A Lot Meant an Allotment...

....ahem.....as I mentioned before....despite having no discernable interest, skill or ability in growing anything other than impatient, I obviously decided it would be a good idea to take on a full size plot of a seriously overgrown, historically proven to be non-productive, allotment......it makes perfect sense.

A fortnight's flurry of back- breaking jungle clearing activity on my part utilising a series of rapidly breaking, ill-suited, hand-held garden shears (where an industrial strength powered strimmer and military grade flame-thrower might well have struggled, ) finally resulted in me being the proud landlord of a 20m x 20m patch of unkempt grass/weed patch of sloping earth which I would be transforming into a small-holding of soft fruit, vegetables and meadow flowers and a haven of a wild-life garden to boot, in a blink of an eye.......wouldn't I.

Nice spot, over-looking the river, with an un-interrupted view of the gently flowing water and it's lush banks, and my 'plot' itself partially shaded by a serene silver birch and edged with a family of sycamore....

I consulted with, and took considered advice from, many an experienced "allotmenteer" about what was the best thing to do with my particular piece of land.......but I decided to carry on with it anyway....

I invested in a range of nice shiny tools so at least I could look the part, and I readily adopted a suitably quirky wardrobe of 'special" clothing including a range of hats that should never ordinarily be sported in public. It seems quite the thing to do judging by the appearance of my neighbouring allotmenteers...

I double- dug ( and no, I didn't know what that was either before I Googled it ) an arrangement of troughs, beds and selected areas that I percieved as the optimum placement for my various produce, and painstakingly removed the thriving resident colony of well-rooted weeds and un-wanted flora to eventually leave me with a patchwork of nicely turned over soil. I had inherited with the plot a couple of well established apple trees, which I left proudly standing in what I now regarded as my Orchard Terrace.....as opposed to my Soft-fruit Terrace, my Vegetable Terrace and my Meadow Flower 'nature' garden Area. I entertained thoughts of opening my grounds to the public in the summer so they might marvel at the profuse abundance of my horticultural expertise.

Pleasantly, throughout this time of my labours in preparation for my future harvest, though back bent and head down, I still noticed that I had the welcome company of the usual suspects of feathered friends......Robin, Blue and Great Tit, Jackdaw and Wren etc....Mr Heron was also often spotted indulging in a spot of fishing nearby...
So....

I am led to understand that this is what Raspberry canes look like....

Quince.....

Rhubarb.......

Gooseberry...

Meadow flowers....

However, presently, my versions look like this.....

.......I could post some pics of Robins, Tits and Wrens etc......as I mentioned previously.......but I suspect you all know what they look like anyway..... so instead, I shall try to figure out why I started this allotment in the first place...