It’s that time of year again. The time of year that sees an
envelope flop through the letter box from the council pointing out that it is
time to pay the rent on the plot. It’s a gone up this year as well, a rather
extortionate £15.25. God lord, that’s for a full year mind you.
There is a line in the letter that amuses me. It says, in
bold, “Reminders will not be sent out
this year so therefore if we do not receive payment by 31st January,
2011 we shall have no
choice but to terminate your tenancy.”
Now I don’t wish to seem ungrateful to the council for
sorting this out and providing the space but really, is that the way to talk to
people? And, let’s be honest, as the letter comes from the council and the land
belongs to the council then they probably do
have another choice, probably many others.
Anyway, have you made to your allotments yet this year? I have
only got there once since some time before Christmas. It’s difficult to get
parsnips out of the ground when it has been frozen solid for 3 weeks.
My one visit this year was a bit of a short one really. More
of a see the state of the place than do any work type of visit. To check and
see if anything had survived the snowpocalypse unlike most of England
(if you are an Express reader) and the good news is that some things had. The underground
stuff was mostly fine. My carrots and parsnips suffered no real harm, if fact
my parsnips are now super sweet but the above ground things had not got away so
lightly. Spouts and purple spouting broccoli were not so lucky. I found them
lying on their backs in the snow like an up-ended 80 year old. It was sad to
see. I’m hoping they will recover themselves but I’m not holding my breath,
which is a shame.
Like a good boy I planted my little garlic gloves before
snowageddon and I have no idea if they survived but they should be fine. Tell
me they will be fine won’t they, won’t somebody tell me they’ll be fine?
I have two more raised beds to go in when the weather gets a
little better but it is currently raining most of the time here and standing
ankle deep in mud whilst using a screw driver is quite a long way away from my idea
of fun. I’m sure it will stop raining soon.
