Update

I was very fortunate to have a whole 4 hours down by the allotment ALONE...yes no kids. I do love taking them to the allotment and truth be told they are one of the major reasons why i chose to have an allotment in the first place - but and its a big BUT...they seriously limit the amount of time i can spend there. To be honest its really Z who does that as he constantly needs a spade or a fork or wants a drink etc etc. So 4 hours was great! My aim was simply two fold - spend half the time clearing, that is, picking up rubbish and the other half actually planting something in the soil. I contacted the council and they have said they will pick up the rubbish for me if its in one pile/location so this is what i have done so far... As is my usual style i have covered the area with sheeting until i am ready to start planting there... it might not look all that great BUT it really was a lot of work and i feel sooooo relieved that its been done. So next on to planting ! yey! POTATOES After watching Alys Folwer (whom i absolutely LOVE) i have totally changed my original plan of raised beds, neat rows etc. I'm going for a more 'organic' approach which to me means curvy lines, rough borders, companion planting, flowers in any gaps, reclaimed objects and so on. At home my seedling babes are doing ok. Courgettes are looking great and so are dahlias but aubergine are growing very slowly and my chillis are yet to be an entrance. fingers crossed X