| Plot 17 – The Earthly Comforts Garden Recovering Plot 17 |
| Let it, Snow, Let it, Snow, Oh no! |
| The allotments were experiencing a bit more than a touch of frost Sunday morning and so they all shared this spooky look about them. |
| Belinda’s first car load early Sunday. |
| Let it, Snow, Let it, Snow, Oh no! Suze loves the snow. She is the one that would be performing angel stars in the garden naked if she could. She loves the snow that much. I am not that big a fan; l am reeeeeally not into the snow. Sure it’s lovely to look at for all thirty seconds in the morning and better still on postcards, and Sure, the sequel, on occasion, it used to stir my cockles. I would write wintry poetry – take note of the word wintry, and l didn’t write romantic- because there is nothing slightly romantic in a sane person’s life about snow – and YES, it’s fantastic to photograph! But my snow relationships are only great for about three minutes every year if l am unlucky or three minutes every five years if l am fortunate! Yet Suze would have snow on the ground day in and day out if possible. However, living in a caravan on the Lincolnshire deep fens for the years 2009 – 2012 and of which all the winters were ice or snow and blizzard bound, put me off as you might come to expect when there is only a maximum of 2″ between your life and being a woolly mammoth and frozen in ice forever! Snow and caravans don’t mix and snow and me don’t either. But l don’t mind a touch of frost. Frost would mean the ground, although slowly, would have started to harden up, and that would mean that Suze and l could do the new gardening job and get the time needed to work in and on the allotment before the end of the year. Yesterday, heavy snows were forecast for the afternoon here in Sandwich. Suze was delighted, or should l say she thought it was delightful, and l thought it was frightful! But we knew on Saturday, a lovely blue albeit cold day, that Sunday was going to be grey and cold and frosty and foggy in the morning, BUT the weather was going to be severe in the afternoon. So Sunday morning would be the time for moving the last bits and bots to the allotment before the snows ruined any chances. The last bits were the four wooden sleeves that used to be the worm farm 3, yet another full bokashi bin, a bag of shredded paper, a new wheelbarrow, another hundred pounds of coffee grounds and 21 green bags of vermicast soil, compost earth, and garden wastes too. It wasn’t going to be a single journey using the beloved Belinda but three. All told, it would be two to three hours of work. Sunday morning, l also wanted to safeguard the worm farms a bit more, especially if there was going to be snow, so I decided to cardboard the gaps between the farms’ legs. It was bitingly cold yesterday morning at just half seven when l went out and started working with the cardboard, but l was pleased with the results. The farms are made of wood, which already provides a certain level of insulation. I also lined the inside of the boxes when l created them, providing additional warmth. But they are still settling in, and whilst l was prepared for colder weather and cold rains, l was most assuredly not fully ready for the weather we have been experiencing since last Thursday. The last thing l wanted to share the misery on was a significant worm loss. Hopefully, later this week, I’ll know how they are faring once l can get into the farms and not let their warmths out. After those were covered for the potentiality of heavy snows, Suze and l started on the first of the three journies to the allotment. It was like something from the set of a movie when we arrived. It was eerily silent and spookily quiet and had the airs of the surreal to it. It was wrapped up in the cold frosty fog and looked uninviting! The sun was trying to break through but never really made it, so it was like this strange orb just hanging in the fog. It did, however, make for some pretty photos, although l only had my little Canon Ixus and not the big Canon 700D camera, which may have managed better with some of the focusings. But you can see below how things were. Suze and l started transporting the last contents to leave Willow Garden at 9.05 am, and we were finished by 11.35, so not bad at all given how we were unable to drive into the allotment grounds and each journey from the front gate to the plot itself is a 645 step round trip. There are 2000 steps to a mile, so we walked a fair distance yesterday. Luckily we had the wheelbarrows to share some of the weight because we are not as fit as we once were with all of our aches and groans earned over the last few months without a break. The bags of soil, composts and garden wastes are not light; whilst you can drag some, you still pull considerable weight, which you begin to feel significantly when walking a third of a mile each way from gate to plot. However, the good news is that we no longer have to transport anything majorly from the garden to the plot now. It is all done. There will always be bags of garden waste, coffee grounds, and shredded paper alongside bokashi bins, but there are no more heavy bags of soil. The only job outstanding now that everything is down at plot 17 is to fill the raised beds with as much soil, compost, earth, vermicast and living mulch as we can in readiness for the spring. With that done, the worm farms protected against standing snows and harsher weather, and Suze waited like an over-excited child for the white flakes to appear. And what happened you may ask? It rained. And rained And continued to rain through the night. To say Suze is disappointed is an understatement because the rest of Kent is primarily covered in snow and deep snow to boot. On a side note, however, the worm farms didn’t have to stand in the snow. So it’s not all a loss. The wet cardboard can go straight into the compost, but for the time being, it is fine where it is. |
| Everything was just so still and if you look at the last photo from the gate in the distance is Suze pulling one of the bags on her way to get the wheelbarrow. |
| Plot 17 frosty but now all finished for the time being. |
| Thanks for reading – l’ll catch you next time. |
| Earthly Comfort Designs available on my Redbubble Store. Collections – Earthen Wurmin, Inspired By Nature and The Autistic Composter Please Pop Along and Check Them Out. |
Earthly Comforts 
Good morning Rory! Well, I guess would have been much nicer to have snow than rain 😅
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Yes and no Ribana. Snow is still water just fluffy, it will still seep into the ground like rain just become deadlier with the ice factors.
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True…I guess I personally just prefer the snow but the white winter wonderland type ☺️
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Well many people do Ribana, they see the romance in snow 🙂
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First snow and then rain.
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It’s been raining here since yesterday morning. I don’t like tons of rain, and agree that snow is nice to “visit” but I wouldn’t live where it snows.
I like my “semi-arid” climate just fine TYVM!
Glad that most everything is sorted. You need a break and a rest!💌💌
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I guess we can rest when we are dead, right? is that still a thing, or are we no longer allowed to die 🙂
I so owe you an email, it’s coming – keep smiling 🙂
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I’ve been told that I’m not allowed to die🤷🏼♀️ No rest for me… EVER😂
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Yes l have received the same instructions – if l do plan to drop dead l have to find homes for the worms and the compost first … 🙂
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Well… I guess we’ll have each other to Not Rest with🤣🤣🤣
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Hahaha 🙂
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Congratulations, Rory! It must be a great relief to have that job completed at last! Hopefully, the winter months will be less strenuous. I am relieved, for the worm’s sake, +9to see you created a windbreak around the legs of their boxes. Lovely job of it, too, I must say!
As for snow, I’ve lived in various areas of the USA over the years where there was plenty of snowfall. Probably my favorite snow memory was as a child and Granny taking me out to collect snow to make snowcream. I did the same for my children, too. Just fresh, clean snow collected while it is still falling, milk , sugar and vanilla. (I sure wouldn’t want to eat snow nowadays though!) Although we lived in the mountains, come to think of it I never knew anyone that skied or saw anyone build snowmen.
At my age now the cold makes my joints hurt, so I prefer to stay inside where it’s warm and will happily leave the snow and its various stimulating activities to the young. 😊
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Hey Betty – wishing you a lovely Tuesday 🙂
Yes, l think the snow we have fall today especially in the built up suburban areas might not be the best snow to collect for consumption without boiling first which will be somewhat defeatest … but mountain snow is probably still good 🙂
Yes l am pleased this stage of things is now done and dusted. just the soiling of the raised beds to complete now.
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Thank you, Rory! Wishing you a good Tuesday night in return.
Uh-huh, I agree that boiling the snow first would be rather detrimental. 😊
I have a feeling that the soiling process will be somewhat easier than the previous projects have been.
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Hey Betty – yes the soiling will be a much easier experience – l looking forward to it or rather just being able to say ‘Phew finally completed this year!”
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I can understand why you would feel that way, Rory. You have worked so hard this year!
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It’s charity committees Betty, they don’t want new blood or new ideas and only want easy money without working for it – l feel many charities are the same these days.
That list should have been scrapped years ago.
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This is why I lost interest long ago in volunteering for any kind of religious, charity, government or political committees – too may big egos involved to do much good. I hadn’t the patience or tolerance for it. I admire you for hanging in there so long.
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Which is why a lot of people don’t bother with committees it is always about ego tickling. The chairman of Gazen is very much into having his own ego stroked. Don’t even start me on the backstabbng side to politics .. that just darn awful.
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I won’t mince my words, Rory. I hate the stuff. I went on a skiing holiday once. After three days of being pulled up a mountain and sliding back down, I asked if there was anything else to do in town, to break the monotony.
Oh, it’s Winter!; everything is closed because of the snow. Sheesh! I’ll come back in the Summer then. 🙄
In England it’s much worse because we’re never prepared for it so the slightest dusting causes chaos. Otherwise, I don’t mind the Wintertime, especially on clear frosty days, as long as it doesn’t snow.
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Hey Ian, l am with you. You are spot on, this country is NEVER prepared for it even the lighter coatings, it baffles me.
I like frosty days with a briskness to the airs – but NOT snow 🙂
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I enjoy living here because we don’t have snow very often. The 4 seasons are mild and enjoyable. However, when it snows the City of Atlanta is not where you want to drive. In fact, when I worked in Atlanta, we were advised to work from home during snowy days.
We live in a suburb of Atlanta, and our apartment complex management takes care of clearing the snow. It’s pretty until it turns to slush.
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Hey Eugenia, yes l agree, snow is beautifully picturesque until sadly it turns into a slush puppy.
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Beautiful photo. Thank you for sharing. How I wish I can see snow.
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