I need a golden reiki shower

The lack of rain is causing me hard work at my allotment as I am sowing seeds and putting in plantlets grown in my greenhouse and cold frame.  I do not water new crops every day as this causes them to develop shallow roots.  I have three water butts that I fill from the hose and then water with the watering can.  I try  to water early in the morning, many say that evening watering is better which allows water to be taken up overnight and then the plants are ready to face the and  sun and wind etc  the following day.  But as I garden organically I do not want to help the slugs and snails, which are active at night, to eat my crops.

When my plants are established I only water once a week giving those plants trees and bushes that need it a good soak.  My broad bean I have rarely watered and they have produced a lovely crop of beans.  I harvested the first ones last Tuesday and have picked some more for the weekend.  The key is that I have dug in organic matter over the winter and I hoe away weeds rather than dig them out during the summer.  Hoeing creates a dust mulch which conserves water.  I am also filling the planting hole or trench with water when transplanting plantlets.

My salad crops are growing really well, and following advice from gardening experts when I sowed my parsnips I sowed radishes in between this has been really successful.  The parsnip seedlings are now emerging underneath the shade of   the radish leaves.  We were enjoy delicious herb, lettuce, giant mustard, radish spring onion and rocket salads when to my horror I was told there was a possible water contamination of the water supply.   This in the worst case scenario could mean digging out plots and replacing the soil.

I phoned the council myself and got no information.  I also phoned the water board.   The community allotments manager informed his manger at the Council. She emailed a higher Manager and on Tuesday this week every tap on the allotment was tested and the water supply is OK. It seems to be a problem in the soil.  One  the cause of the contamination is possibly the mismanagement of the cesspit for the toilets which is only emptied when it is overflowing.  During the winter there was a water pipe burst and also six weeks ago in the gents toilet a pipe broke.  The people who mended the pipe that time reported,  I believe, high levels of E. Coli which may have sunk into the ground.  This information was ignored for weeks.  The water table is extremely low and I think the fear is that it E.Colo might flood onto the low lying plots as the water table rises to a higher level.

There has also been other contamination from the new sewage treatment plant.  There was a leak into the sea  lake that borders some of the plots.   Again it may be a problem because of the low water table.   I do not know the science of it all but I was worried these past two weeks.   But as there are four barrier between my plot and the contamination - a high concrete path which enables wheel chair user to access the community plot,  my lovely willows on the edge of my plot, a blackberry hedge, a stone path  which was to stop the blackberries spreading - they don't know this!  I then have four rows of raspberries.  So all this should prevent contamination and my plot is on higher ground than the contaminated ground.  So we have started eating the salad crops and herbs again - though they do get two or three extra washes just to make sure.

I must admit that I  needed a Reiki shower every day when I got home from my plot.  I have been sending Reiki to the earth and the sea  and for it and all the creatures that live in it to be safe and well.

Just to add to the worry of the week about contamination while I was walking home through the allotments I was swiped by a Car.  Andrew, the anti-social plot holder, was driving his car up the path I was on and rather than wait for me to move safely out of his way he swept by me and hit me with the back of his car.  I stumbled but my Tai Chi training stopped me from falling.  He did not stop.  When I spoke to him about this he said,

"It was your fault pedestrians have to get out of the way of cars."

Ooh did I see red!

Cherry Glow Poppies T&M

But a few more reiki showers sorted out the negative feelings he created in me.  And I am looking forward to a productive week at the plot. I have a packet of free seeds from the magazine Amateur Gardening and so I will be sowing Poppy Cherry Glow seeds  The Poppies grow to 2 to 3 foot high and they are similar to a field poppy but giant size.  I will grow them next to one of my water butts.  I love sowing seeds and get really excited when they start to grow.  I felt like singing and dancing when I saw how many parsnip seeds had come up -  OK I may have done an Irish jig.  Last year I was not very successful growing parsnips.  Any way Poppy dog needs a walk so I need to get ready to go out

With Reiki blessings

The Merry Rambler

Some Stats:

This has been the hottest Spring in the Uk since 1910

We have had,in Hampshire, only 10% of the usual rainfall this Spring