My San Diego Palm tree.

It is most unlikely that I will ever get to California so I thought I would have a go at making my own palm tree. Previous to today I had been up the tree using my ladders but it was awkward and a bit scarey (unsafe) to my way of thinking. 

So I attached the saw to a broom handle then attached the handle to my flag pole, giving me the desired height/length.

I was working blind I could not see the saw or where I was cutting. It was really had work sawing and the weight of the pole didn't help.

After 10 minutes of sawing and lots of pauses the top was off.

I'm glad it fell the right way because the weight and size of the timber would have wrote my greenhouse off.

The finished thing, my look alike palm tree!!!!!
I've put a video of the last 10 seconds of the sawing and the top falling on my f/book.
Our Steven was the camera man.

Potatoes.

I have not grown potatoes for a couple of years now, it became too much trouble. I lost two crops due to the weather (the rain) one year and much the same the year after. This year I feel lucky I have set these second early ones should be ready to dig out end of July/August fingers crossed.

Another job done.

My onions are in.

Ex-strawberry bed. Nine rows of onions.

Strawberries.

Yesterday I spent all day at the allotment again.
This is my new strawberry patch, I salvaged as many plants as I could from the old patch. There must be at least twice as many that have died off. This is something that happens with strawberries the patch only lasts a few years then the ground gets some sort of virus that kills the plant.

The old patch all rotavated and almost ready for the next planting (onions I think).
The gooseberry bushes at the top of the old patch I can't make my mind up what to do with them they are becoming a bit of a nuisance. No one seems to want gooseberries anymore!!!

A busy week.

Monday we went to do some supermarket shopping, I drive the car Una does the shopping. without sounding chauvinistic it's something I find women do better than men, or me at least. Then I took Una for her dinner at The Drawbridge Inn they do a very good carvery. At teatime the weather forecast on TV promised three dry days Tues, Wed and Thurs so I popped up to the allotments to check the ground to see if it was workable. To my surprise it was I knew there and then where I would be for the next three days.

Before I started.

Tuesday I took my generator and rotavator to the allotment and set about turning the soil, bearing in mind it had not been turn over in two years, it wasn't too hard.

Three hours later, one half done

This is my strawberry bed it's almost perished due to last years neglect.

Wednesday I set about the second half, this took longer than I expected but it got done.
No these are not goalposts they are the supports for my runner bean canes 8' high.

 

I spent the rest of the day and Thursday cutting back brambles and tidying the dead grass and weeds on my other allotment

 There's not much you can do with brambles, dead weeds and grass they take up too much space.

 The easy option is to burn them.

 Two bonfires later and this allotment is ready for the rotavator.

Friday it rained an inside job beckoned.
Our Steven wanted me to teach him how to wallpaper a room.
This was my Friday and best part of Saturday taken care of. Teaching is a skill I don't posses. I can show someone how to do something but I do not have the ability to put it into words. I am too sharp spoken and too quick tempered. We got on OK, he followed my instructions and I did my best to keep my cool. We finished the job today Saturday still friends. On leaving his house I said "well you now know how to wallpaper", his reply was"yes and I know now to pay someone else to do it next time". True it is a time consuming job, much easier to pay someone else to do it.

Tuseday fry up.

I love a fry up at least once a week but I hate washing up afterwards. So we have them away from home and let someone else have the muck!!! Cheers.