Saturday 30 May 2009

Saturday 30th May 09

A nice sunny morning so I got up reasonably early, and at 9.30 got ready to go to John Bibby's again, as yesterday I'd promised to help his wife, Shirley, move her compost bins, as the new development (they've sold a chunk of their garden and a house is due to be built) will be on top of where their compost bins are. I took my 'compost mate' tool as it is the best way to extract the top layers from a dalek bin, so they can be put back in the new empty bin. Once I had a wheelbarrow full of the most recently added stuff, I installed an empty bin in a new place, and put a load of prunings and cardboard in the bottom before putting the semi-rotted stuff on top of this.

The base of the compost bin was full of well-rotted material, so I just lifted it up off the pile, and installed it in the new place, leaving the pile of rich compost for Shirley to use in a new border, which will go in front of a new fence. I shovelled one wheelbarrow's worth into the barrow and left the rest for Shirley to do. I reckoned an hour and a quarter was enough. I filled the trailer, panniers and rack with another batch of logs and cycled home, slowly.

Gill was just getting ready to go out with the boys and one of their friends to Pocklington by bus... there's a lovely garden there, Burnby Hall and Gardens, where there are fish to feed and water lilies to look at. And a Sainsburys.

So they went out and I had lunch and got on with various things in the garden, including log chopping and splitting, sorting out an old compost heap... a pallet version which has finished rotting down and some of it's contents have fallen through the base, so I took it all to pieces, tidied up and put everything in a builders bag. Also did more weeding... green alkanet, ground elder, nettles, all growing much better than any crops!

I did a load of stacking too, round the back under my covered woodpile, and then Gill came back; they'd had a nice time and the bus journeys were easy, and the fish were hungry.

We all had egg, beans and chips for tea, and whilst they watched Robin Hood I did some more wood wrangling, getting in at about 10. I love these light nights.

Late on, I played Scrabble and watched a version of The Midwich Cuckoos, a film called Village of the Damned. John Wyndham was one of my favourite authors when I was a teenager... I gobbled up Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, lots of science fiction. Now I don't have time (or inclination?) to read fiction... and I prefer science fact anyway now! Some of the stuff I read in NewScientist is stranger than fiction anyway!

Gill went to a little party gathering next door, Diane and her sister, female friends only. She enjoyed the company. It's not often she goes to a party!

2 comments:

Aspidistra said...

Just wondered how you feel about someone selling part of their garden for development - this is something I am really concerned about as I think that we will pay a high price in the long run.

Compost John said...

Hi Aspidistra, I too have concerns about gardens and green spaces being used for building on. I would prefer it not to happen, as I really value gardens and local places to grow food.

But people need places to live, and houses are in short supply around here. So, a small house built here will benefit a family and will help towards the annual Government targets for new-build homes.

So I am not totally against it. And as I have no control over it, and these trees were already logged, I was happy to be a beneficiary. Sad to see fruit trees cut down though.