Planting

Ate our first strawberry of the year today! Shared with Rachael. Summer has arrived!

Found a largeish garden spider lurking in the inner band of my hat. Quite glad I followed the inexplicable urge to check it!

Bed 1: Rachael planted potatoes, from B&Q of all places, and we covered with membrane. I planted a tray of herbs (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Spearmint) aiming for a nice abundant herb patch of whatever is most vigourous. A little survival of the fittest is OK here. Teamwork today. Nice!

Bed 4: I managed to plant 11 sweetcorn, 45 lettuces (Lollo Rosso, Iceberg and Cos)

Bed 6: Planted 18 broad bean seedlings. Not sure at all what they are going to be like, very small indeed and way late for planting.

Bindweed continues to be a major hassle. If we ever find a use for the stuff then a new empire can arise, built on this rare and precious resource, and it's capital shall be my allotment.

My planting regime is following the old Russian maxim of 'God likes things in threes' - lets hope the allotment god feels the same way about my little rows of threes.

I made comfrey and urine soup today, utlising the piss bucket, for use as tomato food when they come into flower.

A female kestrel was hunting over me today, always a stirring sight, and made me think that I really must build a kestrel box for next year. It must be the day for raptors as I also saw a male sparrowhawk getting seen off by, of all things, a couple of swifts. Plucky little things.

Jobs to be done soon:

• 6+7 to be dug properly.
• Mowing
• Incinerator emptying.
• Stakes for tall things.
• Extra tomato plants to be repotted
• Lettuces to be covered.

Also, but not so urgently

• Clear the bloody carpets that are ruining our allotment.

Coffee and a cigarette on the patio set, elbow on the ipod and my Black n Red a5 ringbound notebook under a gelpen in my right hand, large billowing clouds in a bright blue sky. What a joy.

"I must have been working the ropes when your hand slipped from mine." der de doo de doo.