‘There will be more people sitting admiring the plots than working on them ’

Mar 1 2008 by Alison Young, South Wales Echo

OH, how the way Mother Nature can change even the habits of us seasoned gardeners.

The beautifully sunny days meant clear crystal night skies and a rapid fall in temperatures. These severe night-time frosts, with temperatures as low as minus five degrees centigrade, has meant concrete-hard ground in the early mornings. So no point in the trip to the allotment after breakfast, it is best to leave the sun disperse this frost first. So it is a little light lunch and then the afternoon can be spent productively on the plot. This idea has caught on with most of the daily visitors and the afternoons have seen a flurry of activity with spades and forks flashing in the bright sunlight. Still, when this cold snap passes it will be a return to normal habits and the mornings will be back on the agenda.

This cold snap and free mornings have enabled me to get back in my wife’s good books. Last summer she bought all the materials to redecorate the bedroom. These have been knocking about the house waiting some free time in a busy gardening schedule. This arrived last week and the job has been well done, much to her pleasure. So this brief interlude in normal practice has led to a few brownie points for me and a smart new-look, redecorated bedroom.

All are happy and I can resume normal gardening activities for the coming season.

The one downside to these cold days has been the lack of coffee. Albie’s café has been closed due to a bout of flu.

Just at the time we needed him most for those warming cuppas in the interlude between work he has fallen ill. The hot drink from a Thermos flask does not carry the same feeling as a freshly-brewed cuppa in the warmth of his café-cum-greenhouse and the lack of social interaction is greatly missed. He is on the mend now and normal service will be resumed soon.

I am really worried now. Last summer Dai H built those elaborate wooden tubs and planted them with brilliant summer bedding. He has cleaned these out and much to everyone’s amazement he has filled them with brightly-coloured winter pansies. Pansies and Dai H are not two words one would expect to be used in the same sentence. Still there must be a softer side to him that he keeps under wraps.

There must be a great expectation among our members for a super hot summer and a time to relax. There is an upsurge in benches appearing in the allotment. The one outside the café is a practical one used for consuming drinks. However Dai H has built one for sitting and viewing his plot and Bob has now cleared a spot for one which is on its way. Come on boys, if this culture catches on there will be more people sitting admiring the plots than working on them. Still, what is gardening if you cannot snatch those moments to admire the beauty there and relax among our favourite surroundings?