Weather terrible- gardening continues

What awful weather we've had  lately in the UK. Well saying that doesn't do it justice. I have nothing but sympathy for everyone affected- and contrary to those who may think that down South it's only "posh" houses by the Thames affected I can assure you it isn't.

 Last week I saw hundreds of extremely ordinary terraced houses in the London Borough of Croydon with filthy water lapping against them (it must have been in the houses as well), sunken cars, water gushing from manholes, a couple of forlorn fire engines piping water around, desolate minor roads, and elsewhere traffic hold-ups where major road underpasses were deliberately flooded as temporary reservoirs. And it has been going on for weeks. All credit to the emergency services and others which has stopped what looks like a disaster zone from actually being one.   Elsewhere of course there has been all sorts of damage, including the many hundreds of acres of crops destroyed by the constant flooding, and the massive problems for farmers.

The River Misbourne in Bucks is normally a small stream. In Amersham it has flooded cellars and back gardens. The picture was taken yeasterday after the water had receded quite a bit.

Any concerns we might have about the sogginess of allotments seem irrelevant.  However it has made me think about issues of food security. I think it is pretty much accepted now that the current situation is likely to be repeated- the relatively rapid global climate change is at last generally considered to be caused by humans- and we will see more dramatic weather events.  I hope we are intelligent enough to be able to globally co-operate in addressing issues and planning for the future, and it starts by getting our own house in order, and supporting one another.   But on the micro-scale of our allotments I have two thoughts- one (self-centerdly!) I'm glad we have an allotment if in the short term veg and fruit prices are likely to rise; and two- are we going to have to adapt our styles of gardening?

Here in East London we are lucky to be protected from our River Lea by a special flood relief channel- without it the allotment would undoubtedly be flooded, and the house not long after.  So we continue to work on the plot- with some good sunshine at the weekend and not at all sodden soil.

Oh, and in the back garden, the tender nasturtiums thrive... climate change?

 

We've moved the strawberries back to the edges of a front bed, to be used soon for potatoes.

We are getting to grips with the back section, which hasn't had too much attention in the first year of our plot
 

 

In the back garden the cyclamen look almost exotic

 

And the primroses in my £1 from the charity shop cage look cheerful in the sun!

But perhaps nicest of all are the snowdrops- here they are en-masse at the Chilterns Crematorium, Amersham- which has lovely wooded, natural grounds

 

Nearly Wordless Wednesday- Micro Flora and Micro Fauna

New animals spotted at the allotment

 

Dino wants a piece of the action

Dino gets carried away, as do the Cow Twins

And the miniature attractions of the winter allotment are revealed on a rare sunny day: Fennel

Moss/ fodder

Feverfew

Rose

Beautiful Sun for Once

It was a beautiful day on the allotment- at least 10 other plotholders were out and we completed our raspberry/ gooseberry swap.  The gooseberry bush which we were very kindly offered is enormous, and very vigorous. Our fellow plotholders worked hard but unfortunately broke a spade and a fork moving it!   Our tools, luckily enough, held up better, and now we have a bit of a biggun (and potentially very fruitful) in our midst!

We'd inherited one gooseberry on the plot, which bore nothing last year, so we laid into it and made 5 smaller plants to see what happens.  I turned 4 into cordons to grow up our scaffolding fence (also inherited!) and gave one away. We separated 2 bushes from the monster plant, and gave one to our next-door neighbour, then replanted the biggun. We couldn't face trying to break it up anymore, that'll be a job for another day. Apparently the biggun has been very prolific, so fingers crossed for the crop. When we have some wood ash we'll top dress, as apparently they love potash. The plotholders we gave raspberries to were pleased, so hopefully all will work out.



One of my cordoned gooseberries

We also did some digging over as the ground wasn't too sodden (our plot borders a stream, but the local flood relief channel protects us, and all the neighbouring area). And a bit of weeding and chatting with our neighbours, who gave us a big handful of a peppery salad leaf which has been taking over their greenhouse (could be mizuna?). This was lovely with pasta and walnut bits for a simple (and very late!) lunch.

A good day!

a lovely early iris

Catkins like a reaching hand
 

wiggly hazel looks like a little head

Whilst this basically looks like a bare space, a bucket and the back of someone else's polytunnel it actually represents a day's work! The gap is where L dug out a massive boring municipal type shrub (leaving the buddleia for the insects!)- and on the left in the background is the monster gooseberry. Things are shaping up in this area as we straighten up the raspberries and weed thoroughly.

more bright primroses: more bright days please!