July on the allotment, enjoying tasty spuds and beautiful broad beans

It's July and our allotment is in full swing. After all the digging and rotivating, we're now enjoying the fruits of our labour. The past few weeks have consisted of blazing sunshine and heavy downpours - perfect growing conditions for vegetables and flowers. Sadly also perfect growing conditions for weeds. At the moment the veg are winning the battle over the weeds, but it's a close-run thing.
One of the things I look forward to most is getting the first crop of potatoes out of the ground. Some time ago Magoo appointed herself as chief-potato waterer. She has done a sterling job and takes full ownership of the crop. She wants to see each and every potato come out of the ground. I can't really blame her, there's something magical about putting one seed potato in a trench and then digging out a cluster of tasty new potatoes a few weeks later.


Magoo loves fishing out each potato from the soil, even the teeny tiny ones. Getting your hands in the earth is what it's all about.
Once we're home she loves to wash and prepare the vegetables we've bought home. Magoo set to work with scrubbing the potaoes ready for our evening meal. She is lucky to have the experience of seeing her food travel from ground to plate in a matter of hours.


We also picked the last of the broad beans. It's the first year we've grown them and they have been really tasty. The only problem we had was the plants became covered in black fly. My Mum used an organic spray on them which helped alot. But I've read that you can squish them off with your fingers or blast the black fly off with water. We will definitely grow them next year, but will get on top of the black fly earlier.
We need to leave the broad bean plants in the ground for a while because they perform the clever trick of fixing nitrogen into the soil. Anything that boosts soil quality without chemicals gets a thumbs up from me.

Again Magoo likes to prepare the beans. We love to pop the pods open together and pick the beans out of their fluffy jackets. One of the things I love about broad beans is the downy beds Mother Nature gives them to grow in. I think that's why broad beans are such a great crop to grow with children. The whole preparation process is so tactile.


As one crop comes to an end we can start to put in a new one. We've taken out all the garlic and planted purple sprouting in it's place. Crops on the horizon are peas, runner beans, squash and courgettes - they are getting bigger day by day. We're also growing some pumpkins for Halloween. Well, you have to plan ahead when you've got an allotment...

I'm linking up with these amazing blogs:
Country Kids #countrykids over on the www.coombemill.com blog.
"How Does Your Garden Grow" over on the beautiful mammasaurus.co.uk blog

#ordinarymoments over on www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk
Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk
Image of the Week over on www.trulymadlykids.co.uk
Magic Moments over on theoliversmadhouse.co.uk

A Year on the Allotment: February

This month on the allotment it's all about the digging. And the weeding.

The plot has been a bit neglected recently with illness in the family and my Mum breaking her arm.

It doesn't take long for weeds and grass to make inroads into the allotment.

There's only one way to prepare a plot and that's to dig it.

Luckily Mr. M is on a health drive and sees digging as part of his keep fit regime...which is lucky as there's tons of it to do.

We all pitched in, Magoo weeded the raised bed & I dug the flower section.

We went prepared with sandwiches, chocolate and crisps and ate a picnic in the sunshine.

There aren't many things that can top a hot cuppa from a flask. Simple pleasures.

We listened to the birds singing and waved at the people sitting on the trains passing by.

We peered at "massive" worms.

Magoo's use of the word "massive" has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

We also went to have a nose at the chickens on a neighbour's plot.

He kindly gave us three fresh eggs, which Magoo carried back to our home as if they were the crown jewels.

When we downed tools, we were dirty and tired, but we'd made some progress with preparing the plot.

I think three sets of muddy gloves and muddy boots are a sign of a day well spent...

I'm linking up with these lovely blogs Country Kids, #ordinarymoments over on www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk, The Outdoor Play party over on http://mudmudmarvellousmud.com, #magicmoments on theoliversmadhouse.co.uk, Image of the Week #iotw www.trulymadlykids.co.uk, How Does Your Garden Grow over on www.mammasaurus.co.uk

Winter walk to the allotment

The sun was out so we decided to take a walk to the allotment. We haven't been there for weeks, it's been so cold & wet. Plus my Mum broke her arm before Christmas and then we lost our Grandmother on 30th December. So all in all, the allotment has not been at the forefront of our minds. But the sun was out, we needed to get some air & my mind always starts to turn to the new growing season at this time of year.

Back in the Autumn, my Mum and niece had worked hard clearing away an ancient compost heap left behind by the previous tenant. They'd also cut down a mass of blackberries. Although there's loads more to do, it's starting to take shape. The main thing with allotments is keeping on top of the weeds & grass that invade the growing space...it's a full-on battle at times.

Although most of the plots are looking pretty stark & empty, the first signs of new growth are starting to show. Buds on the trees, bulbs poking through and lots of freshly dug soil waiting for seeds to be planted.

The main casualty of the Winter is the shed on the plot. It's hanging on by a wing & a prayer. It's in desperate need of some TLC once the weather warms up a bit. Nothing a few nails, wood paint and elbow grease wont sort out.

My daughter has already requested a picnic at the allotment...we'll definitely have to wait for the weather to warm up before we plan that little outing!

I'm linking up with Country Kids over on the Coombe Mill blog,'How Does Your Garden Grow' over on the Mammasaurus blog & Ordinary moments on the Mummy, Daddy & Me blog and #mummymonday link over on the Mummy Bloggers community

Chilly Walk in Clevedon

We love Clevedon in North Somerset. It is a special place for us because it's where we tied the knot back in 2009.

We went to Clevedon on Saturday for a Winter walk. It was a very chilly, crisp December day...but unbelievably still. I happened to turn around just as we were about to climb the hill and the Marine Lake on the seafront was so calm it looked like a mirror.

For years we've been visiting Clevedon and turning right out of the car park to walk along the seafront. Lured in that particular direction by the views of the elegant pier, ice creams and the amazing shops in Hill Road.

Today we decided to turn left out of the car park and walked up the hill towards an area called Poets Walk.

It's a bit of a climb, but once at the top you are rewarded with views across to Wales, the Mendips and the Somerset Levels. You also pass a pretty church and graveyard, in fact, it is the church used in the ITV drama Broadchurch.

The area between Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon is a beautiful part of the levels, it is virtually untouched by roads and probably hasn't changed for hundreds of years. Sustrans have been campaigning for a cycle track to be created on the section of the coast between Weston & Clevedon for over twenty years. It would create a much needed link between the two towns and I would love to cycle along that particular stretch.

Now we've discovered this part of Clevedon, I can safely say we will be back for many more walks in the future...

I'm linking up with #countrykids fun over on the Coombe Mill blog

I'm also linking up with the Magic Moments link-up on the Oliver's Madhouse blog

And linking up with the Brilliant Blog Posts link-up on the honestmum.com blog

Breathless at Brent Knoll

One of the upsides of moving back to my home town is that I can take my daughter to all the places I enjoyed going to as a child.

One of those places is Brent Knoll on the Somerset Levels. It is quite a unique hill. Anyone travelling on the M5 to Devon and Cornwall may have spotted it as they pass Weston-super-Mare and travel further into the South West. It looms up out of a landscape which is predominantly flat (well, they aren't called the levels for nothing). It is 449 ft above sea level and once you've got to the top, there are 360 degree views all around you.

It's no wonder you find the remains of a hill fort up there, you could see your enemy approaching from all directions. For many years it has been used as a vantage point. Bronze age, Iron age and Roman troops have used Brent Knoll as a safe place to keep an eye on the surrounding land.

These days it is one of the best places to see jaw-dropping views of the beautiful countryside and coastline we're lucky enough to have on our doorstep.

From the top you can see the coast of South Wales, the hills of Exmoor, the edge of the Quantocks, the Mendip hills, Cheddar Gorge and far off in the distance, Glastonbury Tor.

But before you get to see these views, you have to put in some leg work.

I haven't been to Brent Knoll since I was a child and I'd forgotten how steep it was. My heart sank when we got to the foot of the hill. I thought my daughter would complain all the way up. How wrong I was. She stormed on ahead of my husband and I. She was completely caught up in the task of getting to the top.

There's nothing like a climb up a steep hill to make you feel unfit. Whilst my daughter took the climb in her stride, we were puffing and panting up the path behind her. I felt like my heart was going to burst out my chest at one point.

But once you get to the top, you are completely rewarded for your efforts.

My daughter stood at the edge with her arms flung out on either side of her and shouted "this is amazing!"

And who can argue with that?