Lockdown Checks by our Chair

This week, our blog is written by our Chair, Michael.

Michael visited the garden for his lockdown exercise yesterday afternoon. Most attention was paid to our big planting of the wee trees, as they were in various concerning states. Some had lost their stakes, some had lost their plastic guards...and some were trying to escape. Restoring the stakes was difficult because a combination of yesterday’s very cold conditions and the lack of rainfall had made the ground incredibly hard. A small dockie was found to be very useful for securing most stakes back in.

Attached are photos of the area which reminded Michael of a particularly disorganised and slack military squad: ‘Attention! You horrible lot! Stand up straight there!’ Michael’s Dad once told him of fellow sodjer during his National Service who was trying to wangle getting out of the army. The incredible ruse was that the laddie would never, ever stand to attention but would always start leaning over! Don’t know if the stunt ever worked but this horrible lot are looking better now! Attention!

A chat wi’ a very local neebor confirmed that some young folks had been at our garden but really any damage is very minimal. Michael quipped to a friendly passerby that we are not considering machine gun manned watchtowers...yet! When you step back and look at the area we have covered so far it is quite impressive. What will it look like in five years, ten years...a hundred years!

We are not everybody’s pals though, you do get indifferent even hostile vibes from some people. The neebor reported a dog owner letting their animal range away over to the far corner area...do not nibble the parsley therefore and I’ll check next time for dog muck about there. Nae excuse! The whole area, outwith our garden, is huge wi’ plenty of room for everybody.

Michael has himself been planting his own tatties at his plot and has a large stock still of seed potatoes. Time is passing, the seasons are changing, spring is here! Is it worth thinking about a sort of kamikaze planting of taters in the beds that are there already? I think so. We are all guilty of overthinking and over worrying about what we are going to do in the garden in these times. I read the term panic planting a few days ago on a post so clearly we are not the only ones: my advice, in the unforgettable words of Corporal Jones of Dad’s Army: ‘Don’t Panic!’ Plant!