Saturday 17 January 2009

A New Year and a re-cycled greenhouse

It's only recently I've realised just how much pleasure I procure from pottering in glasshouses. I'm sure I've always known, (yet not acknowledged) that I'm not just happy but in a state of bliss! And yet, I've never had my own....until now. Lucky for me then that my folks agreed to give me theirs as they plan to move house this year and it seemed (I think) a good reason to get rid of the junk (their words, not mine) which had accumulated over the years.

Well that was back in November that father and I dismantled the frame and we drove it back to Ipswich. Once unloaded, it has remained in pieces every since. Not that I was completely idle, mind - I took some time considering exactly where to build it, carefully measuring and levelling the area, (observed and photographed by my paparazzi husband) and eventually had a base I was happy with. Now winter is turning it's cold and miserable corner I was keen to get on with the project knowing it would have to be done in two stages, seeing as the glass is still in Peterborough.
Surprisingly, it took my Dad and I only 5 hours, give or take, to rebuild the frame - and despite my limited building skills, my base was 'near as damnit' level!! Scoooooore!

I think it has to be said - the little achievements you make every day are the reason it's worth living. Thanks Dad!

Thursday 1 January 2009

Grow progress!


Wow, what a rubbish pun! I've just got back from my first trip down to the allotment in a few weeks, and Emma has been really busy digging squares for the fruit stick things she got for her birthday.


I decided to reassert my manliness on the shed by fixing a new hasp that can't be broken off with a child's toothbrush like the crappy old one.


I also attached a wee storage thing that I found in the loft to the back of the door and fitted some lovely blinds that I also found in the loft.


The real work of art this time though was the guttering, I need to 'womble' a bendy bit of pipe from somewhere so it's not quite done yet, but that seems to fit the general theme of having an allotment, there's a lot of things that aren't quite ever finished. Emma wants me to trim the guttering so that it actually fits the back of the shed, seems like a bit of shame to me!


The black thing that looks like a squarial on the side of the shed is the solar panel for the free light that came with the shed. It's gloriously useless as we're never down at the allotment at night, besides it's about as powerful as a child's toy!