Daughter and Son-in-law had already spent one weekend digging and had laid out 4 beds and a sitting area. And Daughter had planted garlic and onions in one bed: she was very excited to see that they'd grown!

It's a very large triangular-shaped patch. The photo of Holly is taken from the sitting area looking down on Saturday morning before we started work. the other two photos show what it was like when we left there today with 8 double-length beds dug and a fruit cage frame erected. The last photo on the right is from the bottom corner of the patch. It is 53 woman-strides from one end ot the other. Pretty good, eh? And that was after S-i-l was called into work first thing this morning. (He works in the maxillo-facial department of the hospital and makes new 'bits' for people inured by accident or illness.)

In return for the hard work of Husband and me, we were fed wonderfully by Daughter who is a brilliant cook. We woke on Saturday to the smell of home-made Danish (or should that be Devon?) pastries baking, followed by home-made bread sandwiches and a bean and squash cassoulet for dinner. With scrumptious apple pie and clotted cream after the rugby to cheer us up.

For lunch today we had yummy leek and butter-bean soup with truffle oil - Daughter worked out the recipe after having it at a lovely local restaurant. Nigella? Pah! Daughter can do it without the simpering.

xxx

Hey ho, it's off to work with we go

I'm not doing Photohunt this weekend (or next come to think of it). Next weekend we're off to a wedding and tonight we're going down to Devon to visit Daughter and Son-in-law and Holly Dog. I say we're going to visit but actually we've been invited to work. Daughter and S-i-l have recently taken on an allotment, a large and very overgrown allotment. So mum and dad have been roped in to dig.

I don't mind: it's the sort of gardening I do best, killing things.
xx

Ain't life grand?

I have a guset post up on Shades's blog ( I am tempted to leave that mistyping in!) all about the Grand Theatre in Swansea. I could find very little information about its history actually and that has given me a whole new idea (which I am pondering). Anyway, I was in town yesterday and popped into the theatre to ask if I could take some photos.

The Duty Front of House Manager took me into the auditorium and I started snapping away. I'd taken a few when I realised I didn't have the flash on. I took a few more ... and the batteries died. Ever the professional, I had taken spare ones in case of this very eventuality.

None of those worked either.

I told the DFoHM that I had plenty and that would be fine, thank you, and left hurriedly.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Have I mentioned that Daughter and Son-in-law are about to become proud owners of an allotment? They take it on in September and Daughter has set up a blog to record how they progress. She'd love it if you'd go and visit! (The blog that is - although you'd be welcome to visit the allotment as well as long as you take a spade and are prepared to work.)

We went to look at it last weekend. It is a very large plot that hasn't been tended for a year or so - it used to belong to Walter who grew cabbages. Husband and I are booked for a weekend in September to take our muscles and forks. I'm good at that sort of clearance gardening!

Several of the plots are completely overgrown and untended but, unless the tenants agree to give them up, they can't be handed on to the next person on the waiting list. And there is a waiting list. But to rent the allotment only costs about £20 a year so people hang on in the hope that one day they'll have time to do something with them.

I still find it hard to believe that my daughter is grown up, a good cook and now a keen gardener! (All she needs now is babies - as I have mentioned to them several times ... {it's okay, they just laugh at me!})