given me loads of fruit - quite unexpectedly – and I am determined to get a few more plants for next year. Another success has been my tomato hanging basket at the front of my flat. They've ripened beautifully, and the taste is just amazing. Sod flowers, hanging baskets will always have tomatoes in them from now on! And finally, my chillis. While not having quite as much fruit on them as previous years, I have at least 6 chillis to dry and see me through the next month or so.

I just wish I had more to show, or rather eat, for the past 6 months of Anything but Sprouts. Next year, maybe...

My upwards broad beans

It's been another weekend of hard slog (if that's what you can call writing) indoors for me. I did get out a couple of times to hang the washing and even to water the broad beans though. I've actually got a few pods growing now, and they're a most impressive sight. Seeing them grow upwards was a bit of a shock. I guess as they're broad, they have a bit of attitude that allows them to defy gravity.

My courgette plants are coming along nicely on the window sill, and so are my chillis, despite them being very much in need of repotting. I'll get there soon...

The Aquilegias

With all the rain recently, Crystal Palace has turned into the jungle. It's so green round here that if Orville finally learnt to fly you wouldn't see him for all the trees.

And in a brief respite from the rain and writing, I managed to get out at the weekend and photograph our aquilegias. They didn't flower last year, but here they are as lovely as anything.

What a month!!

Despite a rushed effort to bolster my broad beans last Thursday night, I'm sorry to say that my garden is looking in much the same state as my blog recently - a bit worse for wear. I've been so busy on the second draft of my book that I've just had no time to think of anything else.

And it's not just my garden that looks like a jungle - my bedroom window sill is threatening to turn my flat into the Amazon Rainforest. The seeds have all gone crazy. Everything needs repotting - particularly my tomatoes - but where's the time!

Thanks to everyone who's visited recently, and I promise I will get back into the blogging habit, but I've had to let it take a backseat for the moment. Come July though, most of the hard work should be done, and life will return to normal...

Phew!!

Runner bean killer

I was away again this weekend, enjoying the sun in the wilds of Kent. And unfortunately, just like last weekend I arrived home to find something had eaten my runner and french bean seedlings.

Who was it? My flaming cat that's who! I'd put them inside to protect them from the slugs, only to find on my return that milo had been enjoying fresh greens as a complement to his very full catfood bowl.

Gah!!

A weekend of no gardening

For all the free time at the weekend (much of it spent in Wolverhampton), I did very little in the garden. This feeling of achieving nothing out on the plot was exacerbated by the fact that I broke our ageing garden bench (by merely sitting on it), and also a number of slugs and snails demolished my runner beans that were hardening up on the front steps. one step forward, three steps back.

Not to get too downhearted though, I did do lots of thinking (something I'm getting terribly good at), and even a bit of work on my book. (As an update to the book situation, the contract is now finalised and is currently being drawn up for me to sign. And I'm even more excited than ever...)

Making the most of the garden though, I did go out to enjoy a glass of wine in the sun yesterday. It's looking lovely out there, with a nice sense of order starting to appear. Kind of organised squares. And the rhubarb is doing brilliantly, and sitting very comfortably in the middle of the lawn. I knew there could be no better spot for it!

Now I just need to grow some more runner beans. At least there's plenty of time in hand.

Smilax Glyciphylla

I've been reading a book called, The life and times of John Nicol, mariner. A great little historical autobiography from the early 19th century about a Scotsman who travels the world many times because he's a sailor.

When he gets to the new colonies in Australia he talks of a sweet tea he drinks, like china tea. There's a wonderful moment when he mentions an old lady with a shrivelled face and white hair who everyone goes to see because she is suckling a child after just giving birth. Her 'fecundity' is because of the tea made from the Smilax Glyciphilla, or Sarsparilla as it's more commonly known.

I don't want to have kids when I'm ninety, or suckle them, but I think I'm going to buy some and grow it in my garden.