Huerto

Tardis-like, my modest shed had somehow accommodated a massive jumble of ‘stuff’, much of it dirty from muddy winter days when tidy cleaning up was secondary to getting home to the Aga. But yesterday, the time had come!

Here it is in all its new clean and orderly glory. For contrast, I should have taken a picture of all the contents spread outside, but I was in the grip of that spring cleaning frenzy that sweeps all before it! Quite a lot of old plastic pots are now in the recycling dump, along with the remains of several broken fork heads and two decayed baskets.

No sign of cosy overwintering mice or wasps holding hands like we found during last year’s spring clean. Raining today, so I’m very glad this was all done yesterday in the sunshine.

Busy busy busy… so much to do at this time of year. On the plus side, seedlings are germinating in the cold frame, broad beans established in situ, all the beds dug and fertilised – and I’ve even managed to plan what’s going where this year, a conscious discipline after the ad hoc chaos of recent years. Mind you, I doubt it will all end up as per the plan…

The bean frame is in place. Initially my Engineering Advisor said I’d built a mere ‘mechanism’. However, with the addition of diagonal bracing apparently it now qualifies to be designated a structure. So that’s good (not that the beans will care :0)

On the not so good side, my dear little pea seedlings (variety Marvel), sown in a length of guttering under fleece and slid tidily into place as healthy plants, have been neatly serrated by what I believe are pea weevils. Little devils. But I think the plants are sufficiently healthy to survive.
Of asparagus we will not speak except to say that even in the face of dismal sprue fronds, I can’t quite bring myself to abandon hope.

I was overtired. You can see for yourself the consequence of delusional thinking that strength would prevail, despite an excellent start entailing a newly harvested pink French onion (the triumphant very first), yellow and green baby courgettes and my friend Mo’s fresh eggs….

Oh, Oh, Oh – I thought my determination and heavenly fritatta vision would win over the combined forces of gravity, the dramatic weight of ingredients, inverted white china plate and the massive ancient cast iron Le Creueset omelette pan.

Clearly not.

It took half an hour to clear up the debris. Who would have thought ceramic splinters could travel so far…. The frozen pizza somehow did not compensate. Thank you, Wine Society White Burgundy!!