Drum Roll Please........

Introducing.........................

The new look Dragons Den..................

The beds have finally been dug over



A base has gone down ready for the greenhouse.....


Hubby has done a great job working out the instructions for the sprayer and giving the den a lovely coat of dragon green paint..... mind you it absolutely chucked it down with rain about an hour after he finished so we left it with a slightly camouflaged look! I even got him to spray the pallets outside the shed to make a nice little veranda! I'm gonna get him a rocking chair and a pipe so that he can sit there swigging moonshine watching the sun go down!

Meanwhile I was busy with the interior decoration! As this shed is doubling up as a playhouse of sorts to keep the girls from getting too bored it has to be bright and cheerful. I need to do another coat of paint and then I'm going to print some nice bright girlie pink circles inside! I've got a small plastic table for them and an easel to keep them occupied. I'm also getting an old sandpit as well. We might even get round to growing some veg at some stage!

Talking of veg.... now I have a lovely blank canvas to play with I'm really scared of making a start! I really need to decide where to put my permanent planting, ie the strawbs and rasps before doing anything else! My spuds are more than ready to meet their new home and get going. I also ordered some bare rooted strawbs from QVC today.... 12 plants for £9ish. (can't remember the name at the moment but they are meant to be very sweet - time will tell!)

PS I will get round to listing my seeds but as I'm running out of battery here I'm gonna have to go. Toodle pip! :-)

Grrrrr to the weather!.. and a big well done.

Can I just start this post by saying a big BIG congratulations to Little Miss Dragon jnr who managed to use her potty for the very first time today!

Woo hoooooo! Good on yer girl... I'm very proud of you.

Anyway back to the Den... This blooming weather is driving me mad!

Monday was T shirt weather... I did some clearing on Mums lottie, just old cabbages and broccoli but it was lovely and warm.

The shed went up on Tuesday... not as warm, well quite chilly, but it was dry.

It got warmer towards the end of the week... it was almost up to 20 degrees!

Then come Sunday.... It snowed... it was freezing cold.... it snowed again! There were blizzards by the evening!

Quick snowy picture...

I popped up to the Den just to make sure that the shed was still intact. Phew the windows were still there and it looked quite secure.

I feel a bit of a picture fest coming on....

Here's the finished shed....

Here's one of the plot... the weedkiller (3rd application) is starting to work....

And here's my plot number. It looks sad doesn't it... I'm planning on painting a new one, all nice and fancy and varnished! Might even go for the best new plot award this year! ha ha!!!

We have a shed!!!!!!!!

Well, it went up in no time and I must say it's looking pretty good!

Just need to make the window more secure. Why is it you get a nice solid shed with a lock and key supplied but a flimsy bit of plastic for the window held in with a few thin nails!!!

The paint is ready for the outside, a nice shade of green, but I am considering giving the inside a quick coat of white emulsion to brighten it up!

I know... enough rambling..... here it is......

Fanfare please!!!!........

Ladies and Gentlemen... I present to you... the heart of the Dragons Den....

Now wasn't that work waiting for!

The roof has been finished but the above pics were taken on my mobile so I'll get some better ones when I'm next there. Can you believe in all the excitement I forgot my camera.

Now then, tomorrows news is...... I'm ordering the greenhouse! Woo hoo.

Did I mentin I'm going for a 6x10? Should be enough space for the odd cucumber and cherry tomato. The downside is it'll take 5-7 weeks to arrive. Anyway I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed......

..... for good weather tomorrow.

Tomorrow is SHED DAY!

Hopefully the plan is to get it to the den first thing in the morning and then hubby and dad will spend the rest of the day (hopefully not) putting it together and cursing me under their breath, ha ha.

I can then spend the rest of the day filling it with all the junk, I mean necessary equipment, to keep the Den ticking over nicely!

I'll be taking as many pics as possible and posting them tomorrow..... watch this space.

Touching Base.....

I've been browsing the net looking for ideas for a base for my shed. They Who Must Be Obeyed (the Council) say that cement or concrete is not allowed on a plot so most paving slabs etc must be laid on a bed of sand or on ye olde allotment favourite... pallets. Being a girlie I want my shed looking nice and not a Steptoe reject so the pallet idea is out! Pallets will have a place on the lottie - compost bins or fencing - but NOT under my shed.

I was contemplating laying some sand and paving slabs but the thought of all that levelling was putting me off (not that I would have being doing a lot of it ha ha!) but I found this idea on my favourite allotment forum.....

Lay a retaining wall of wood, fence posts will do, and fill in with a couple of inches of gravel. On top of that put 3"x 3" fence posts, as many as you need for stability, and place your shed on top. The Fence posts will bed down into the gravel which will help to self level the shed. The shed is held away from the ground keeping the damp out and meaning your shed lasts longer!... Voila!!!


Can I just say thank you to Aunt Sally for that top tip.














I think I have decided on the shed I want.... It's a 7'x5' shiplap style with windows on one side. It needs to be big enough to house a small plastic kiddy table and chairs so that the girls can retire there and read or draw should the weather (or the great outdoors) become too much for them! I can't make my mind up between a single or double door on it though. Either way I hope to have it ordered at the weekend. Next on the list is the greenhouse, but that's a decision for another day!