As we lost many of the hours (2 -3 a week) of paid help we had due to the virus, I’ve been doing more outside than planned. Or at least that was the start.

It’s a bit odd really. Between problems with my back and generally feeling very lousy (and I’ve had problems with anaemia…), I’d pretty much ground to a halt until I though about losing the efforts I’d made with the grass and decided to just to try a little bit. For reasons I don’t understand, I started to feel a lot better in myself – maybe it’s just some respite for a while – and wound up spending quite a few hours outside. I’ve mostly been wearing T shirts out there and my arms are well sun tanned and I’ve been enjoying myself out there.

I’m slow though but have got through (to me) a reasonable amount by plodding. Most of what I’ve been doing is trying to keep areas tidy (including the grass cutting) and bits of reclaiming and revision. I’ve had some quite big bonfires with the ivy, blackthorn and brambles I’ve cut back.

On the small bits of revision, I’ll start by saying on of the few things that got planted here were runner beans that didn’t take very well. Mum and I (neither of whom do well bending down) decide to get shut and turn the remainder of one side of the veg plot to grass and containers. I got that seeded with grass on Thursday and think I’ll get another 6 x 50cm planters in there. That will give an are of 11 of these tubs (2 already spoken for longer term with new rhubarb plants and 3 this year with courgette) . This may help at least keep part productive for a while to come.

Moving on to the farm field (of which we rent a patch and the veg plot is in), the thing that strikes me this year is how much water seems to have gone on the land. Potatoes aren’t the most common crop there (barley and wheat are the most common) so it’s maybe difficult to compare but I don’t remember ever seeing as much use of the water spraying thing as there has been this year. This seems to have stopped now and the plants are big and in flower. It will be interesting to see what they harvest when the time comes.