I confess that I am not an enthusiastic vegetable grower – in fact I don’t grow anything (except my hair in lockdown!). But I do like projects….and Wendy is full of ideas !
We inherited from George an abundance of ‘wild’ potatoes (those that you haven’t planted yourself but which spring up in any place) and two sheds - essentially rotted through after 60yrs but held up by ivy and cobwebs! Hence the requirement of a new shed.
As many of you will know, putting up a shed requires military planning. Our wives, partners etc. simply don’t realise the number of hours of toil and headache they heap on one’s head in the few seconds it takes to say ‘’I would like a new shed and, oh, the ground levelled back towards the fence’. She who must be obeyed - Yes dear, your wish is my command!
But there is a silver lining in every cloud……suddenly the looming tedium of lockdown 3 transforms into the glorious thought of hours, days, nay weeks, of the benefit of outdoor work. Muscle-aching back-breaking work. But don’t you feel pleased with yourself afterwards ? !
And the companionship of working together with Wendy has given such pleasure over the years. We all benefit from manual labour in so many ways as we all know and feel….and then there’s the tea and cake…..and the vegetables aren’t bad either !
But more than that – the allotment is a community of like-minded people who enjoy the fruits of their labour (literally), the camaraderie, exchanging tips and pleasantries, the friendships that blossom and grow, the peace and quiet (apart from strimmers – mea culpa ! ), the friendly robin with the bright eye, the bird song, the bees, butterflies and, on some days, the wonderful warmth of the soil.
I love it all – but I’m afraid I’m going back to squash and tennis at the first opportunity !
