As you can see the coping stone bed is no more and I have made a start on setting out the new bed. Now I need to dig out the old plants and as many perrenial weeds as possible and get on with it! 

Ther aren't any straight edges to go off so judging the angles, width etc is causing a ot of head-scratching! 

I've realised if I get rid of the pumpkin bed I might have room for another three beds parallel to this one....hmmmm.....that would definately make the space more productive....but do I want to get rid of that other bed....? 

I piled the coping stones up along the fence for the time being. You can see the tulips in the bed in front. 

The old compost bin is no more! Our council is offering up to three plastic ones per family. Are they any good or would I be better off making another wooden one? 

This whole area should be sorted out over the coming weeks. I have started removing the old compost bin to make way for another raised bed. The coping stone bed is goingas well. I will try and save the sorrel, some lemon balm and a clump of chives. 

Does this residue in the compost bin seen to be the sort of thing I should be putting in a runner bean trench? Advice gratefully recieved. 

I forgot to mention the bath I purloined from next door to my Mum & Dad yesterday morning. I think I will probably just use it as a convenient way to fill the watering can when needed. Still, as you may be able to see, I have made a start on tidying the bramble and other rubbish cluttering this end of the allotment.

It has been a wet and gloomy day today but i was pleased to be able to make a start on the clearing up. I also did a bit more 'planning' regarding the central path. I'm hoping to make a start on that in the next couple of days weather permitting. 

Despite Kevin's best efforts to dissuade me I got this for a quid at a tip in Pembrokeshire. Any suggestions.....oh sorry we've done that already...... 

The shed is stuffed with carpet ready to plant through and (hopefully) keep the horsetail at bay. 

I spent a lot of the day at the house Phil is renovating sifting coal & dust to get the good stuff before the outhouse is demolished - oh the joys of half term! 

I found this card in the front room. There is an old budgie pen in the back garden I am hoping to cut up for firewood. Poignant and rather sad to see this in an empty room waiting to be thrown away. 

The 'usual' view to remind me just how much needs to be done before the growing season begins! 

It's a good job the fashion police weren't out in Lytham this afternoon! 

Some of us are rather more dignified on our rambles! 

The tulips I planted last Autumn are all through in the last new bed! 

This is now the plan for the central path - two paving stones wide over the groundcover with a wooden edge on the left hand side with a longditudinal bed in place of the coping stones bed. 

The allotment was bathed in the afternoon sunshine on a surprisingly warm but frosty day. 

Isn't this a beautiful sight!? The first in what i hope might become a large collection of old water tanks. It is rather manky at the moment with a drainage hole in the bottom. I don't intend to use it for water though, probably as a planter.... 

...and here it is again. I think I might use it for carrots or parsnips. Any suggestions? 

I couldn't resist this sunset as I drove home past St. Annes pier this evening. 

I wasn't called in on Monday after a full week last week so snaffled some carpet from next door to my parents where all sorts of good things are appearing in the front garden as it is being cleared for decoration/renovation.  

The Purple Sprouting is drooping but looks like it should be productive in a couple of months time. There was a lovely golden glow over the rooftops this afternoon. 

This was the view from the garden of Stainforth Youth Hostel in the Yorkshire Dales which 48 of us took over at the weekend. Not really allotment stuff but I did have a request and I know I have rather neglected the blog lately.