At long last!

Last week the weather improved and not only did we have two afternoons at Nostell Priory but we also had a couple of afternoons working on the allotment.

Our first visit had to be without Ruby as we wanted to visit the garden. In all our visits we have been restricted to the parkland as dogs are not permitted in the garden. We didn’t expect the gardens to be so extensive.  

It’s a pity that we can’t visit with Ruby as dogs are permitted in some NT gardens that are far more manicured than those of Nostell which for the most part is set out in a naturalistic style. To be honest much of the garden is very similar to the areas where dogs are allowed. There are, however some animals that they can't keep out.

Not wishing to deprive, Ruby of her walk we paid a second visit the day after keeping to the areas where she was permitted.

The weekend was spent at the allotment where we did some tidying. I pruned the rest of the roses and, Martyn gave the grass the first strim of the year. We also managed to do some general tidying. Martyn posted a video tour here.

The bulbs are coming into life on the allotment, I've never planted crocuses here but, a few years ago, I noticed a single flower which has since propagated itself and now we have a few small clumps. The tulips have increased in number too, as have the cyclamen, another plant that introduced itself.

The spring bulbs in our garden are also really starting to make everywhere look spring-like but I guess it is too early to start counting chickens.

The birds were enjoying the sunshine and their song competed with the sounds of strimmers and cultivators. They managed to thwart any attempts to take a decent photograph by assuming uncooperative positions.

A major breakthrough last week was the arrival of our seed order from Kings. Out of sheer frustration, I sent an email for the attention of the managing director. Whilst waiting for an answer, I posted reviews on a couple of sites and commented and messaged them on their Facebook page. I also mentioned that visitors to our blogs were watching with interest. I had a reply from the MD the same day apologising and promising that our seeds would be delivered by the end of the week and they were. As expected there were some omissions no doubt due to some items being sold out by the time our order was processed. Fortunately we did receive most of our seeds and have placed an order elsewhere for some extras. These are promised within ten working days - watch this space.

Our homegrown vegetables this week were used in a spicy vegetable and quinoa dish. Other than onions the rest of the vegetables - green beans, peas, and sweet corn - came out of the freezer. I also added some leftover red pepper. I didn't add as much liquid as the recipe shows as I didn't want a soup like consistency.

Our fresh vegetables were used as accompaniment to fish dishes and to some cheese and onion patties that had been made from our potatoes and onions earlier and frozen to provide a quick meal. 

A second vegetable dish was a spicy root vegetable casserole. Into this went onion, carrot, parsnip and potatoes. The food photographs that I take never seem to look as good as the dishes actually taste.

Martyn and I were reflecting this week on how relatively lucky we have been during the lockdown periods. Besides having the allotment and our garden to enjoy we also have  Nostell on our doorstep - a place that we have underused in the past. We are in a bubble with my sister and so we can visit her as usual. We also have been able to have most of our shopping needs delivered. There are many people a lot worse off than we are. 

The vaccination roll-out is progressing well so let's hope that soon we start seeing the benefits.  As always stay safe and well.

Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett