We publish our book BACK TO REALITY in just a week’s time on Monday October 16th.
And, for some reason, we thought it would be a good idea to have a week of daily podcasts (because, y’know, the pressure of publication isn’t nearly enough).
In today’s episode we talk blurbs and I read it out in my best sexy voiceover voice…
I’ve been on my knees all afternoon. No not scrubbing the floor or grovelling, but weeding the patio. It’s been on my “To do” list for the garden for a while, but wasn’t very high on the agenda. But now I’ve got as far as I can with the garden, so the patio finally had it’s turn.
So there I was with my little sharp tool (you can see it in the photo above), that is able to get between the paving stones and remove the weeds. I started at one end of the patio, clearing little areas, and then sweeping and clearing the debris into my trug. The trug is now nearly full, and I’ll be putting it in my garden waste bin once it’s been emptied by the council.
Once I had cleared it all, I then sprayed with weedkiller between all the joints to make sure that I killed any roots of the weeds that are left in the ground. I took most of them out, but there are always some that won’t come out.
When I get a dry couple of days, I’ll re-point the patio so that it looks even nearer, but that’ll have to wait as it’s due to rain tomorrow. The knees of my tracksuit bottoms are damp, so I know I’ve had a productive day.
My series of ebooks is growing (perfect choice of words). My latest ebook all about Tomatoes is now out, and available for just 99p! Click HERE to go straight to my Amazon page.
Don’t forget, I have other ebooks also available, and I’m starting to write the next one now.
Happy reading and gardening!
Now, I’ve come to a point in the garden, where I can’t really do anything else until the trees are down. Then once the trees are down and all gone (where I don’t really care), then it’ll be all systems go again with putting the greenhouses in position, and the new shed for the chickens up and in position. And then finally get the raised beds in. But today I was just doing a few bits and pieces, and some general tidying. I had a few plants in pots and hanging baskets that I wanted to sort out. Some I would throw away, and others I would repot. So this afternoon I got all those sorted. I’ve just got to move the plastic shed closer to the house, so it’s away from the trees and therefore not in the way of the trees. It’s full of gardening equipment, so is a bit heavy at the moment. So I’ll move it tomorrow. And I’ve also got to mow the grass. Then I’m done.
Hopefully Paul, the farmer, will finish harvesting his onions soon. First it was his hops (great for the local beer, which is oh so tasty), and now it’s his onions. I’m not sure if he has anything else to harvest. I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, and he said he’d not forgotten, but once he’d finished the harvest he would do the trees for me. I said that would be great, as soon as he can. So fingers crossed it won’t be long.
Now the pots that I sorted today are going to be placed around the patio, once I have decided where I’m going to put them, but for now, they’ll have to stay together. In the spaces I’ve planted various bulbs, so hopefully in the Spring I’ll have some lovely flowers come up.
Now is the perfect time for planting Tree Fruits, Soft Fruits and Grapes – the ground is still warm so anything planted now will establish before the onset of Winter – and so roar into growth next Spring! (But remember, it is Autumn and plants are starting to lose their leaves and go into dormancy. They may look a little ‘tatty’ now, but this is completely normal)
20% Off all Fruit Trees
20% Off all Soft Fruit
20% Off all Grape Vines
To claim this discount use the offer code SEP17 between now and 1st of October when shopping for Tree Fruits, Soft Fruits and Grapes.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Victoriana_NG or Facebook for daily updates on what we’re sowing and growing (and the occasional bit of cooking and other ‘stuff’). And feel free to share this discount code with your fellow gardening friends and allotmenteers!
There are Chilli Festivals and there are Chilli Festivals, and we’ve been to more than one or two where we’ve struggled to find a fresh Chilli – let alone a Chilli Plant! At Victoriana our Chilli Fest is just a little bit different – it’s all about the Chilli!
This year we will have over 180 different varieties of chillies and peppers to taste, complemented by many stalls selling sauces, chutneys, and jams, as well as foods to eat on the day from local Game to Indian Street Food to Italian Favourites cooked in a wood fired oven. And to drink everything from Chilli Beer to Chilli Bellinis! Couple that with a range of arts and craft stalls (who all have to sell at least one Chilli-themed item) and you have the perfect event for the lover of all things Chilli. We think it’s safe to say that we go ‘Chilli Mad’ for the weekend!
Entry to our Chilli Fest is just £2.50 (free for children) with £1.00 of every entry fee being donated to The Mission For Seafarers. Our expert growers (and eaters!) are on hand to offer advice and information about all the varieties we have grown and lead you through a tasting experience. And all those 180 varieties of Chilli fruits will be available to purchase for the ultimate Pick Your Own! Additionally we will have a large range of mature fruiting plants available to purchase. More information can be found at Challock Chilli Fest!
I know you’ve been waiting for this for such a long time….well maybe you haven’t, I don’t know, I’m just excited. To be honest it doesn’t take much to get me excited.
My latest Claire’s Allotment Essentials ebook all about TOMATOES is now available. Click HERE for more information.
Don’t forget I have several other ebooks books out as well, and they can be found HERE.
If you’ve not signed up to my newsletter you still can, just click HERE. You’ll receive my first ebook “Let’s get Started” for FREE!!
I hope you’re harvesting is going really well, and you’re really enjoying your produce. There’s nothing more tasty than freshly harvest fruits and vegetables that you’ve grown yourself.
TTFN!
Claire xx
There were a few unladylike words that escaped from my mouth as I fought to get the rest of the log roll in place with the mallet. That was until I had a light bulb moment. I didn’t film the very few expletives that I said (that’s just for me), but I did film the light bulb moment I had. The Topical Bed now looks much better and now more light can get to those smaller plants in the bottom. Now it’s just several trips to the tip to get rid of all the garden waste.
Giz, one of our chickens says “bye bye” at the end. It’s a bit quiet so make sure your volume is turned up.
While clearing the corner of the garden, I can across some holes to a possible animal hidey hole under ground. Then as I was clearing more of the debris, I came across a skeleton of a hedgehog. It had been dead for a very long time, so it wasn’t me. Just thought you would like to see, it’s fascinating. However, if you don’t like looking at that sort of thing feel free to close your eyes, or skip through that part.
Another day to play in the garden. It is hard work, honestly, but because I enjoy it, it’s rather fun. I’m very luck to be able to do this, when everyone else works so hard at school and work. But I am also the local taxi service, to and from the train station, which is 4 miles away. There’s no other way to get there, except walk, and no one wants to do that at 6am. You have to sacrifice some things, when you live in the middle of know where. So today in the garden I planted some Jerusalem Artichokes that I dug up from my allotment, and planted in pots and kept in the greenhouse. The large chokes that I dug up had rotted away, but had left some little baby chokes behind. So I planted those in the prepared raised bed, and then started clearing the mound. I wonder if I’ll find anything, and how far I’ll get? How much rubbish is there going to be? That’s the big question…….
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