Allotment

As I said yesterday, I needed to build the frames for my beans today.

The morning was still spent ironing, and i had a long chat with mum on the phone. I still feel so helpless being such a long distance from them. Dad isn't ready to come home yet, but it should be this week. He has lost lots of weight because the hospital food is cold and inedible, he says. Every day seems to throw up more problems of a varying nature. Today, it was a man who came and sat on his bed and wouldn't move. After calling the nurses, it took them 15 minutes to move him. No wonder dad is desperate to get home to semi normality. The best thing, though, was that mum managed to drive herself over to Harlow to see him, even negotiating the parking ticket machine (I needed to get help when I used it) Well done mum xx

After lunch Jon and I spent an hour or two at the allotment. Here I am keeping my hand in with the good old clove hitch. I know I say it every year, but how do you survive if you don't know a few proper knots and lashings. My many years as a Girl Guide were not wasted! I would say I'm confident that these will stand solid, but as the ground is so hard I'm not sure they will, as I couldn't push them in very far. I need to buy more bamboo canes anyway. These ones are hazel that Jon cut for me a few years ago. Bamboo pushes in further. I hope to have lots of runner and French beans. Jon used the petrol strimmer to cut the rest of the grass in the fruit cage, and then went back with the dog I finished off by planting some sweet corn. I don't know whether I'm going to get any more beds dug, but for now I'm happy with a little of everything. Now we need some rain!

Cooked a roast and were joined by Josh as he returned from uni today. There were a few things i would like to have watched on tv, but we ran out of time so I've recorded them. A very hot bath and an early night now.