Alright, to an untrained eye this probably looks like a bit of scrubby ground with some wooden frames and lots and lots of mud. OK – so that’s exactly what it is.

However, this scrubby ground has taken us four days to turn into six 5.8mx1.2m vegetable beds, all rotovated, boarded with scaffolding planks and wrapped up in blankets (weed control matting). The short sections of plank are to walk on so you don’t have to walk around the beds if you’ve left your spade on the other side. You NEVER walk on the bed itself…..well, that’s not if you want good soil and, especially in MY domain, you certainly don’t if you want to stay friends with me!

The ‘twiggy’ thing poking out of the inside edge of the first bed is what’s left of the kiwi vine, after a very major pruning.

The ghost almost dead centre of the pic is Sherri, who is now top dog chicken, since Milly can no longer defend her crown and Terri, the young pretender who Milly once kept in check with a rod of iron, has taken to playing ‘carer’ to Milly. They’re inseparable these days. So, when Mo joined their number, Sherri didn’t wait a moment before showing Mo who is boss in no uncertain terms. Mo, by the way, is settling in quite well now – more of her story on another day. Sherri is looking out for yummy (only in a chicken’s brain) morsels that I have uncovered by raking off stones.

Today though, there has been more progress than simply the finishing of the building works, which, in truth, happened yesterday but I am pretending not to be here for reasons I won’t go into at this juncture. We're now just waiting on the rabbit-proof fencing arriving, which hopefully will be any day now. You can see the edge of this area here - the fencing on the left of the pic is the old fence that was taken out where the granite slabs are in this shot.

So, what’s the progress? Two rows of garlic and four of broad beans, that’s what. Planted. In my veggie patch. By me. Today. So, I have achieved something today. Hurrah. After months of feeling as though I’m pushing water uphill, I find that I have actually achieved something of value. Whatever else happens to me this year, someone will get to eat food grown by me in this patch of mud. I could not be happier!

Last year, my folks were here and we were at Eden.