ABC Wednesday 4 - A is for...

... Allotment News Roundup

The picture may have been taken on a gloomy day, but for once I have some positive allotment news to report. As you can see, Bradford on Avon (about 10 miles away) is set to have some sparkly new ones. Fifty new plots will be available for a three-year let on farmland and are already over subscribed. Trowbridge - Wiltshire's county town - is also seeking to extend one of their current sites and Corsham, another town near here is also keeping an eye open for suitable land. There are 70 names on the waiting list and the town council is anticipating room for new plots will be made available as soon as a site is found for a new cemetery. I haven't been able to find a link for you to verify this story, so you'll have to rely on my memory of an article I read in Wiltshire Life at the dentist's recently. I'm rather intrigued - are the town council looking for dual usage perhaps, or just a site with room to house both alongside each other?

Remember my TARDIS for auction story? I'm pleased to report that the delighted winning bidders have chosen to use it as a shed on their Devizes allotment. I was hoping it would be used in this way and I hope to bring you a photograph of it in its new home very soon.

And finally (adopts Trevor McDonald like voice), I managed to provide this week's comedy moment up at the allotment on Sunday. After Saturday night's driving rain and gales, things were a tad slippery up there, so of course I decided to park my car on the slope by my plot. Getting out of the car was fine, but my progress instantly deteriorated as my feet met the slope and slid merrily downhill. I managed to stop myself from falling flat on my face just in time, but in doing so my trainer took off in an elegant arc and landed on the allotment quite a few yards away. Thick, oozing mud between the toes feels terribly therapeutic, even in January - luckily I had no socks on. And naturally there was a witness to what went on to tell everyone else later. He did manage a nice cross between sympathy and laughing his head off though ;)

Do hop on over to the ABC Wednesday Mr Linky to find a lot more stories beginning with the letter A...

Comments

  1. Hermes21 January 2009 at 09:13

    Thanks for that. We've been trying to do the same for Westbury but are having trouble finding suitable land.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VP21 January 2009 at 09:17

    Hi Hermes - same here in Chippenham too, where there's a waiting list of 70 for a plot. However, I'm wondering whether the fall in land prices will mean there's more opportunity to start new allotments in the short term at least.

    It's great to be able to report new ones starting up instead of the usual developer plot grabbing headlines isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe21 January 2009 at 09:33

    Hi VP A is for Allotment of course, that is a good one. Good news as well, more ALLOTMENTS to the PEOPLE!

    xoxo Tyra

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anne-Berit21 January 2009 at 10:39

    That`s a great choise for the letter A.Have a nice day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown21 January 2009 at 11:04

    Congradulations on your great news! Very exciting!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Reader Wil21 January 2009 at 11:06

    I have often been in Wiltshire and think it very beautiful, especially when the sun shines. It must be great to have an allotment there provided you don't lose trainers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Carolina21 January 2009 at 11:51

    The idea of a combined graveyard/allotment made me smile. I wouldn't mind being buried in an allotment (after my death I might add). Beats some of the uninspiring graveyards I unfortunately had to visit over the years. Like your blog. Looking forward to visiting more often, maybe learn something about growing vegetables?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Susan Tomlinson21 January 2009 at 13:03

    So I'm trying to figure out what this allotment thing is, and how it differs from a regular home garden. Is it a big patch of former farmland that is divided up and leased? Who leases it out? The farmer? The town? Do people use it for growing veggies?

    It seems like a very nifty idea, and I'm wondering if something like that could be done here. We have community gardens, but they are pretty tiny. A bigger plot for food crops would be nice...

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rose21 January 2009 at 13:28

    That's great news that there are so many people interested in renting an allotment.
    Isn't that just the case that there's always somebody around when you do something embarrassing? Glad you didn't get stuck in the mud:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gail21 January 2009 at 18:58

    Yes more on allotments...I have figured out some of the particulars but not all! I would love to have an allotment for a good vegetable garden.

    Gail

    ReplyDelete
  11. Threadspider21 January 2009 at 19:00

    I can certainly vouch for the gooeyness of the allotments after a visit I made today.I should have liked to see the trainer gymnastics, though. : )

    The word verification for this comment is apple. How apt.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous21 January 2009 at 21:59

    Good news about the allotments. As you say developers may now be reluctant to gobble up every bit of available land.
    Rather disappointing there were no photos of your comedy moment :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous22 January 2009 at 00:47

    It's so inspiring that so many folks are lining up to have gardens! I so wish we had a program like that in America.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous22 January 2009 at 00:58

    So .. what you're saying is that everyone should rush out and get themselves an allotment, so they too can experience the feeling of January mud between the toes? LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anna22 January 2009 at 10:40

    Great news on the allotment score. I hope that the three year leases are extended though. I had to laugh at your allotment slip. A similar incident happened to me last summer but luckily no spectators. I was nipping to the lottie for a quick visit after a shopping trip. Landed on my shopping, my new china purchases were cracked but my eggs survived intact. Your poor little tootsies but at least it was mud not manure :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. ChrissyM23 January 2009 at 03:07

    Great news on the Allotment!! Great post!! Thank you for sharing from the ABC Wednesday team

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tumblewords:23 January 2009 at 21:13

    I like this...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous28 January 2009 at 22:02

    Do not despair, we are still working on Chippenham Town Council for another allotment site. Incidentally, the waiting list has now hit 100. We would be grateful for any help lobbying councillors etc.. Meanwhile, if anyone has suitable land.....

    ReplyDelete
  19. VP2 February 2009 at 18:10

    Hi everyone glad you liked the good news - I'll come and visit over at yours...

    Susan - I'll do a YAWA post to explain things a bit more

    TS - apple = giggle :)

    Anonymous - are there any friendly farmers around like they seem to have in BoA and now Somerset too I hear?

    ReplyDelete

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