ALLOTMENT SOCIETY PLANT SALE - CAKE SALE TOO!

MY ALLOTMENT SOCIETY IN LONDON IS CALLED 'MAGA' - WE HAVE AN ANNUAL PLANT SALE TO RAISE FUNDS, IN MAY EACH YEAR

THE HUT, WITH HOME MADE CAKES, ENJOYABLE!

Lovely weather on May 17, and lots of plants to buy, as well as delicious cakes;  here is my sketch of the cake sale inside the Allotment Society hut, with helpers and visitors enjoying the home made cakes.
Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I left my money behind, so did not eat anything. Had to borrow some cash to buy a tray of leek seedlings, though. Thanks, Philippa!

GARDEN MUSEUM IN LAMBETH, LONDON - VISIT THE EXHIBITION 'FASHION AND GARDENS'

THE EXHIBITION AT THE GARDEN MUSEUM, LONDON SOUNDS GOOD

I have read about this exhibition, called FASHION AND GARDENS: SPRING/SUMMER - AUTUMN/WINTER.

WHERE IS THE GARDEN MUSEUM?  THIS IS WHAT THEIR WEBSITE SAYS

The Garden Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Garden History, is based in the deconsecrated parish church of St Mary-at-Lambeth adjacent to Lambeth Palace on the south bank of the River Thames in London, located on Lambeth Road
The Garden Museum, London

Definitely will try to go along to the exhibition, it is on until 27 April this year (2014)

Below is a link to one of the articles I have read, written by Robin Lane Fox, who is one of my favourite garden writers.  He writes a column in the House & Home section of the Weekend Financial Times

Financial Times article about Fashion and Gardens, by Robin Lane Fox

The exhibition has been been assembled by curator Nicola Shulman, with support from Alexandra, her sister who is editor-in-chief of British Vogue.  If you follow the link above you will see there are some lovely colour reproductions of paintings of gardeners (female) from past centuries.

I like this comment by Robin Lane Fox in his article above: "Genuine gardeners are recognised by their rear cleavage, exposed when they bend over to attack chickeed".

I shall have to be careful what I show when I attack the chickweed, in future, but in the case of us lady gardeners, I fear it is the front cleavage we have to expose or not, as the case may be.

WHAT DO YOU WEAR IN THE GARDEN?

I guess most gardeners probably wear something fairly battered and tough.  Judging by what is to be seen on my allotment site, scruff in the order of the day.

One of my allotment friends shovels the muck

LADIES DO NOT DO SCRUFF

Remember the good old days?  I seem to recall that my mother did not wear scruffy clothes to garden, I have photos of her snipping off rose heads in a pretty cotton dress.  Maybe it is a modern custom to go gardening in ragged jeans and battered anoraks.  What do you think?

THE GARDEN YEAR OF 2014 ON THE ALLOTMENT

This is going to be the year when I photo or draw some of the best dressed gardeners!

ALLOTMENTS ARE JUST A PAIN, AT THE MOMENT!

HAVE BEEN TENANT OF MY ALLOTMENT FOR LONGER THAN I CAN REMEMBER

I am not a newby when it comes to growing vegetables, but it still is a struggle, every year.

This year we have a heatwave, last year we had cold, grey skys and rain.  The slugs and snails flourished.  The tomatoes and potatoes all got blight.

At the moment I have to go and water stuff.  The spinach has gone to seed already.

Today I decided to make a spinach quiche, and reflected that growing your own gives you a huge amount of extra work in the kitchen too!  You have to eat it all, and you get gluts. (Are you listening, courgettes?)

Washing lettuce (mind the slugs)

Scrubbing potatoes

Shelling peas

Slicing beans

Preparing strawberries and gooseberries, and more.....

Its just one long wash, wash, wash!  Water, water, water.

There are always other people on the allotment site who also want to water, and we all have our hosepipes at the ready.  Only one tap near my plot and this can lead to bad feeling if somebody hogs the tap with their hose

But we get on well, on the whole, and my neighbouring plot-holders have become my friends.