So close, we can smell mortgage freedom!

edinburgher

Isn't it great when parents want to "help"? I would never let my FIL take over my garden, we'll never forgive him for the year where he grew huge quantities of kohlrabi (shudder)!

I would love to do an epic rail journey one day. Russia had been high up the list until recent events... Perhaps I'll just do an epic because it's so impractical rail journey instead, like one of the three day trains across the US!

themadvix

Eeek to the kohl rabi! I'll welcome some help as Mr MV isn't really into the gardening side (he's up for sitting with a cold beer at the allotment though and watching me work!), but I do want to do it my way - grow things I'll eat and try to do it no-dig, which I'm not sure my Dad will get his head round (I've already told him to look it up!).

We'd love to do an epic rail journey too. We spent quite a bit of lockdown watching travel Youtubers, including Simply Railway - we know all about all the different long-distance journeys and the cabins/service you can get (very sad, I know!)! It was once of the reasons we're fitting in a short Amtrak journey in America. The problem in June though is that we'll only be going for a short time (having been away most of May!), so we don't want to spend the whole trip on the train - that said, Amsterdam is definitely an option as we've not been there.

Karmacat

I've loved travelling by train, mostly throughout Europe, but some in Canada and the USA.  The longest non-stop was Crete to London, which I broke overnight in Switzerland for a sleep in a bed and a meal (at McDonalds, I won't say it was a good meal, it was just what I could afford ).  Then when I was rich I went London to Madrid and paid for one of those private bedrooms on the spot, I had a headache and needed to lie down, it was fantastic.  And there was the time I smuggled some ouzo for a Greek couple I was travelling with, after the man had fought off some Yugoslavian thieves that jumped onto the train ... train travel is fascinating!

Your greenhouse also sounds fascinating - good idea to keep it in your own garden when you're learning how to use it.

carolbee

Re your allotment, have you got a seed library near you? As allotment holders here too, you’ll find other plot holders happy to share, if they are like our allotments!

newgirly

Just found your new diary Vix, sounds like you feel a bit more settled there now with the allotment and hopefully garage too, its a great solution 🙂

greenbee

Happy New Diary! 

It's worth remembering that potatoes are good for breaking up the soil, so aren't a bad thing for your first year on an allotment. 

As for Amtrak - too many work trips on the east coast on dodgy trains to want to do train travel as a holiday (Canada down to NYC, as well as Metro North for New York/Connecticut). 

Honeysucklelou2

Good news about the allotment. Enjoy planning it all!

Suffolk_lass

greenbee said:

Happy New Diary! 

It's worth remembering that potatoes are good for breaking up the soil, so aren't a bad thing for your first year on an allotment. 

As for Amtrak - too many work trips on the east coast on dodgy trains to want to do train travel as a holiday (Canada down to NYC, as well as Metro North for New York/Connecticut). 

That's what I was going to say - the old saying is that they "clean" the ground and are a great crop to grow ahead of your other things to find out what the ground is like. You could set aside a small area to try some and then use the produce the following year if you like the effect. Especially with a no-dig approach. There is no shame in growing and either donating or composting. We will be growing Phacelia (it's a green compost in the borage family, so should be great for pollinators) this year to improve one or two areas.

Re Amsterdam well NL really - another lovely place to visit is Dordrecht, and the Ferry from Harwich connects with the river ferry/taxi via Rotterdam (also worth an explore with its maritime museum). We have stayed in Zwijndrecht at a decent (family chain) hotel with a large indoor pool and various treatment, wellness and exercise options, and a good restaurant for reasonable cost. There are lovely cycle routes around (they hire out e-bikes). When travelling to or from Italy (in our car) we have often stayed there and it is just lovely (the French Womens Football Team had just departed on one occasion, having been knocked out of the Euro's and the hotel was bedecked with French regalia. Cycling in one direction there is lots of space to picnic near the Old Maas river and Dordrecht town is in the other direction. The river buses are a great local alternative to trains (and you can take your bicycle for no extra charge). - Then there are places like Utrecht, Venlo, and so on. 

Oh yes, enjoy the wedding and happy new diary!

Karmacat

The wedding!  Yes!  Hope it all runs smoothly and you both have a *fabulous* time  

themadvix

Karmacat said:

I've loved travelling by train, mostly throughout Europe, but some in Canada and the USA.  The longest non-stop was Crete to London, which I broke overnight in Switzerland for a sleep in a bed and a meal (at McDonalds, I won't say it was a good meal, it was just what I could afford ).  Then when I was rich I went London to Madrid and paid for one of those private bedrooms on the spot, I had a headache and needed to lie down, it was fantastic.  And there was the time I smuggled some ouzo for a Greek couple I was travelling with, after the man had fought off some Yugoslavian thieves that jumped onto the train ... train travel is fascinating!

Your greenhouse also sounds fascinating - good idea to keep it in your own garden when you're learning how to use it.

Your train journeys sound epic! Definitely something we'd love to do. Maybe next year!

The greenhouse may stay in the garden permanently, as I know I'll neglect seedlings if they're out of sight! (I don't envisage that the enthusiasm for walking to the allotment every day will entirely last -  it may do, but I don't know at this point!)