August 2025

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8th Friday 8th August 2025 – Pottering Day in the Garden

Today was one of those gentle, ambling garden days where there’s no grand master plan — just a bit of this, a bit of that, and plenty of fresh air.

I started with the lavender. A few healthy stems caught my eye, so I took some cuttings for next year’s plants, and while I was there, I collected a handful of seeds. There’s something very satisfying about sowing them straight away — the quiet promise of next summer already tucked into the soil.

The greenhouse was my next port of call. My flat-leaf parsley seedlings were ready for a change of scenery, so I potted them on and settled them in among the other leafy residents. While I was in there, I gave the lettuce the same treatment, ensuring they had space to stretch their roots.

Outside, the front of the garage was looking a little shaggy, so I strimmed the grass into something neater. Then I got down to the fiddly but oddly satisfying job of weeding between the paving stones — a slow but worthwhile battle.

By the end of the afternoon, I’d done quite a bit without ever feeling rushed. The garden feels tidier, the greenhouse is fuller, and I have the happy sense of having nudged everything along nicely.

9th Saturday 9th August 2025 – BBQ & Planting

BBQ day at the allotment! My wife and I were manning the grill this afternoon, serving up burgers and sausages while catching up with fellow plot holders and their families. Sunshine, good food, and a lot of laughter – exactly what summer’s for.

Later in the day I got some planting done: Christmas potatoes are now in a large pot, along with two types of beetroot. In the front garden, flowers I started from seed a couple of months ago have finally been planted out – always satisfying to see them make it from tray to soil.

I’ve been gathering seeds for this month’s sowing and doing a bit of homework on what’s still worth planting now. Turns out, there’s more time left in the season than you’d think – so the plan is to keep the allotment busy right into winter.

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11th Monday, 11th August 2025

The whistle blew early this morning—not from the factory yard, but from my alarm clock. After a week of tending the home front full-time, I’ve returned to the ranks of paid work today. The change of pace felt rather like swapping the spade for a shovel in the coal yard—different tools, same spirit of effort.

No sowing in the veg patch today; instead, I brought home a little something to strengthen the troops: a fresh tin of rooting powder. It stands ready on the shelf like a ration tin, waiting for the next batch of cuttings to report for duty.

Another heatwave has marched in—third one this summer—so the afternoon was spent on the vital work of keeping the ranks alive. All seedlings transplanted yesterday were given a good drink and a hearty feed. They looked rather like weary soldiers being handed a tin mug of tea after a long march.

The war against waste and want is never won in a day, but with steady hands, a watchful eye, and the odd dab of rooting powder, the garden battalion will hold the line until the autumn reinforcements arrive.

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