Accessories

We have had a recent increase in gardening accessories, which I feel is worthy of note. The most significant addition would probably be my new pink wellies (photos to follow). I had been paddling about in green ones for some time now, and they just don't feel right. They feel "practical", and that's not really me (ask Simon). As luck would have it, Sarah-Jane (sister of Charlotte) was in the mood to get rid of her pink wellies, and so they have made their way from Yorkshire to Manchester, via Lancaster, to me. And very welcome they are too. I have now brought a new level of style to the allotments, and it's really up to the other residents to raise their game. 

Simon's birthday also brought a new book. Books have been one of my favourite things about the allotment. I like buying books anyway, but gardening books are the best. The pictures are fabulous (it's ALWAYS sunny in Gardening Book Land, they must shoot in the Maldives) and they look so nice on the bookshelf. 

The book in question is "Grow Your Own Veg" by Carol "Gardeners' World" Klein. It's gorgeous. The pictures are lovely, and there's absolutely loads of information. It's an excellent browser and resource. Carol, it turns out, is not really one for gardening accessories. In fact, she's in dire need of some pink wellie boots. 

The second book was a complete surprise. It arrived in the internal post at work from Jimmy and Sarah, ex-colleagues. This may be a way of apologising for the excessive ribbing I have received from them as a result of the allotment. "Your Allotment" is really useful. It covers all the basics, such as watering, which plants are "thirsty" and which aren't, an excellent guide to the different types of fertilising and a lot of help with maintaining the plot to keep it at its best. I think the thing which sets this book apart from many others is the protective plastic cover which it comes in. Allotment books are so nice, it's always a shame to get mud on them so they tend to stay away from the plot, but this one can travel! Hurrah. And the lady who wrote it is not averse to a bit of glamour. I suspect she will have some pink wellies somewhere. 

On a similar note, you may have seen our greenhouse in the photos. Si did an excellent job putting it up and weighing it down thoroughly. It is extremely warm and is doing an excellent job protecting our tomatoes, chillis and cucumbers. When we were down on the plot, with my grandparents who had come to visit, one of the other residents came over to admire it and ask where we got it from (Barton Grange, should you wish to know). We were very excited to see that he has now purchased exactly the same one. We are allotment trendsetters! No sooner had we recovered from this news, I opened the new book to find that the exact greenhouse is also featured in there as well! It's good to know that, at this early stage, we clearly have an instinct for these sorts of things. It's obviously a technique I have developed over many years of shopping practice.