Strike while the iron's hot

You might call me an opportunist, but I have formed my own union, balloted the membership and won a unanimous mandate for a day of action on my pension. My pension is of course the house, so that's where today's action is centred, and will be coupled with a rally against hedge funds. I will be forming a picket line at the plot boundary consisting of rank and file members of the hornbeam family. No-one will be allowed through except the plumber and electrician, who are performing essential services, although they seem to have been on strike for weeks. At the same time, I am saving money for the hard-pressed council while starting my transition to part-time working, although the council might see it as my transition to unemployment.

And so to bed...

There is something satisfying about tidying up the plot for winter but the closed season here has been put on hold. It has been an outrageously fine autumn and we are still awash with colour - carnations, snapdragons, coreopsis, verbena, even some sunflowers, all in full bloom. And see my artichokes. It has been a long year for my best friends in the veg garden, delivering a crop in June and again in October. I've even mastered the heart surgery required to extricate the edible centre from the prickly shell. But it's now time to pamper them for the winter. Having survived at -12degC last winter, they don't seem too fussed about a bit of frost but damp and frost will likely do them in. So stems and leaves are cut back almost to ground level, their roots protected with a thick mulch of manure and their crowns covered with bracken fronds to let them breathe. Talking of fronds, take a look at that asparagus. I'll be cutting my fist crop in the spring. Can't wait.

More whining from down south

The grape harvest is in and I am excitedly looking forward to next Fridays oxford wine tasting festival where of course I can strut my excellent knowledge of the Barolo region (see above - taken during a particularly enjoyable 100km bike ride) following my half hour in the Barolo wine museum. DSB I know you are a big fan of Italian food so you may enjoy browsing at this link http://www.eataly.it some of the best food i have eaten and the good news is they do mail order! also very much in line with your locally grown philosophy so i can see the possibility of a Kinloss franchise soon.

Northern Riveria (2)

To assist DSB in his weather monitoring the Shallow Onions Team is pleased to announce the new Met Office Widget thingy - available at the bottom of the page! Enjoy - users can change location as needed of course.

Micro Vegetables (2)

Despite the deeply unsuitable climate and soil that we have in Oxfordshire some plants do grow and here to prove it is this years bumper (defined as anything edible) harvest of carrots and the odd parsnip that I wanted to check how they were doing. No one was more suprised than me when this lot came up and they taste guide good as well. Funnily enough my beetroots are looking good as well so next year its onto a harsh regime of neglect as the recipe for success.

Northern Riviera

Just in case you think I make these things up, here are yesterday's temperatures!