"Can we build a den?"

Popped out with my youngest this morning to buy some straw to put under the strawberries from the local allotment shop. It seemed silly not to then put it around the strawberries so we stopped off at the allotment too ;>)

Hoed round the strawberries, gave them some water and then put the straw round them together. Did a bit of weeding then ready to go home. "No I don't want too." Well that told me! I finished off the tidying up I started the other day and the plot is looking tidier than it ever has (although still not up to Craig's standard!). Perhaps there is some benefit to being unemployed after all!

An hour or so later, finally showing signs of possibly going home when she comes up to me, puts her arms around me and asks "can we build a den?". Who could say no to that sort of request? Not me.

Fortunately I still have plenty of sticks around from when I originally cut the privet down several years ago and plenty of string. The framework was in place, but by this time I was hungry so I persuade her to come home for lunch with the promise we could finish it after lunch, and maybe bring her Mum and brother to help. And the camera.

Mrs D doesn't do digging, so bought her knitting whilst me and the kids finished off the den. There were some disagreements over style, flooring and who should be doing what but eventually this is what we ended up with:

I left the kids to argue about who could sit where and anything else they could think off, and dug in my caliente mustard. And at that price it had better work! I potted on some of my Costolutu Fiorentino (as grown my Monty on Gardener's World! - mine aren't that far advanced and will be grown in pots though) and a few cucumbers and gherkins (Paris Pickling, Miniature White and Bimbostar).

By which stage Mrs D declared she'd had enough of sitting in full sun so it was time to go home! Oh and can I make a pergola for some shade?! That'll teach me for taking her down to the plot - LOL!