Allotment Diary: Sow & Sow

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planting 3 types of beetroot

Last week on our allotment we returned to the important business of sowing more seeds. We had 3 different types of beetroot. We love it with parsnips, squash, garlic and rosemary in roasted vegetables.

upcycled butlers sinks being used as planters

Remember those old, heavy Belfast sinks we salvaged from a far corner the previous week? Well, we stood them on some bricks, filled them with compost, watered them in and sowed them with seeds.

planting herb and salad seeds

One’s been given over to herbs – coriander, flat leaf parsley and basil…

planting lolla rosa lettuce seeds

…the other will (hopefully) provide us with a selection of cut & come again lettuce – mizuna, rocket, land cress and red & green salad bowl mixed. We even had a little space left to plant a single drill of some lolla rosa seeds we got from the BBC Dig In project a couple of years ago.

having a break in  the sunniest spot on our allotment

It was the sunniest day since we had the allotment and it was only then that we discovered that the sunniest part of the entire plot was what we’d designated as our ‘dumping ground’! Next time we’re there, we’ll be making it into a better location for a break and spot of lunch!

World Dolls Series: Wales

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World Dolls Series: Wales book cover

Our World Dolls Series has reached Wales – The Land of Our Fathers.

World Dolls Series: Wales

Illustrations are by J. Sirr – and they highlight the tradition, scenery & industry of the region.

Bronwen from Wales

Our tour guide is Bronwen, resplendent in her national costume. She’s rightly proud of her national identity & her country’s long history…

Welsh Eisteddfod competition

…and the Welsh tradition of poetry, music, song & dance –  celebrated at the annual Eisteddfod.

Welsh spinner in national costume and spinning wheel in Welsh cottage

She’s also equally proud of her little cottage where she spins wool…

Men and women in Welsh national dress

This is a lovely image – people gathered for a bit of a do – wearing their brightly coloured wools & tall hats.

Ancient Welsh soldiers and castle

The mining industry was still going strong when these little books were written in the 1960s. Alas, we fear it would be impossible to hear miners singing on their way home from work today.

group of Welsh miners

Wales packs so much into a small area. Busy cities, market towns & heavy industry – majestic mountains & ancient wooded valleys – farms & fishing harbours – river estuaries, historical buildings, seaside resorts & stunning beaches.

Welsh Beach

As with all the books in this series, the author Irene Dark and the various illustrators chosen from the Birmingham School of Design do such a great job of capturing the charm & spirit of the country.

Welsh Hills

We’ll be crossing the sea to Ireland for our next trip. See you there!

Charity Vintage: Dolly Days coffee set

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Dolly Days coffee set for sale on eBay for Charity by & in support of Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice(ends 18 May, 2014 21:06:47 BST)

We’ve been lucky enough to have had a couple of these Dolly Days coffee sets since we’ve been trading. We picked up the first one in a charity shop in Bexhill-on-Sea about 8 years ago – before we even had a shop! We sold it in 2008 to a lovely lady who bought it as a present. Here’s the lovely story she told us:

It was the first set that my grandparents bought when they got married, unfortunately over time, many pieces have been broken so I am buying this set (which is the only one I have found) as a 50th wedding anniversary gift for them.

This Dolly Days set is being sold on eBay for Charity by & on behalf of Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice*. The starting bid is £49.99 and surprisingly there’ve been no bids yet. Dolly Days was manufactured by Hostess Tableware in 1960s. The pattern designed by John Russell, who was also designed the Black Velvet range.

*The Hospice provides specialist palliative care to those suffering with a life threatening illness via in-patient support, day care, various clinics including Lymphodema and breathlessness along with bereavement support, at no charge to the patient or carers.