Links to Mr. Middleton's weekly tasks first:
1st Saturday, Early Rain, Plot Discussions & a Town Show
Woke up at 5am to the sound of rain, so I went back to bed instead of heading out for the planned 6am allotment visit. I’d been due to meet one of the early‑bird plotholders to discuss a few things, but with the weather shifting the morning around, I turned up just before 9am instead.
Managed to assist and speak at length with the plotholder in question. He’s downsizing to a more manageable plot, but despite the Secretary recently ordering two skips, both filled, he still has huge amounts of hoarded rubbish to clear, and less than a week to move all his stuff to his new plot.
Afterwards I grabbed a brew with a few of the other plotholders in the “café”, with the usual chat about how this year’s weather has affected the harvest.
Before heading home, I did a small spot of watering and weeding, then went back home for lunch before taking my wife to one of the local town’s shows for the afternoon.
A full day in the end, weather delays, plot discussions, a bit of graft, and a welcome change of pace later on.
2nd Sunday, Garden Watering & Shed Finials
No visit to the allotment today as the heatwave continued, so the focus stayed at home. I did the usual watering in both the front and back garden, trying to keep things going in the dry spell.
Spent some time sawing new finials for the shed’s bargeboards, then got them painted and attached, another small job ticked off while the weather stays fine.
Later on, I sorted out clothes indoors before preparing a few seeds to sow later this month, getting things lined up for the next round of planting.
A quiet, practical day, home jobs, watering, and a bit of preparation for what comes next.
3rd Monday, Heatwave, Apples and a Surprise in the Apple TreeToday has hovered around 27°C, and we’re still firmly in the middle of this heatwave. Every now and then we get a little spit of rain, but nothing that actually wets the ground. After work I headed to the allotment and managed a small bit of weeding before the heat got too much.I harvested some apples from my Arthur Turner tree to give the remaining fruit a bit more space to grow. When I checked the large apple tree in the centre of the plot, I found the same sight I’ve had for the last four years, it’s been turned into a pigeon maternity ward once again. The pigeons have built a nest right in the branches and are sitting on their eggs, completely at home.Despite the heat, I’ve felt quite upbeat today. I was all sorted for work this morning with no rushing around, and I’ve ticked off a few tasks at home too. I even managed to clear out some old rotten wood from the front garden, take it to the recycling centre, and get rid of it. That’s freed up about four feet of extra garden space at the front, which feels like a small victory.A productive day all round, allotment progress, a bit of home improvement, and even the pigeons seem pleased with themselves.
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