All ready for some sunshine!

All ready for a new season

I popped up to the allotment this morning to sort out the water barrels before the forecasted rain arrives. Our water tap doesn't get turned on at the mains until May so we are totally dependent on captured rainwater. We have a water butt collecting rain water off the shed roof and the overflow then feeds four 50 gallons butts inside the polytunnel by underground pipe. This system usuallly enables us to be almost self sufficient on rain alone for most of the year.

Ooccasionally, however, the system stops working so I have to check downspouts, taps and pipework to make sure we don't miss a drop. It only took a few minutes to sort out the problem. And then I was able to do what you should always do on an alotment - sit down and think!

Today the allotment looked great. Jan does almost all the work - she loves it! She spends hours up there. The raised beds have all been prepared and are ready for the season ahead. The onions and garlic are in and the broad beans are up. The apple and plum trees are in blossom. We are almost self sufficient in the fruit and veg area. We are still using fresh cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and leeks. And we have three freezers at home which guarantee that we always have tomatoes, peas, beans and soft fruit.

Oh yes, life is good! Bring on the summer!