Level, Overflows, Ponds, Heron, Taciturn Allotmenteers Find Voice


The bottom NE corner. This photo was taken at close of play today. The big heap of diggings from the pond are now over on the NW bed. Where you can see the barrow resting on the fence, there was a compost heap. I've moved it to the other end of the plot. It was full of blood worms from the bag of oomska I dumped there last autumn.

Also today, I put a metal grid in front of the Council's drain, it's where you can see a metal rod by the pond. I filled the area in front of that with pebbles. It's now a pretty neat over-flow for the pond. Whilst working today, I took a breather and looked up, and there was a heron, flying by slowly, apparently eying my pond.

The Council men came. It was nice to have a couple of pairs of ears to articulate my pond and drainage thoughts to. They were kind enough to listen, and reassure me I was doing the right things. I also learned that there's a big pond in the communal plot, just 30 yards or so from mine, hidden by trees. That's where all the frogs have been coming from hitherto. They suggested I register the pond with a bio diversity project. I need to speak to The Secretary about that.

Working down at the North end of the plot today, I'm right by the lane that leads to a different set of plots adjoining ours. I heard their history from The Neighbour recently. There were plots by the Vogue bingo on Cumbernauld Rd, and the Council wanted the land for something about 15 years ago. So they offered the plot holders new allotments, squeezed between ours and the M8, with a new greenhouse thrown in.

They're not loquacious men, (and they are all men). Only two of them regularly give me the time of day as they pass my plot whilst I'm working, most days for nearly 9 months. But they were visited by vandals last night, hammers thrown through greenhouses, cordless drills stolen. Misery loves company, because two of them separately stopped me working to tell me all about it this morning.

The next job is to return the old fruit-bush area, hack my way through and remove the nettle roots, and chamfer-off about 6 ins of the good earth there to move to the NW bed. I say good earth because (I theorise) it was built up as leaf-mold from the fruit bushes and cherry tree.

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