I'm back !

I'm sure you thought I was just being lazy.. again, but I have been away for a week - a long rain soaked week in a caravan but that's another story. I'm back and I haven't been to the plot yet, I am saving that for the morning, too much laundry and housework to do today - is it just my house that gets messy when nobody is at home ?

Back to plot matters ... all of the seedlings have surived quite well without me, sweetcorn is about six inches high and the melons are growing well.

First confession, I have planted pumpkins,cucumbers and courgettes ...but haven't labelled them, they are all doing well and all look exactly the same this could prove interesting when it comes to planting them out - perhaps I should have a variation on the three sisters theme and have the three of them all mingling together ?

Second confession, about six weeks ago I planted some tomatoes ... 80 to be precise and to my joint horror and amazement approx 70 have germinated, I now have a tomato situation. I am unable to follow the select the strongest and compost the rest advice because it seems cruel ! They have after all made the effort to germinate the least I can do is look after them, on this basis I have given forty to the Genie along with my Cherokee Trail of Tears to babysit whilst I was away and as a thank you he can have the toms. Phew there's 40 sorted just 30 odd to go I feel a lot of chutney is going to be made if they all fruit !

The view from my plot is changing rapidly at the moment due to the extensive works being undertaken in light of the construction of the Bargoed ByPass. Most locals are still in shock that work is underway as we have been promised this road for at least 15 years that I can remember and probably longer.

This however gives me an ideal opportunity to plug my lovely mothers blog, http://angel-way-the-bargoed-by-pass.blogspot.com/ Ooh nice pictures of earth movers I hear you cry, well no actually, this blog is full of beautiful pictures of my valley over the last 30 years since Bargoed Colliery closed and the different stages of the reclamation over the subsequent years. Yet another string to the Genie's bow is the way he has documented these changes, he has walked our dogs through this area for many years and has taken hundreds (honestly - crips boxes full !!) of photos and my mother is in the process of scanning them and adding them to the blog - go on give the link a click and come and have a virtual tour of our area !!!