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Getting adventurous in my old age (just turned 51 
) and needing a new challenge or is it the onset of a midlife crisis? Time will tell.....
It kind-of started in mid-December when one of my plot neighbours, Ed, was in our shop and mentioned that the plot next to him was empty and I should take it on....especially as having had a few chickens on it for a couple of years it would be lovely and fertile. At first I just laughed it off, thinking I had enough to do with the plot I already had. But Ed's words kept coming back to me and when I popped in to the council offices on January 15th to pay the year's rent I asked Bill, the Town Clerk, about the possibility of my renting a second plot. He put my name down and said I was 3rd on the list.
I heard nothing for over a month so next time I was in paying the council tax I asked to speak to him and he said he hadn't forgotten about me but was just waiting to hear from the guy in front of me on his list (I was now 2nd).
Time ticked on and whenever I was up at my plot I would have a walk around the site and see which other ones were empty or overgrown (certainly more than two!) so what was the delay? Surely Bill had managed to get in touch with this other guy by now? I was chatting to Pam who has the plot five doors up with her husband and she said I should see Bill about the one next to her. I had a look at that one and it was extremely tempting as it had a chicken run, raised beds, polytunnel frame and a shed in good nick....it was just slightly overgrown in places with a few patches of dock and nettles.
So today I went along to see Bill and had the £37 rent for the plot ready in my bag......but turns out the plot next to Pam was already spoken for
The chap who has it has been in hospital but is now on the mend.
But Bill DID make me an offer which got me thinking.....
Opposite my plot is an overgrown one which used to have around 30+ chickens on it but has been empty for two or three years. It also has two greenhouses and three shed/chicken runs along the entire back fence. It really IS an eyesore and I always felt it was a shame as folk passing by must look at it and think ''What's the point of allotments?'' And you always worry that if plots are left to go into a state then it makes it easier for scummy developers to take over the sites for housing.
Well.....Bill only went and offered it to me FOR FREE!!!!!!
He said he'd get in touch with his team and they'd sort out a day for me to go and have a look at it properly and the boys would pull down any rotten buildings I didn't want to keep and chuck 'em in a skip and clear the site for me.
Local kids had been using some of the sheds for smoking & drinking in a few years ago but that isn't an issue now since the council properly fenced it in and put a gate on. There's a few broken panes of glass but nothing that cannot be fixed easily enough.
I said ''What the hell - I'll take it!''
As I walked home I felt weird as I thought ''What have I done?'' but also '''Oooh a challenge - what fun!''
After lunch I popped up to the allotments to have a look at my new plot. At first glance you think Oh My Gawd!!!!! But a closer inspection through the fencing showed it to be mostly nettles which are easily dig out. There's a couple of young ash trees which I can saw off and dig out. The buildings didn't look too bad considering.....though I'll hold off any plans or decisions for them until I can get on site to have a proper look up close. Hopefully they'll be structurally sound and nothing that a good clean out and painting won't fix! The greenhouses look ok.....certainly fixable. Ground is ok apart from nettles and the odd patch of broken glass where the kids have smashed windows.....easily sorted.
It's a corner plot but more of an 'L' shape and I was surprised at how much land there is along the front section and it appeared to have some corrugated sheets which could be raised beds.....hard to tell as the remains of last year's nettles were as tall as me!
I took a few pics but overall it doesn't look too bad a plot. I cannot wait to get in and have a closer look! As I'm off work until 24th (perhaps longer) I plan to catch up on a few jobs on my original plot (No 34) so if I see the council guy who is often up there I'll ask him if he has the keys (it was him who put up the fencing & locked the gate etc) and see if I can get a sneak preview which will give me more idea of what's involved.
Here's a few pics.....just imagine how FABULOUS it'll be in a few months with a bit of hard work and a lick of paint! Oh, and flowers and bunting.....gotta have bunting!
) and needing a new challenge or is it the onset of a midlife crisis? Time will tell.....It kind-of started in mid-December when one of my plot neighbours, Ed, was in our shop and mentioned that the plot next to him was empty and I should take it on....especially as having had a few chickens on it for a couple of years it would be lovely and fertile. At first I just laughed it off, thinking I had enough to do with the plot I already had. But Ed's words kept coming back to me and when I popped in to the council offices on January 15th to pay the year's rent I asked Bill, the Town Clerk, about the possibility of my renting a second plot. He put my name down and said I was 3rd on the list.
I heard nothing for over a month so next time I was in paying the council tax I asked to speak to him and he said he hadn't forgotten about me but was just waiting to hear from the guy in front of me on his list (I was now 2nd).
Time ticked on and whenever I was up at my plot I would have a walk around the site and see which other ones were empty or overgrown (certainly more than two!) so what was the delay? Surely Bill had managed to get in touch with this other guy by now? I was chatting to Pam who has the plot five doors up with her husband and she said I should see Bill about the one next to her. I had a look at that one and it was extremely tempting as it had a chicken run, raised beds, polytunnel frame and a shed in good nick....it was just slightly overgrown in places with a few patches of dock and nettles.
So today I went along to see Bill and had the £37 rent for the plot ready in my bag......but turns out the plot next to Pam was already spoken for
The chap who has it has been in hospital but is now on the mend. But Bill DID make me an offer which got me thinking.....
Opposite my plot is an overgrown one which used to have around 30+ chickens on it but has been empty for two or three years. It also has two greenhouses and three shed/chicken runs along the entire back fence. It really IS an eyesore and I always felt it was a shame as folk passing by must look at it and think ''What's the point of allotments?'' And you always worry that if plots are left to go into a state then it makes it easier for scummy developers to take over the sites for housing.
Well.....Bill only went and offered it to me FOR FREE!!!!!!
He said he'd get in touch with his team and they'd sort out a day for me to go and have a look at it properly and the boys would pull down any rotten buildings I didn't want to keep and chuck 'em in a skip and clear the site for me.
Local kids had been using some of the sheds for smoking & drinking in a few years ago but that isn't an issue now since the council properly fenced it in and put a gate on. There's a few broken panes of glass but nothing that cannot be fixed easily enough.
I said ''What the hell - I'll take it!''
As I walked home I felt weird as I thought ''What have I done?'' but also '''Oooh a challenge - what fun!''
After lunch I popped up to the allotments to have a look at my new plot. At first glance you think Oh My Gawd!!!!! But a closer inspection through the fencing showed it to be mostly nettles which are easily dig out. There's a couple of young ash trees which I can saw off and dig out. The buildings didn't look too bad considering.....though I'll hold off any plans or decisions for them until I can get on site to have a proper look up close. Hopefully they'll be structurally sound and nothing that a good clean out and painting won't fix! The greenhouses look ok.....certainly fixable. Ground is ok apart from nettles and the odd patch of broken glass where the kids have smashed windows.....easily sorted.
It's a corner plot but more of an 'L' shape and I was surprised at how much land there is along the front section and it appeared to have some corrugated sheets which could be raised beds.....hard to tell as the remains of last year's nettles were as tall as me!
I took a few pics but overall it doesn't look too bad a plot. I cannot wait to get in and have a closer look! As I'm off work until 24th (perhaps longer) I plan to catch up on a few jobs on my original plot (No 34) so if I see the council guy who is often up there I'll ask him if he has the keys (it was him who put up the fencing & locked the gate etc) and see if I can get a sneak preview which will give me more idea of what's involved.
Here's a few pics.....just imagine how FABULOUS it'll be in a few months with a bit of hard work and a lick of paint! Oh, and flowers and bunting.....gotta have bunting!
I mean howaay.....it's not like I've got a fancy man or owt, is it? I just want a teensy bit more space to grow stuff on and keep a few chickens.
GO girl!!
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