An early season vegetable excitment post. Not for the normal amongst you.

Its been almost a full two months since I last scribed on my blog - shame on me. Life is pretty good at the moment which I think could indicate that I've been living it and not over analysing it - either that or the stuff that is really bugging me is libelous or particularly hurtful about how i feel about some others (I've always been a bitter old crow and I'm trying the 'if you don't have anything good to say' approach - it's new and is certain not to last!)

One thing I am really pleased about is my much improved mood of late. I've taken some really proactive health choices and those in combination with a promotion and more sunlight has really cheered me up. Now to see how long that lasts!

And, some very exciting news on the allotment front....small fanfare.... I've finally got around to ordering a greenhouse. The crunch point was running out of space to grow seeds in the kitchen, coupled with yet another 'for Gods sake' from Hub. It's a 6 x 8 (the greenhouse, obviously) nothing too flash, bog standard - critically with safety glass to fend off the foodballs (i obviously meant footballs but liked this mistype!) which i am sure will regularly crash right through onto the plants lurking within.

Taking up my attention at the moment on the plant front are.... tomatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, lettuce and carrots (all on the windowsill at work!) artichokes, cucumbers, courgettes (i had to sow more seeds having gotten mixed up between cucumbers and courgettes earlier in the season) more tomatoes, onions, sweetcorn and purple cauliflowers, on all available surfaces attracting sunlight in the kitchen. I'd argue that the soil is sterile but somehow I'm doubting I'd currently pass a food hygiene certificate at the moment. oh well, not long now until the glass loveliness arrives - and then the bloody faff about getting it up (oo-er!) I might have to get a man in to do that...... cue Gary (our best-man who owns a building type business!)

All I need to do now is actually get some of the plants into the ground.....prepare, dig, plant, weed, fertilise, weed, water, pick off the pests, weed, water, KILL SLUGS (this years chosen method is cutting them in half with scissors!), weed, feed, water, realise you have no idea what you're doing it all for, water, weed, weed, weed, try not to get banned from having an allotment, nick the next door neighbours raspberries, water, weed, realise I'd prefer a Chinese than a vegetable lasagna.....yet again! But, having said all that and all the effort that goes into it (and it is a lot!) I love it and find it so utterly rewarding, it makes a fab change from shuffling bits of paper around (electronically usually!) and having nothing tangible to show for it.

The thing that still never fails to amaze me is that I can put seeds into soil and they grow into plants. I know it sounds pretty crap but its AMAZING, and wondrous and incredible and, and, and. In fact i find it so great that i don't have enough words to describe how brilliant i think it is!! Hub finds it funny as he thinks that human creation is much more impressive, but I'm stuck on the wonder of my plants. I think it's because I can see their progress. A baby scan at 20 weeks and an ever expanding tummy seemed a bit surreal, whilst the progress and evidence of my courgettes is plain to see.

Oh, no. I've just had a horrible thought. Some people have pets as baby substitutes - do I have plant baby substitutes? oh, hang on - we have a baby - phew. I do love my plants though - but I wouldn't eat a baby...... unless it were made of jelly..........