BLAA Social Calendar for 2012

Happy New Year to all on the site!

Here are the dates for the Allotment Association’s social events in 2012 for your diaries.

• Saturday 25 February at 7.30pm – Super special Quiz with supper at Park Street Village Hall – tickets £8 to include food, first come first served
• Sunday 13 May at midday – Annual General Meeting and Plant Sale on site
• Mid-July – judging of Best Plot
• Sunday 15 July time tbc – Annual Summer BBQ on site and results of Best Plot competition
• Saturday 27 October 6.30pm – Annual Hallowe’en Event

Look forward to seeing you there!

Hallowe’en spirit

Well what a Hallowe’en evening was had on our site!

                      

The Committee feel that the event on Saturday 29 October on site, our first Hallowe’en event, was a great success. We’d love some feedback from anyone who attended. Thanks to all who helped – Sue and Ian for their fab and tasty pumpkin soup and baked potatoes, Derrick and Keith for “manning” the barbecue and Gill for her innovative doughnut challenge (especially given the lighting conditions!). We also think the mulled wine helped to calm anyone scared by Hallowe’en ghoulies and ghosties…

Well done to all of you who submitted beautifully carved pumpkins for the competition – as pictured here.

Congratulations go to the winner, Dave Allworthy, with his wichily decorated pumpkin….

And to the winner of the biggest pumpkin, Andy Cairns – though sadly disaster struck when the pumpkin was being transported away from the site…truly a tale of two halves!

Other winners were Julie Stevens who won the hamper and Mark Taylor who won the Whiskey in the raffle. Thanks to all of you who bought tickets and congratulations to those who won prizes. Thanks also to those who donated prizes – you know who you are and we are very grateful.

 

 

Woo-hoo-hoooo!

Are you ready for the Hallowe’en event on site at 6pm on Saturday 29 October? Come along and enjoy FREE seasonal warming refreshments and a chance to show off your pumpkin for the biggest pumpkin competition! If you want to really “carve up” your competitors, why not have a go at carving a pumpkin for a mystery prize? Here’s a website that can give you some ideas!

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm

(Editor’s note: apologies for the previous post which was a picture of our carved  pumpkin from 2010 – I had intended to add it to this post as inspiration but something went wrong… I blame the keyboard. Ahem.) Here it is in its proper place as inspiration!

 

Kim and Nick’s pumpkin 2010

St Albans District in Bloom

We are pleased to announce that our site won third place in the St Albans District in Bloom competition (allotment category), despite some misunderstandings about the category which meant that two individual plots from other sites came first and second. We don’t care – it’s all good stuff! It will feature in this week’s Herts Advertiser. Here are some pictures of the presentation ceremony, held at Ayletts last week.

 

 

 

 

Sunflower Results!

Well here’s a shocker – the prize for the tallest and widest sunflowers goes to Derrick and Keith.  I understand the judge (Derrick) was particularly scrupulous in the judging so let’s hear no mention of ‘Fix’ please! Well done chaps! Here they are with Derek and Ian receiving their award.

And the Best Plot Prizes go to…

The winners of the Best Plot competition and sundry others met for a small ceremony on Sunday 11 September at mid-day. Bubbly was drunk, sausage rolls consumed, speeches made and certificates presented by Ian. Thanks to Ayletts for the prizes. So, here we are – the final results!

In third place, Gillian Wilks and Sandra Farr.

In second place, Collin Wilson and Janet Rees Wilson.

And the winner, in first place, Mark Taylor, Heather Spencer and George Duddy. Well done all!

 

Load of manure…

Thought you would like to see a picture of Doriel, the lady who donates manure to the site – and delivers it in handy bags! She is pictured here with our very own Jan Castle.

This latest lot is the largest delivery so far and we are very luck indeed to get this stuff for free. Remember to put the empty bags back into the large bag when you’ve unloaded your manure.

St Albans District in Bloom Competition

Our site has been shortlisted for an award in the St Albans District in Bloom Competition, the judging for which took place in July! See Jan for details.

Best Plot winners!

Here are the winners of the Best Plot competition for 2011. The judges also inspected the other Parish allotment sites and all winners will be invited to a presentation. Well done to all for achieving such a high standard!

In no particular order they are:

Gillian Wilks and Sandra Farr

Colin Wilson and Janet Rees Wilson

Mark Taylor, Heather Spencer and George Duddy