My allotment

Spring has finally arrived and I'm enjoying spending time at my allotment and feeling warm, hooray! These were taken about a week ago, stuff has grown a lot since then.
All images can be clicked on to enlarge them

General view of my allotment

 Stuff I'm harvesting at the moment

Chard, overwintered and growing fast now

Broccoli, with pigeon protection

Rhubarb
Three different varieties, furthest one very early

Crops on the go, not many of these this year yet

Garlic and broad beans

Arty picture of rusty metal and pebble

The business end of the allotment

My shed
Built be me entirely from scrap wood

Water butts

Compost bins
Made from old pallets tied together with baler string

 And finally some weeds, or are they pretty flowers?!

Self sown primrose being allowed to stay

Celandines in the long grass nearby
and NOT allowed on the allotment.

I was recently considering the fact that I've been gardening now for nearly 30 years, both professionally and as a hobby (no wonder I'm tired?)
I feel I'd like to share my knowledge and experience somehow, but haven't worked out how yet. Any suggestions?

Paste papers

This morning I ran a workshop for people to have a go at making paste papers.

A mixture of paste (in this case wallpaper paste) and paint is spread onto the paper. Patterns are then made into it with combs, brushes etc. 

They have to be hung up for a while to dry... 

the drying rack

the drying rack full
papers spilling onto the floor

a wonderful variety of patterns

Cardboard boxes and getting organised

I'm still on a bit of a mission with my book workshops thing. They aren't always fully booked, but I love doing them and I figure if I keep plugging away then one day I'll become so well known that people will be flocking to my workshops and beating at my door begging me to teach them (perhaps?)

I have a bit of a thing about paper and stationary type stuff, and cardboard comes into that category too. Most of my workshop materials are transported around in cardboard boxes, and over the years I've gradually been decorating and reinforcing them papier mache style. Most of the time I just throw all the 'stuff' into boxes and then spend a lot of time at the workshops rummaging about for things. I've had a hankering to get organised and have been browsing through some catalogues and stores for ideas. I've finally come up with this idea of trays with dividers that fit neatly into my boxes, with a compartment for each of the different book-making supplies.

So I had a happy day cutting up boxes, tearing up paper and gluing. Here is one tray full of needles, thread, awls and tape, and an empty tray.

 Both trays full of stuff

 Tray one in the bottom of a box

 Tray two in the box..

And I have made a third one that fits in the top. I think it may have been drying when I did this 'photo shoot'. The materials cost me next to nothing, .....but they took all day to make! If I costed my time it would be cheaper to buy something, but I enjoyed myself and it beats watching telly (not that we have one, good grief I don't have time to watch telly!) I have yet to test them out at a workshop. Gosh, I might be super organised one day, but I doubt it,
...... just organised will do.