After i finished my chemo and radiotherapy and started to get stronger i just KNEW i needed a project !! what did i want ..? well ...i live in a sheltered flat ,with no garden or balcony ..so of course ..I NEEDED AN ALLOTMENT !!! i phoned my council ...oh no ...8 year waiting lists !!! after my 5th phone call/ email ...they caved in and said i could go and look at a small plot that everyone else was turning down ..!! NO problem !....LOVELY @! a nice small allotment site...yes ..a small plot 4 rods ..covered in 5 ft high weeds ....but the air was clean ..the birds singing ..veggies growing beautifully all around ..a little paradise for me !
my children have bought me a shed for my birthday ...i have paid 2 strong young men to do a first mow and dig session for me ...now i am taking my time to dig over the beds they have made for me ..[ not too many ..}...for flowers and veggies ...it is perfect therapy ! i know it has rained all year so far ...but after watching MONTY IN HIS SOGGY GARDEN AND WITH HIS TINY CARROTS ..LAST WEEK ON TV ....well... i can do anything ..!!! Thankyou Monty for your lovely programmes and for your inspiration !...and a pat to your lovely dog !
Doing well here in greenwich ...! have dug over [ after my own fashion..sitting on my backside on a mat and bashing away at the big lumps of soil ] ..2 and a half beds now ..and planted peas ..broadbeans ..cougette and pumpkin plant Have sowed some salads radishes and carrots ...[.think simple !.]..the older guys at the allotments are keeping an eye on me ...and the chinese lady 3 plots along actually told me her name and called me early bird ...its really nice to get up there at 7.30 to 8 am ! for a city dweller the allotment is like being in the country ...smells great ...stuff growing all over...birds ...My hut now has chairs ad im gradually taking up my gardening tools ....lots of gardening stuff cheap on the inetrnet right now...! All in all ...its great fun ! ...This week a daughter is over from New York ....shes going to help me paint the hut green and blue with cuprinol ..! IF you are tempted to give allotmenting a go .....NAG your local council...keep at them ! There might be a place somewhere...just waiting ....!
time for an update ......my plot is now greening nicely with all sorts of salad crops ..and.i love it that i know that no one has zapped them with chemicals !!! ....i also have broccoli and cabbage planted .....Yesterday i created a watercress bed ....best ever stuff anti cancer and i have always loved it . i didnt realise that it didnt need running water till i tried it on my windowsill ....all my salads and herbs are brilliant healthy stuff and i have lots of room for different kinds now.. .the kitchen windowsill is reserved for the baby shoots that my daughter introduced me to !....mung bean / wheat / white radish ! 6 months on from my major op ..my digestive system is doing really well and the gardening and swimming are giving me back muscle tone ...im actually putting on some weight !...going up to the allotment on the bus takes about 40 minutes ...one change which happens to be next to an italian cafe / deli ..and paper shop !..in a way its feels like going to work ....and has certainly has given me a framework to my week and a huge amount to think about / plan !.. oh ....and i havnt forgotten to plant some flowers .as well as veg !....sun is out ...nice breeze.....time to go ...!
FANTASTIC.... just had my 6 month CT scan results .....no sign on the scan of any cancer left in my stomach or lymph nodes ...!
..... it has always been made clear to me that the scans cant ,see , everything ....but hey... im very happy !!.. . i am certain that the exercise in gardening plus the decent food iv been eating has helped me along this path .....long may it last .!
im still picking courgettes and peas and spinach ....yum ... my broccoli and cabbages are growing tall and iv got more spinach sown plus garlic in ...also some potatoes on bags ...its all an experiment..and a lot will depend on the weather im sure !...iv got lavender plants in ...bulbs to plant around the edge of the plot and my fruit bushes will arrive soon ..its still all go ...
oh ..and iv actually had to buy an extra small freezer to stash all my spinach / beans / courgettes ...!
sadly there are still some unused allotment plots around me ....some un wanted as mine was ./..some paid for but unused ... all 5 ft high with weeds ... ..what a waste...! this could be true where you live too..... so ...get onto your council if you want a plot ...you never know !!!.. .good luck `!!