The Wine & Cider Patio begins to take shape!

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning here in Carshalton in Surrey, so what better way to spend the morning than at the allotment. My lovely hubby also decided that it was about time that my pile of paving slabs, acquired on freecycle some time back, were put to the use they were acquired for - indeed! Good thinking that man.

He therefore decided to accompany me and get the Wine & Cider (I don't do beer or lager unless it's Gluten Free) Patio underway.

First came the preparation - chiselling off the old cement bits.

Then came the laying of the black sheeting which was copied from my fellow committee memeber and allotmenteer John Bresman, as he is a strong believer in too much concrete is not good on an allotment site. So the idea is to level off the soil underfoot, lay the sheeting to surpress the weeds and then the patio slabs (a lovely shade of pink - pink being the new green and visa versa) go on top of that.

So here in the picture below you can see the careful precision with which the sheeting was laid outside my greenhouse (or is that pinkhouse??)

This continued to along side and in front of the shed (which is painted green - that's the new pink - confused - you soon could be)

And the first pink (green or is that really pink) patio slab is laid.

Whilst hubby was busy with his project, I thought it best to keep out of the way and hoe the weeds which I seem to be growing very well and alot of.

Unfortunately my plot (144) has been cursed with Bindweed, and there are still a few baby brambles popping their heads up for good luck.

I try to carefully dig around them and pull as much of the little blighters out and once I have de weeded, de brambled and de bindweeded the whole plot - I start all over again!

What joy.

Now for news on 122. After serving my time in the Trading Hut that morning - I was on duty with my new partner Nigel from 11am to 1pm, I quickly nipped home for a spot of lunch - cold chicken drumsticks left over from the night before. I was back with 3/4 of an hour and got to work raking and re piling up the already piled and parted burnt pile to another location as the plot is to be rotavated in the week.

So in a pair of shorts, in the hope of getting a little colour to my now ghostly white legs, my muck boot gardening clogs and with my rake (not grass rake unfortunately) and fork, I got to work.

15 minutes later, the cavalry arrived in the form of Nigel and his "chopper" I had to giggle when he said "I'm just going to get my "chopper," childish I know but I couldn't help it!

So Nigel got chopping and I continued to rake.

After an hour, we decided enough was enough as it was very hot, so off we went to the Trading Hut, put the kettle on and enjoyed a coffee sitting on the scaffolding boards that had arrived, enjoying the sunshine.

We sat their putting the world to rights for 20 minutes or so, and then I toodled off back to 144 for some more weeding and greenhouse potting on.

(pictures to follow tomorrow)