First Time

Yesterday: It didn’t rain and it was Valentine’s Day so here’s a 7-spot ladybird sporting a love heart (not AI!).

After more than 3 months of hibernation we took advantage of a dry, albeit freezing, day and visited the plot. I was pleasantly surprised at how it looked - my expectations were low but it’s definitely looked worse.

I was so pleased to see the daffodils are almost ready to bloom in the raised bed. And around the budding fruit trees in ‘the orchard’.

The Apsley mulch has really helped with weed suppression; there are thistles, dandelion and cranesbill but not the grass which is such a pain to weed. We still have a bag of mulch to spread and to replenish other beds. 

One of the last plot visits I made before Christmas was to pull the leeks which had been decimated by leek moth larvae. I was over the moon to see that the garlic appears to have got away without damage, though I think the onions haven’t fared so well.

This is the raised bed where the shallots did well last year - there’s a few of those weeds I mentioned…

They were easily pulled and after an additional layer of mulch and compost this year’s Yellow Moon shallots have been planted and surrounded by a sprinkle of onion fertiliser. We’ve covered it with enviromesh to help protect from various pests. 

This plot with irises and bulbs hasn’t been mulched and is trickier to weed - look at that mess - ugh - but hopefully the flowers will put on a pretty show to distract the eye (the 2 crocuses haven’t quite achieved that) 🤭

This brick provided the brightest spot of colour in the sunshine - look at that lovely moss.

I need to study mosses a bit more, they’re so interesting en-masse or up-close. Looking at the moss world website I think this is probably a common variety Ceratodon Purpureus but don’t quote me!

The birds (robins, blackbirds, long-tailed tits, magpies) were out in number and a kite was circling overhead. There were also two hot air balloons in the clear blue sky - brrr, it must have been very cold up there. We found a couple of 7-spot ladybirds, including that one in the top photo with the heart, soaking up the rays and this wasp was snuggled in the polytunnel.

Aah, she’s holding her antennae down round her face (it can only be a Queen if it’s hibernating). I’ve updated the wasp entry on my Wildlife blog, if you’re interested.

There’s the Sun receding back into the gloom, but it was a lovely couple of hours and we felt revitalised as a result - though we were very pleased to go home for a coffee and a nap.

The title song is provided by Macy Gray recognising the first visit to the plot in 2026 - enjoy ☺️ 

Any Colour You Like

Finally something vaguely allotment-y to post about now that it’s February, though we haven’t actually made it to the plot yet mostly because of the incessant rain.

Having said that we did venture out to Marlborough to a plant-based market - it’s the first one they’ve held (I think) and our favourite Vegan Street Diner hot dog man was there so we couldn’t resist. We had a few snacks and bought some vegan soap as well as cakes to take home.

It was very cold and wet but we had a nice walk through the Priory Garden and enjoyed seeing the squirrels scurrying amongst the snow drops and watched (water?) rats in the river.

On Saturday we visited Pewsey for their Potato Day. There was a good turnout and loads of spuds to choose from - in the rubber buckets - as well as a large selection of seeds and herbs. 

It’s always tempting to buy too many seed potatoes as each tuber was 50p but we were quite restrained as we don’t need many and having done no prep (yet) I decided against buying any plants. These are the potatoes we selected.

Desiree and Orla we’ve grown before but Paris and Baby Lou are new to us. They’re all chitting under a grow light in the hall now so we have till April to prepare the ground, though some will be planted into bags - looking back it seems that Orla are a slug-favourite 😖

We also bought some Yellow Moon shallots to plant in the raised bed again - they did well last year (though that doesn’t mean much) and were good to use as spring onions as well as for cooking and pickling later in the year.

I received some treats from my Hastings cousins for my retirement. It’s always fun to get an unexpected delivery from the postman!

Some fabulous cosmic-styled gloves, fairies and lovely scatter seeds for the plot from Jen - if the flowers are as successful as last year’s hollyhocks I’ll be very happy!

I’ve been keeping myself busy in retirement by doing some clearing and I’m painting the bathroom door. The man in the shop thought I was nuts when I asked for a pink paint to be mixed then abruptly changed my mind to blue after he showed me the available shades of pink. It wasn’t till I started painting that I realised, from the whole selection, I’d unwittingly selected a perfect match for our car 🤭 

Stirring stick/car comparison

Talking of lovely colours - I filtered the sloe gin that we made using sloes from the allotment hedge in September last year - it’s so sweet and delicious! We have another jar to filter after this one.

We have another full day of rain expected so I’ll finish my painting and maybe will check on the plot at the weekend - there may be some parsnips to pick (she said hopefully).

Pink Floyd provide the title track - enjoy ☺️ 

It’s Time

I’m officially a lady of leisure now! I had such a fabulous last day at RAL yesterday. 

It was so lovely catching up with so many friends and colleagues who I’ve enjoyed working with over the last 35 (or 36, lost count 🤭) years. It was fun to reminisce and so rewarding to know that my efforts over the years have been appreciated. 

Some people I haven’t seen for 5 years due to home-working and some I had only met via Zoom or calls before, so it was extra special. I’m not usually a hugger, but lots of people couldn’t escape me yesterday 😃

The cards and gifts I received were hugely appreciated and I’ve bought a Hotels.com voucher with the extremely generous collection.

I also had the excitement of a guided tour of the National Satellite Test Facility that I was so involved with for the last few years. I followed the building progress remotely but it was excellent to be inside the huge facility at last (Special thanks to Sean and Matthew). And when I say “huge” I’m not exaggerating - I mean, just look at the size of that door!!

Me and Sean

The whole facility is a giant clean room hence the hairnets, shoe covers and gowns. I was recognising equipment that I’d been involved in buying and marvelling at the grand scale of the place. It’s difficult to appreciate the scale from photos but the testing areas are an impressive 14m tall - satellites being tested prior to launch can move between the different suites without having to be re-boxed and cleaned.

The vibration facility and acoustic testing equipment are fascinating as is the thermal vacuum chamber, I mentioned it before, is the UK’s largest - it can run tests between -180° and 130° to represent the Sunny side and the dark side of space that the satellites encounter once launched.

Thermal Vacuum chamber 7m diameter; 12m long inside

But if I must have a favourite, and I do, it’s the electromagnetic compatibility area. I visited the tiny anechoic chamber at RAL about 10 years ago and was fascinated by it.

But look at this!

Looks AI-generated doesn’t it? But it’s not, I assure you …

Me and Matthew

And there’s a whole 14m box of it! Just astounding. When you’re in there the sound is weird because there’s no bounce-back; it’s quite odd and very special.

Anyway, the NSTF was just one of the reasons I loved working at RAL all those years and it’s a bit surreal thinking I no longer do! Jamie was working at RAL all those years ago and encouraged me to apply. I’m so glad he did x

I started in the library when computers were still a rarity in 1989/1990.

Then moved to Contracts where I began to love working with Excel spreadsheets (is that weird?) and then on to CLEO (Central Laboratory Electronic Office), which provided software support to the whole site including installing Exchange (our first proper email client) from a CD to every computer on-site (>1000)! I then moved into RALSpace for IT Support and had a 5-year period with the British Atmospheric Data Centre, doing various Helpdesk and data ingestion tasks, while I was on dialysis and after my transplant.

Celebrating 20 years of the BADC

And after another few years in IT Support I moved to the Project Controllers office, where I’ve been for about 10 years.

Day at Chilbolton with fellow project controllers, Derek & Ruth

The job has changed a lot over the years, as have the staff, but always involved assisting so many of these lovely RALSpace staff with their bids and projects.

It really has been brilliant working in such an interesting environment. And here’s an earlier Department photo.

I’ve enjoyed all my roles working with such a friendly, intelligent bunch of people, so I’ll miss it (a bit, sometimes 😊) but I know I’ll stay in touch with some of the friends I’ve made over the years. 

Again, Thankyou to all my friends and colleagues, some of whom will be reading this, please get in contact any time 😘 

Anyway, enough of that soppy nostalgia, it’s time to actually start thinking about this year’s allotment-planting as everyone expects me to grow some excellent produce now I’m retired!

Song title provided by Imagine Dragons.

Jigsaw

We still haven’t visited the plot yet this year. The weather has been so dire that we haven’t felt the least bit inclined. 

Hellebore

To be honest, I’m mostly thinking ‘Oh, I can sort that out once I’ve retired’ and ‘I’ll start after our holiday’ and ‘I must re-decorate the bathroom door now the shower is complete’. I really have mastered the art of procrastination. Today give me the benefit of the doubt, the ground will be sodden though, after such a damp Winter so far. So it’s fine that I’ve wasted hours on this on-line puzzle page and you can too 😃 - a little reminder of how beautiful Summer on the allotment can be and why a bit of preparation goes a long way!

99Echinacea Corner 

Anyway, just a tiny post to welcome in 2026 and I think you’ll be seeing more jigsaws this year - you have been warned 🤭

Song title provided by Ryan Sheridan - great song, I hadn’t heard it before.