Yesterday I had a call from the Man at the Council, offering us a move to plot 4 on our allotment site. We have been across to check it out, and it would be a huge improvement. This plot is in the open, it gets sun, it gets rain, it is near the tap. It has an established (rather grassy) asparagus bed, a herb patch, raspberry canes, a few lingering crops, a bay tree, and marked beds. Structure is what it has, and we feel remotivated.

We can give the OK but we can’t take over until next Sunday; which should be just about the right time for moving our fruit bushes over from Number One and piling manure on to the two established rhubarb crowns ready for next summer’s crumbles.

The adjacent plots feature such delights as maize and jerusalem artichokes that have reached more than twice the height of the same items over at Number One. Next door even has a tiny pond.

I probably haven’t mentioned the allotment once in the entire year. I am disillusioned and disheartened by the fact that this year has been a complete wash-out. This is partly because, with my knee problem, I haven’t been able to do very much (try weeding when you can’t bend your knees!); but mostly because of the crapness of the site, down in the corner under heavy tree cover. We get no light, and no water. Things will only grow along the edges. Even the runner beans didn’t bother this year.

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