Some long awaited garden therapy

It’s been over a whole month since my last blog post which I can’t help but apologise about… I’ve been struggling a lot lately with my social mojo so to speak and I desperately want it back. But most of all I’ve been struggling to focus on who I really am, she appears to have vanished somewhere and I need her back ASAP.

I’ve just arrived back from a 3 week stay in Wales and it’s been so lovely to spend time on the farm. I not only purchased a Herdwick ram called Idwal but on Sunday I added 10 more Herdwick ewes to my flock which I couldn’t be happier about. Hopefully come Spring time they’ll be lots of baby lambs bouncing around the fields! But here is where the problem lies, it’s starting to become impossible to live two separate lives which is exactly what it feels like… My farmer Welsh side and my allotment Hampshire side. Two completely different lives which are being lived side by side and I’m finding it so hard to focus on anything.

I decided to take time off today to head up the allotment, having not seen it in 3 weeks I was eager to see how it was looking now Autumn has really set in. Plus my anxiety was sky high and I needed some of that garden therapy to help ground me. A cup of chamomile tea and a potter in the garden was just what I needed.

I was pleased to see that it had survived storm Callum and that everything was looking ok, yes it’s a little messy and needs a general tidy up but it sure felt good to be in my happy place again. I popped the kettle on and sorted through my popcorn harvest which had completely dried now, removing the husk to reveal the gold inside and dreaming of evenings spent beside the fire pit popping my very own homegrown corn. I know my popcorn was a bit of a mistake but it was one of the best mistakes I have ever made! This way I can remove each dried kernel from the cob and place them in a jar to use when I need them and not have to rush to eat them, a job for another day as I predict it’s going to take a while…

I also spied some zinnias waiting to be cut in the flower patch, the last flowers from plot 15c this year? Although there are a few buds on my dahlias which might survive before the frosts come… Anyway I decided to cut the zinnias to take home and popped them in my new vintage vase which I picked up in Wales. I’ve absolutely loved these blooms this year and have added some new varieties to my seed box to grow in 2019. They have such a long growing period and also have a great vase life too. Even those these last blooms are a little bit past it I just love the muted vintage tones and they’ll certainly cheer me up for the next week or so at home.

Although the plot looks a little deflated and in need of a good tidy I’m still pleased to see things growing and showing signs of life. The old potato bed in particular looks so green and lush with an overload of beautiful swiss chard leaves, leeks and turnips too. The turnips in fact are now ready to harvest and probably should have been harvested a while ago… I decided to pick three to take home for supper and was so surprised by the size of them! The perfect late crop and I’m sure they’ll be delicious too. I’m also happy to announce that my two mystery pumpkins are safe and sound and I’ll be harvesting them this week, a job I am so excited about!

Talking of jobs the whole plot needs a good tidy up. Plants that have died back need pulling up, beds need weeding and digging over and there’s plenty of harvesting to be done as well. I for one can’t wait to spend an entire day up there with dirty hands and muddy knees, I’m sure I’ll feel much better once I’ve had a good session and the plot will be better for it too.

Have a lovely week everyone x