Roots Down Under

July 2010

Well, we are having a fantastic amount of fruit and vegetables from the allotment. Courgettes are coming out everywhere, we know for next year not to plant so many.

Peas, Strawberry's, Onions, Garlic, Turnips, picked in abundance.

The Broad Beans have been good but have now been attacked by blackfly. So we have had to put the remainder on the compost, still it has given us a space to put the winter cabbage in now that the seedlings are coming through.

Its good to see the cupboard with home grown vegetables.

The first Potatoes have been picked 3kg (7lb) from just 3 plants. The Runner Beans, Tomatoes etc. are now ready for picking and the Carrots will be ready in a few weeks time. It will be interesting to see if our experiment of growing Carrots in the cardboard of toilet rolls, in the ground, has worked. Apparently, it supposed to protect them from carrotfly and produce better growth. We will see!!!!!!

I need a coffee break now!!!

By the way, did I tell you we are off to Australia tomorrow (Mon. 26th) for 6 weeks. YES, 6 weeks,

cannot wait to see my son Dean, and Rachel and especially my grandchildren,

Charlotte and Jacob

And the allotment!!!!

It's in the capable hands of my daughter Joanne, with Neil and my grandson Joseph.

It also means that I am sorry not be near when Joanne has my new grandson Izac (expected on the 7th August)

Really will be looking forward to seeing everyone when we get back.

Speak to you in September

From Planted Seeds to Maturity

That's strange: half my ancestors are WOMEN!

In my last blog I mentioned that I would look at the Females in the Nickisson Family Tree

We have (to Date) 379 persons and of those:

• 176 are females
• 82 were born a Nickisson

Should women have children after 35?           

No, 35 children are enough

• Most Popular Nickisson name: Unlike the Nickisson Males there is no particular name that seems to have been passed on through the Generations. There are just two each of the following names: Diane - Elizabeth - Hannah - Irene - Janet - Julia - Laura and Rachel. The most popular names in all the females in the family tree is Rachel and Susan (5 each)

There was a woman who was pregnant with twins, and shortly before they were due, she had an accident and went into a coma. Her husband was away on business, and unable to be reached. While in the coma, she gave birth to her twins, and the only person around to name her children was her brother.
When the mother came out of her coma to find she had given birth and that her brother had named the twins, she became very worried, because he wasn’t a very bright guy. She was sure he had named them something absurd or stupid.
When she saw her brother she asked him about the twins.

He said, “The first one was a girl.”
The mother: “What did you name her?!?”
Brother: “Denise!”
The Mother: “Oh, wow, that’s not bad! What about the second one?”
Brother: “The second one was a boy.”
The Mother: “Oh, and what did you name him?”
Brother: “Denephew.”

• The oldest female Nickisson: 88 years and still going strong

Did you hear about the 88 year old woman who talked herself out of a speeding ticket by telling the young officer that she had to get there before she forgot where she was going?

From Planted Seeds to Maturity

June 2010

We cannot believe how the vegetables have grown over the last month!

This is how the allotment looked at the end of May

and now, 4 weeks later!!!!!!!!!!

The weather has been perfect with plenty of sun and rain (although we could do with a little more rain now). That's put the damper on it!!!!!!! (Hope so)

The allotment is full, everything has been planted out from the greenhouse and we are now harvesting our first produce. We have already had about 3 kilo (nearly 7lb) of Strawberry's, they are fantastic.

By the way, have you seen my Whopper?

No, not the Peas, over 7 kilo (16lb) have been picked already.

Guess what, its coffee time, still amongst the Peas.

Have you seen my Whopper Yet?

No not the Courgettes

The Button Turnips are now being harvested.

We have also picked Garlic and Onions.

Whilst the above vegetables and fruit are still producing, in the next few weeks we will also be harvesting: Early Potatoes, Broad Beans, Runner Beans, Rhubarb, Tomatoes, Lettuce and Beetroot.

Well, have you seen my Whopper yet?

Later in the year we will have (hopefully) Leeks, late Potatoes, Sweetcorn, Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage. They are all growing well at the moment but the saga of the Cauliflower continues - no luck with them, just five plants out three trays of seeds. Still those five are doing well.

In the greenhouse we have plenty of Tomato plants

whilst outside on the 'patio' we have Peppers Planted in Plastic Pots

See how quickly you can say that!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready to see my Whopper now?

Take a deep breath.

Here it is, its a beauty!!!!!!!!!

What can I say!!!!!!!!!!!