The Joy of Gardening!

There's something so satisfying about gardening!



After the weekend of DIY we had a spare day and Jam and I decided to do something about the mooring and cleared up some of the ivy that just goes mental strangling all the trees and bushes.

We brought over the logs from the old log pile that had once held up the shed that Polly had put up when she'd sold her boat, to put her stuff in, which BW then made her take down saying it was an obstruction to navigation, strange that for it wasn't anywhere near the water but that's a different story, and so we made a lovely looking woodery.

We planted some flowers that we'd bought at a car boot sale, mainly marigolds and little blue daisies, I forget their real name now.

I incorporated my trophies for darts and go-kart racing. Yes I have a trophy for playing 'arrows' ~ after my degree I lived above a pub in the East End and was roped in to playing arrows for the team, we did really well, considering you had to drink your body fluid capacity in vodka and orange at each match. I could barely see the board let alone hit it! I actually got sent home once at an away match for missing the board and shooting an arrow through someone's foot ~ didn't they realise I was a liability with a drink inside me?

There's also a section of home-grown salad and herbs in the woodery as well, a lovely climbing rose, some seating and a little bit of a rockery trail. Not bad for a day's work!

We are Master Gardeners! (The first of many on this subject...)

Jam and I went on a course at the weekend to become Master Gardeners through Garden Organic.  It was the first course ever and we had such a great time, learnt so much, met some entertaining people, worked on fabulous ideas, visited a beautiful community garden (pictured) and ate tasty organic lunches.  We are so lucky to be involved in such a fantastic project!  There was so much energy in the room ~ it was a breathe of fresh air!

Our local community gardeners group, which we are members of, has won an Edible Islington award to turn some waste land into allotments.  We are now challenged with finding ten households each to become part of our Master Gardener plan.  The allotment has ten plots, and there is another lady from the gardening group who will become a Master Gardener at the next session, so we shall all work together, with the other Master Gardeners on supporting each other to grow the nation of organic growers! Organic gardening will take over the world!  Especially with things like volcanic eruptions disrupting the import of foods we need to be more aware than ever of what we can grow and do locally!

Everyone can become involved even in the tiniest way through the One Pot Pledge, look it up, it's so simple and such a great starter for becoming addicted to making things grow on your own doorstep.

The name Master Gardener was discussed, as it seemed a little pretentious or odd to say ~ hey I'm a Master Gardener ~ especially if you don't have heaps and heaps of gardening experience.  It is actually about being able to offer advice and support to local people wanting to try growing their own food, organically.  We have been given the tools to provide this advice, supported by Garden Organic.  It is about making other people aware, attending shows and events to promote the cause, going into schools and meetings to give talks and presentations.  Whatever way we can promote it, we will do it!  Like now, right here, on my tiny little blog with only 8 wonderful organic followers ~ are you thinking I'd like to be growing my own organic food?  Oh! If only I had the support of a Master Gardener...well now you do!