Allotment in January.

For various reasons I didn`t go to the allotment much after about October of last year. The whole greyness and drearyness of the weather depressed me plus I knew it was a mess. A mess I would have to sort out, and I just didn`t want to. I felt so unwell over the last few months of the year (a combination of coming off my antidepressents and a lingering kidney problem, now mecifully sorted) that I just didn`t feel like gardening. At all. In fact for a while I was thinking of turning in my keys and forgetting about the allotment which considering how important it`s been to me over some very stressful periods of my life would have been a very, very bad idea.

This is what my allotment looked like at the start of January, when I hadn`t been near it for over three months.



Disgusting, isn`t it? Total shambles, weedy, crops not cleared...ugh. I`d be ashamed of myself if I didn`t know that I has some really, really good reasons for not having the time or inclination to go gardening.

Here`s what it should be like...well, this picture was taken in March a few years ago, so I`ve got time to catch up.



I`ve been up three times since the first picture was taken, btw, and spent about ten hours just tidying up and clearing rubbish. But of course it`s still January, there`s nothing growing except a few brave weeds and it`s still an extremely bleak place at the moment.

So this next picture is to show you and remind myself what the allotment is all about. No, it`s not picture-perfect, but it was cared for, productive and even, dare I say, quite pretty. This was taken in June 2004.




Mairi loves the allotment. This is last summer...




And this is what it feels like on a good day.



But you do occasionally have to do some work..



Of course, you get lots of nice food at the end...




...occasionally, a bit too much food.



(What`s the little Playmobil lady about? Well, as I said in my profile, I collect Playmobil, both modern and vintage. And they get everywhere.....)