Just a simple girl.

Bramleys

 I'm relatively new to gardening and I'm still enthralled by the magic of it all. Buy a scruffy little plant, or a few seeds, dig around in the earth and a few months later, you have food. I've spent a lovely hour in the garden. I've earthed up potatoes, weeded, potted the Lupins on, planted carrot seeds, watered, dead headed and cleared away rubbish.

Victoria plum

 The rain has caused the potatoes to have a growing spurt and then are 'leggy' and needed protecting from day light. The spuds and I had a lovely chat...........they're such good listeners!

 Almost all of the tiny bulbs, that I bought for £1 in Poundland have sprung to life, I'll have loads to plant into the borders soon.

 My cheapy poly tunnel is the best fun ever! Foster Mummy's sweetcorn loves it in there. I have courgettes, butternut squash and cucumber and I'll put the tomatoes in at the weekend. Either Foster Mummy (she generously gave me lots of plants) or I have grown everything from seed and I am constantly amazed at the way a few pennies turn into meal after meal.

 My Aldi plants, that I bought for £1.79 a tray, are flourishing. All four of my hanging baskets unsuccessfully grew tomatoes last year. This year they are doing what they are intended to do and are full of flowers. Again, bought for pennies but giving me the most incredible pleasure. It's a grey and overcast evening, yet I can find so much colour and life out there. I worry sometimes that I spend too much money in the garden as all the little bits add up and when I look in the 'home accounts book' and see what I have spent over the last few years, I also think of the awe and wonder I feel every time I'm out there.

Some one asked about me staying in a 'caravan' and cleaning 'caravans'. I work in the school summer holiday on a local campsite and clean the caravans on a Saturday through the summer break. It's very well paid for a summer job at £8.50 an hour and after six caravans, it's an incredible workout. I also profit, like a Womble, from the every day items that folks leave behind. If they leave clothing or toys, then all those items are handed in; the owners are informed and posted to them at the owner's expense. If they don't claim them, then the campsite gives them to the local charity shop. However, minor items such as unopened food, cleaning materials and toiletries are to be thrown away, or in my case, taken home and made good use of. I would often come home with unopened food after clearing out the fridge, boxes of tea, trays of eggs, bottles of washing up liquid, shower gel, shampoo and a host of other peripherals, some of which kept me supplied for months.

I'm also renting a caravan when I go on holiday. They are just about the cheapest form of holiday accommodation next to taking your own tent. As we are only going for a five day break, then we've decided to leave the tent at home and have the luxury of a caravan.