OH finally dismantled what remained of the greenhouse today ... the plot looks much bigger, but so empty without it :( :(

Wonder if anyone can make use of it or whether I should just take it to the tip. At least it doesn't take up much space :(

The hedge bonfire pile is ridiculous - there are now 4 enormous piles ... taking up almost a quarter of the plot !! Hope it's dry enough to burn next weekend.

another call for all Sheffield alloment holders - rent increase !!!

eek - here is copy of an email from Rob Hawkins, President of the Sheffield Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Federation about allotment rents doubling in Sheffield from April 2013 onwards:

Dear Allotmenteer

Last Thursday (Jan 12), the Allotment Advisory Group passed a motion recommending that the rent Allotment tenants should pay for council allotments will double in April 2013. The income the allotment office will receive from allotment rents will more than double.

This report will be presented to the City Council Cabinet for approval in February.

The 4 federation voting members abstained from voting as we were only sent the report the day before and didn't have time to consider or discuss its implications. The five councillors (Green, Labour and Lib Dem) voted en bloc in favour of acceptance of this report.

Our first concern is that allotment gardeners across the city will give up their plots due to this level of increase, some of these paying the full amount, some discounted.

If you or some gardeners on your site will be unable to continue due to this level of increase, please could you let me know. We have agreed to reply to the Allotment Advisory Group Chairman before the end of January.

Any further concerns will be discussed at a later date (in February).

Rob Hawkins
President, Sheffield Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Federation

I have uploaded the report to this site (well hopefully I have as I really have little clue what I just did LOL):  www.wix.com/mc55mcd/duckdinnerdash

Here's another shiney new year filled with hope, joy and new beginnings ...

... or then again !

... just before Christmas the greenhouse panels next to the door blew out and smashed leaving it very vulnerable. I didn't get chance to do anything about and sadly we've had gale after gale after gale ... here is the result :(



pretty catostrophic huh :(

The frame has lifted, twisted and collapsed. The base was cemented breeze blocks and the frame was screwed to said breeze blocks, but the wind was so strong it's actually torn the frame from the breeze blocks and even lifted some of the blocks.

OH helped me remove the glass - we've filled a wheelie bin and a couple of plastic tubs. Out of all that glass we managed to rescue only three pieces ... it would have been four, but I smashed it trying to remove it from the clips ! grrrr ... or is that Doh !!

OH thinks that the frame might be salvageable, but it's twisted pretty badly, so I think I might be giving the scrap man a call. It looks OK in this shot, but it's pretty bad in reality ... and of course I don't have any glass !


With the greenhouse gone, I had chance to access the hedge behind it. Lopping at the branches yet again for what seems like the 99th-million time, I got really cross and decided sod it ... let's just say that I have have 'thinned' my side of the hedge a little. Well a lot. Actually rather drastically - very drastically in fact ! haha ... take that hedge !!

I now have an enormous bonfire pile once again :)


I've been trying to get some manure delivered over the Christmas holidays, but our regular contact has run out ! So that is on hold temporarily, but I must get some this season - the soil is really poor.

As usual I have a growing list of jobs to attend to; next weekend, I'm planning to thin and perhaps move the raspberries to a different bed. I'm also going to dig up the tree behind the greenhouse that has so far produced three apples ! I've been given some beautiful blackcurrants, so need to plant those once the soil has thawed out. Then it'll be cracking on with all the usual maintenance jobs.

OH and I were almost casualties of the weather too ! On Christmas morning we thought we'd go for a lovely stroll to one of the local beauty spots, Stanage Edge. Oh yes ... lovely stroll LOL.



We fought against the wind to get to the top of the edge and then once there we fought to remain on terra firma !





Not surprisingly we only saw a few hardy fools and one dog .. we soon beat a retreat to the warmth and quiet of the house :)

So happy new year to everyone, hope you all enjoyed the holidays ! Looking forward to catching up with what everyone is doing - here's to another year ... off we go again !