Exam Day

Today was Exam Day. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as I had hoped, the new exams are really time-critical and I was still writing at the end of all four. I think I did enough to pass three, but I didn't come close to finishing the plant propagation exam. It was the one I had worried about the most and revised the hardest so not finishing it was incredibly frustrating.

I remember having time to read through the questions and review your answers in exams at school/university - in was all part of the technique. It seems these days you scribble as if your life depends on it and if the answer doesn't come to mind immediately, tough luck!

It was a lovely sunny evening when I got home so I went to the allotment to take my frustration out on the weeds. Well, parsnips to be precise. Who knew they were so persistent? Or perhaps it's because ours have developed into such misshapen monsters that they are so difficult.

The foliage had died over winter and we had pulled many out, but hidden in the depths were more contorted giants and along with each splinter we had inadvertently carved with our spades, they were proudly sporting their new spring leaves.

An hour later and a sackful of parsnips, rotten onions, failed garlic and weeds are now on the compost heap. It was a beautiful evening. The allotment is so quiet and the church bells are a lovely way to be told the time. I love to see how things are changing. Each week one or two allotments have been cleared a little more, or manure spread a little further. In the last week someone (or two) has cultivated almost an entire plot, digging in plenty of manure along the way. An amazing effort.

Our corner isn't looking too bad. The beds we dug at the beginning of the year have broken down much more than I thought they would, but the one Rob dug last weekend has a way to go yet. The paths are doing their job as I wandered up and down them today without compacting the areas that we are going to plant.

The bottom end of our plot still looks a little messy, but the good news is we have a stack of materials to get building with. We are the (very) proud owners of 6 pallets and 2 large plastic-bins-turned-water-butts. All without spending a penny! We treated ourselves to dinner in Woodstock on Friday evening and bumped into a particularly fine pallet leaning against a shop wall. It was very tempting, but we didn't think the taxi driver could be bought and we were too tipsy to return in the middle of the night. Pity, I think it would have liked the allotment life...