Allotment days

I lose all track of time on my allotment. I’ll plan to quickly water my veggies and then somehow most of the day has gone, spent in the most pleasurable of ways.

I love the quiet, the fresh air, the robin that sits on my bench and watches me but never offers to help. The allotment gives me some ‘me time’ as I grab sanctuary from the busyness of life and grandkids.

The fruits

of my labour

The highs of the autumn harvest and the stunning ambers and reds are quickly followed by the cold dark winter. Being a gardener you become obsessed by the seasons, placing bets with yourself when the first frost will be and the last. But the grind of the cold months is paid back in abundance when the flowers bloom and the berries are big and juicy and ripe. Simply the best flavours - raspberries, blackberries, strawberries. Mmmmmm.

There’s also immense pleasure in giving something back, curating my own part of the garden of the world and sharing the fruits of my labour.

And when the work is done for the day and I sit and rest with a hot flask of tea and a piece of favourite cake, I breathe in the fresh air, marvel at the plants and wildlife that surround me and think this is a special place, my happy place.

There really isn’t a downside to allotment life. Except maybe the weeds!