Firstly, the reason for 'it finally happened' (which I'm sure you are dying to know and I secretly got you here because you wanted to know, what did happen?) is three-fold.
1. I, we- me and B (that's my boyfriend)- finally got an allotment and an outside, hell any-side, space for growing food!!!
2. I had this sneaky suspicion about five or six years ago, I can remember it well as I had a sinking feeling inside when my ex-boyfriend's parents put on a gardening programme on TV and I started to think what excuse I could make to leave the room, anyway, then, I had this feeling that maybe, just maybe, one day in the future I too would be into gardening and growing things, and I half accepted that notion but also disliked my future self for this silly new hobby and also couldn't quite believe that would ever be me. But here I am. And a lot younger than I thought. But now I am here, I am so happy and glad and can laugh at the naive, ignorant, gardening-hating former me.
and 3. I only thought of this after starting to write, but actually it is another 'finally happened', because for a few years now I've contemplated doing a blog but always brushed off the idea and came to the conclusion it wasn't for me, but anyway it did finally happen, who knows how long it will last or whether anyone other than me and B will actually read it, but hurrah here we are at blogger.
Ahem.
Yesterday me and B got an allotment!!! In Hove, not too far from where we live, and today was our first day. When we looked around yesterday and got given our plot, there was another couple who got the one right next to ours. We met the guy, let's just call him M- he does have a name longer than just one letter but to follow on from B I thought it would make more sense, and now he sounds to me like a James Bond character, but what do I know I've hardly ever watched James Bond- we met up with M today, I helped him get some of his stuff from his car and the three of us, B, M and me, started work.
I think that ours and M's plot used to all be one, and from talking to our allotment neighbour E today it seems like they also had hers and her sister's next door. Anyway, so about a quarter of ours and M's down the bottom is, for the moment, a bit of a communal space, where there are two greenhouses, two sheds, some strange makeshift ponds and a massive great pile of wood and stuff.
When you take on an allotment, you also apparently inherit whatever is on it. Which in our case is amazing since when we got into our shed ('our shed'!!) we discovered a load of tools, more than we could even ever use, as well as a lot of rubbish, but essentially the tools bit is totally amazing as we couldn't afford to buy any tools for a while. And now we don't need to!! They're old and cobwebby, but they work.
So I cleared out the shed, had a few arachnophobia moments, and just about got it all back in again before darkness fell. B cleared loads of the wood and stuff, ready for a bonfire night fire, as well as fixed the fence, took off the front gate and started to clear the path. Oh and he also put up with me being all bossy and spider-scared.
At the front of our allotment are three containers with water in, and yesterday I noticed lots of frogs in one of them. Today I showed M and he pointed out they couldn't get out, which I'm so glad about as I hadn't even realised and I quickly set up a little escape route for them. The best thing was that just as we were leaving there were three on their way out! I just hope I haven't led them to a quicker death...say by fox or something. I don't really know what eats frogs, but I'm going to pretend nothing does and that they all live happily ever after. And at least now, if nothing else, they know there's more to this world than a plastic cylinder, some green plant life and a circle of sky.
So far as the plot goes, we are so lucky. We have a shed, M is going to let us have one of the greenhouses on his side, we have a fruit tree, and there are already beds, some with food still growing in them. Which is one of tomorrow's jobs: harvest the kale and chard. Brilliant!!
Really have to go now, as White Night shenanigans last night left me and B feeling pretty tired and the endless questions I now have about composting and the complicated world of organics, and who knows what else, have totally knackered out my already mooshed brain. So from me and Jack the pumpkin whose (tea) light I need to extinguish in a minute, happy halloween and thanks for reading. It's been swell.
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