Living the Good Life - mortgage free and living in line with our values

themadvix · 5 September at 9:54PM

Thank you all! I’m sure I won’t win, but it’s the taking part that’s fun, right? And volunteering to be there at 7.30 tomorrow to help with final prep… Better go to bed!

Baileys_Babe · 5 September at 10:24PM

Have fun at the show tomorrow.

Hettyhound · 6 September at 6:57AM

Your allotment site sounds great. Mine is pretty rubbish as it’s a strip of land between the back of some houses and the road so you only really know your allotment neighbours. Apart from the fact the site is covered in mares tail the plot sizes are unequal. Mine is twice the size of the neighbouring plots so the council have agreed to split it in two during the autumn. That will at least give me a smaller area to strim the weeds down 🤦‍♀️

themadvix · 6 September at 7:15AM

There are something like 11 sites across the town Hetty, in widely varying shapes and sizes (my site has 40-odd plots, one only has 8). The show is organised by the allotment society for the whole town, so not taking place on my allotment site. I actually joined /got involved in the society because there’s a lack of community feeling at my site (others have bbqs, swap stalls, a toilet (!) etc. while ours just has a site agent whose power has gone to their head! Marestail here, but there’s not a lot anyone can do about it - and I don’t really mind it, it’s not like bindweed in terms of damaging other plants.
Plots vary here too though - I think because a lot of the full size ones have been split in two over the years (my friend’s is twice the size of mine). I wonder if that’s why yours is so big?

Hettyhound · 6 September at 7:39AM

I don’t battle with the mare’s tail like my neighbour, I just embrace it and strim the top off! Our site has nothing, not even water although the council are quick enough to email you if they feel the site is looking a bit dishevelled. Hoping a smaller plot will be easier as I don’t want to give it up (4 years on waiting list) but it sometimes doesn’t enhance my mental health as much as it should. Good luck in the show!

Watty1 · 6 September at 8:17AM

The allotment site sounds fun. Reading these boards I miss the one i had many many years ago.

ladybird1106 · 6 September at 9:39AM

Apparently you can make mare tail tea for plants abit like nettle or comfrey it’s real good for strong cell formation in plants . There was an article in the guardian recently about regenerative farming/gardening.
love 🐞

themadvix · 7 September at 8:32AM

Morning all,

🐞 I’ve heard that too, but like comfrey tea, it’s just a job I haven’t got around to yet. Not sure it would have the same effect as the lazy version of comfrey fertiliser I make - chopping and dropping the leaves on the soil! 😬 (for those that don’t realise, marestail can root from the tiniest bit!).

Yesterday was a long and busy, but fun day. I got two 1sts, a 2nd and a 3rd in the show. The two firsts were for my chutney and marmalade…. But before you congratulate me, it should be noted that the only competition I was up against in those classes was myself!! No one else entered them. Very pleased with my chillis (2nd) and potatoes (3rd) though, and the decisions were as I’d have made them, having seen the other entries.

Between the setting up and dropping off entries and returning for the prize giving and cake, we went to my mum’s and finished her fencing (which worked out perfectly, time-wise). So mum gave us lunch, and Mr MV dropped me back at the show site, before heading home for the free leccy hour (car charged, and I’m informed various other bits charged, and dishwasher on).

I acquired several of the bits of produce that people had left behind at the show - two sweet corn cobs, some grapes and some apples . I can’t fathom why you’d leave anything behind, but especially not hard earned sweetcorn! I consider them a perk of staying right to the end and doing all the clearing (which isn’t necessarily in my remit).
Managed to find the energy to make sweetcorn dhansak in the evening, and was glad I did - it’s such a lovely recipe.

We were planning on having a bbq but it was quite windy and beginning to get chilly, so we’ve postponed that to lunchtime today. We’d planned to go paddling today, but it’s still a bit windy and we’re both in need of a quiet day (still with plenty of jobs to do, including making the most of the free two hours of electricity!), so a home day it is. Hope this doesn’t mean we’re missing the last chance to paddle before the end of the season.
Have a good day all - I hope the sun is shining with you too (am writing this from garden bench in shorts and t-shirt - doubt there’ll be many more opportunities for that this year!).