Glorious Sunshine

After completing a few jobs in town, I arrived at the allotment just in time to put the stove on and begin lunch. With the weather so warm and sunny, especially for September, I made the most of it by bringing down sausages and rolls. I bought two packs thinking there would be lots of people on site who might want a snack. As it turned out, apart from The Plod, Alan and his wife, there was almost no one on site! Leaving the stove to its own devices, I walked around the coops, checking in food and water.

As I waited for people to arrive, I grabbed Roxy and wandered down the main path and came across The Plod. We sat and chatted whilst Roxy enjoyed a nap on my arm. Suddenly, without shame or compunction, she stood up and pooed all over my trousers. The Plod roared with laughter as I told Roxy off. Leaving Roxy under The Plod’s watchful eye, I went to try and clean off the worst of the poo. Typically, it was one that smelt appalling. Retrieving Roxy, I took her back to the plot and let her join the others. No doubt she had great fun regaling Trixy and Foxy with what she had done.

Leaving them to their own devices, I ambled down to the bottom of the beds and began to weed it. The grass on site has been particularly bad this year – possibly due to the manure which some plot holders use. Fresh horse manure can harbour weed and grass seeds which can soon cause issues, not only on your own plot but on others as the seeds spread. I managed to make some inroads before checking on the stove. It had burnt out. I restarted it and went to check if anyone was on site. Partway down the main path, I found Darren, Andrea and Derek chatting. I joined them and invited them up to the shed for lunch.

With the sausages sizzling in the pan, we chatted a good chunk of the afternoon away. Shortly after finishing eating, everyone disappeared off to their own plots to carry on working. I decided to go back to the grassy patch and managed to clear half of it before I got distracted with the willow. The willow is a beast and requires severe and regular cutting back otherwise it would entirely take over everything. Once I began, I knew I would have to finish the job.

Three hours later, it was done. All that remained was to do the top of the willow screen by the pond. The archway is now fully grown and even the middle is bushy and established. Hoping that this is the last time I would have to cut it this year, I decided to give it a more severe prune. By the time it was done, I was covered in willow cuttings, the floor was three inches deep in them and my secateurs were blunt. But it was done!

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Next, I corralled the feathery weed destroyers into their run and closed up the shed. Tomorrow I will be helping Derek dig over a section of it I which is currently massively overgrown. And if there is time, I’ll finish off the weeding the grassy section at the bottom of the plot.