Hummable Brass

Jaga Jazzist - One Armed Bandit

Circular, offbeat and poly rhythms, tunes that turn corners, optimistic urgent meandering rivers of melody, nine (10?) members and not a vocalist in earshot. Sadly, no samples of dogs panting in this one but the brass is as tight and hummable as ever.

Lathyrus odoratus

Sowed half a dozen early sweet peas with seeds saved from last year. There didn't seem much need to soak them overnight as most of them had started sprouting already.

Local Warming

I found a large roll of roofing felt in a skip a few years back. I used some of it to cover the shed roof, some as curtain lining and today I used some to cover over a freshly dug bed in an attempt to warm up the soil ready for some crops next month. It might prevent a few weed seeds from germinating too.



Blackcurrants fruit on old wood but no stems should be more than four years old. These bushes are about four years old and so don't need much pruning. They're a bit close together and the idea is to see which ones do best and remove the others.

Going Underground

That'll be leek and parsnips again then, what with everything overground being a bit frost bitten.

Foes' gifts are no gifts:

"Foes' gifts are no gifts: profit bring they none" - Sophocles



Maybe Bristol City Council think that by planting about 20 trees near the site of the former chocolate factory in Greenbank, along the Bristol-Bath cyclepath, we'll turn a blind eye to the highly dubious sale of the verge here to developers Squarepeg, who'll soon be ripping out mature trees and the hedgerow to build houses in this linear park.



It'll take more than a few Discovery apple trees and Conference pears to camouflage the impending eyesore, although perhaps I'm being a bit harsh and shouldn't look a gift orchard in the mouth. I should mention that I'm only assuming that BCC are responsible, going by the evidence of the labels attached to a few of the trees. Maybe it was a bit of guerilla gardening action or a gift from the late - sometimes cantankerous, always green and busy - Pete Taylor.

Whatever, whoever, it's certainly an antidote to the mass tree cull going on further up the cyclepath towards Fishponds that I haven't been able to bring myself to photograph. Others have, here.

Blair witch 2010

Get set, chit

3 kg Sante Maincrop potatoes. Eelworm and blight resistant.

Leek Transplant

Transplanted a couple of dozen leeks from a patch where they didn't seem to be growing to a fresh bed, then dug over and limed the old patch. Cut down the raspberry canes and tied them into a couple of bundles and cut back yarrow and evening primrose. No sign of the cat for over a week now.

Hardy Chard

The chard's done better than just survive the cold snap, it's putting on fresh growth, much needed for the kitchen.

Shake A Leg

Snow's all gone, not everything's dead. The broccoli and kale might recover. Added some lime (calcium carbonate) to the soil for the first time, to reduce the acidity and enable better nutrient uptake.



Still a few bargain packets of seeds to be bought in the sales. Night scented stock is a particular favourite and some pink morning glory will look good winding its way up something.



Sowed some broad beans, parsnips and leeks indoors. Had some of this year's parsnips and leeks for lunch plus a few tiddly sprouts. Stewed plums and custard for pudding.



Potted up a few rosemary cuttings that have been standing in water for weeks and developed tap roots.

Scowl For The Camera

You have to be a bit careful photographing the police these days. They've got all camera shy and paranoid about their boyish looks. There were five of them sorting out this little incident, where a motorist hadn't appreciated that the stopping distance in the ice can be a teeny bit longer than normal and had crashed into the wall of one of the most prissily maintained front 'gardens' in the neighbourhood. They've got cctv to protect their dozen hanging baskets, numerous planters and caged birds, so presumably they'll have some footage of the car, part demolishing their wall.

Non Carbon Footprints

Judging by the footprints, others are finding a reason for visiting the allotment too. The cold hasn't quite killed off everything green, but there's not much edible about. The camera rubs it in by putting a green streak down the photo, rebelling against the light.

Brrristol