Fruit bushes

Saturday 7th March
It's funny but I never really know what I'm going to do on the plot till I arrive. I haven't been down for over a week, due to being busy decorating at home. However, it's almost finished now, and as the weather was looking good this morning, I set off with a spring in my step. I had a walk round to see what was growing, and found the rhubarb beginning to take off, the blueberries showing signs of growth and a few of the winter onions poking through the soil.
Bernie came over to tell me that he had e-mailed the owner of the site to ask for a reduction in our rent because we are so badly affected by the floods. We'll just have to wait and see. I proudly showed Bernie our new gate, and said I was on the look-out for a fence post to make another gate on the other side. He said Francesca - opposite - may have a spare one, and he would ask her for me. It always pays to talk to people.
I started by digging out the runner bean trenches again as they had largely filled up following the floods. I spread newspaper in the bottom of the trench and added the kitchen compost on top. Hopefully it will rain soon to dampen the newspaper. I started digging over more of the 'orchard' but found it quite heavy, especially with the backache I've been suffering from this past week. I decided to tackle the weeds around the unidentified fruit bushes instead. The weeds weren't so pernicious here - mostly buttercups - and much easier to remove. While I was working, someone delivering horse manure to a neighbouring plot asked if I'd like some. He said it was well-rotted and free, so I said yes. He was surprised when I said I'd paid £10 for a relatively small amount a few weeks ago, and said he was just glad to get rid of his manure. I used some of the well-rotted stuff to fork around the base of the fruit bushes and was pleased with my efforts. Peter arrived just as I was leaving, to see how things were going. As I left, I enjoyed hearing the satisfying click as I shut the gate.