Daffodils and A Plot for The Plots

This time of year as the Daffodils sway and bend their golden heads with the wind always reminds me of the visit I made a few years ago to The Farm, where Hoppity and Skippity frolicked in the bright sunshine oblivious to the cold wind blowing.

Unfortunately, the brief glimpse of the arrival of Spring a few days ago has been put on hold as the weather pummels us again with wind and heavy rain. 

The garden and the allotment are flooded, but pale yellow Primrose flowers lighten up the grey blustery day.

Too wet for gardening, it is an excuse to turn my attention to stitching. 

Bunches of daffodils, tulips, and a birdbath. 

The daffodils make me think of a recent meeting between the Council and Allotment holders. 

Not all of the plot-holders welcomed the surprise news that the Council propose to upgrade our Allotment site. Vocal expostulations from The Civil Servant with his tenderly nurtured plot and The Daffodil Man who has £10 000 worth of bulbs planted in his plot - both of which the Council propose to turn into car-parking spaces expressed their outraged feelings on the issue.

I empathised with them, as one of the Councils intentions is to replace all the boundary fences to the plots with a standard uniform fence – potentially green wire mesh. 

As I have only just repaired my Chestnut paling fence that was damaged in the winter storms, this does not amuse me; not only because of wasted expense but also the thought of the plots losing their individuality and character. Next thing, we will be instructed that all our sheds must be of the same size and be painted the same colour and that we must only grow a certain type of potato!

It is true that the Allotment site looks rather shabby, but I think this is part of its charm. 

Yes, the lane into the site is full of potholes, 

but the hawthorn hedges and wild flower/weed strewn verges provide cover and food for the birds that sing sweetly as I make my way towards my Plot. 

As for the rabbits hopping about…. well - who could dislike little Peter Rabbit

 or Benjamin Bunny?

The natural, half-wild abandoned ambience of the allotments creates a feeling of being in the country, far away from the city.  A place where time forgot and where Nature can thrive.  

I shudder at the prospect of Sweet Pea Lane being levelled 

and the grass replaced with wheel-chair suitable aggregate surfaces. 

(This is not meant as any disrespect to wheel-chair users.)

In fact, until he died a few years ago, The Captain - a long-time plot holder put other allotmenteers to shame as he tended his entire beautiful and productive plot on his hands and knees, due to his disability of not being able to stand because of two bad hips.)

The introduction of Community Gardens will attract attention – possibly unwelcome, to the site, unlike the current ramshackle state, which offers a sort of cloak of invisibility.

The proposed toilet block would be a convenience – although personally I think a bucket suffices should the need arise. However, these days people expect home comforts at all times and gasp in horror at the old ways of making do. Gone are the days at my late Grandfathers allotment in Dulwich when the tomatoes thrived with their daily sprinkling of wee; but any true gardener knows that male pee on the compost heap is known as Liquid Gold as it activates the composting process. (In today's modern society differentiating between male and female pee is probably not socially acceptable, but the facts are that female wee is more acidic!!)

I have a dread that the last vestige of back to basics and down to earth living will be replaced by an area influenced by all things Corporate – with streetlights and CCTVs, electric wheelbarrow charging points; health & safety signs and shopping trolleys to wheel the produce from our plots to the designated car parking spaces (and where once daffodils grew in abundance.)

So whilst I do appreciate their taking an interest in the site, I am not overly enthused by the proposals, so my suggestion to the Council is to simply

• fill in the pot-holes;
• enforce the re-allocation of neglected plots;
• strim the grass a few times a year;
• plant some more hawthorn hedges for security around the boundary of the site;
• enjoy the sight of a multitude of daffodils and then….

leave us alone to be free to commune with Nature as we want. (That includes the Naked Plot-holder whose bare bottom was spotted very early one morning amongst the broad beans! Of course, maybe he had just been watering his tomatoes!)

xxx

Birds; A Book and Bullion Knots

Wakening early, I was greeted by a cacophony of bird song in the air of the dark cold morning.

The weather has been hard on the little song birds - 

freezing temperatures, a bitter wind and a blanket of snow covering the ground.

As temperatures rose and daylight arrived I was delighted to see Goldfinches amongst the visitors to the garden; feeding on last years seed-heads of the Verbena Bonariensis and Teasels that I have not yet cut down.

On a recent trip to Brighton, I found the most charming little book in a second-hand bookshop.

Rather battered, the book was obviously well used, so I embroidered a cover to protect it from further damage.

Beautifully written and presented, the author of the little book - Miss Benson describes the bird as the most warm-blooded and vitally and joyously alive of all the creatures.

Of the Goldfinch - she tells how it became a protected bird due to the cruel fashion for capturing and caging it - the majority of them dying in the process. 

She describes it as one of the most handsome finches and "very dainty in its ways".

"The nest is sometimes deliberately decorated. I have seen one draped with fresh forget-me-nots."

The Goldfinches song is "fairy-like, with notes high and tinkling, reminiscent of Japanese wind-bells."

On the opposite page to The Goldfinch is The Linnet.

Miss Benson tells about the mother Linnet who would not leave her chicks in a gorse fire, and covered them until she was burnt to death.

She writes that "this is one of our most loveable little song-birds. It brings with it a breath of gorse-clad hillsides and summer days. The song is sweet; often almost dreamy, at other times rising to an exuberant trilling twitter."

Like Miss Benson, I have always loved birds and on many occasions rescued them from accidentally being caught in the netting and greenhouses down at the allotment.

When February's stitching project eventually arrived, I was thrilled to find Nicki had included a lovely piece of old fabric printed with a pink bird.

The delayed arrival meant that I was rather under pressure to complete the embroidery before the March project arrived.

The woven stitch used for the ranunculus was not as complicated than it looked, so all was progressing well until I started on the Bullion Knots!

Oh my word - what a fiasco!

I managed to get the thread in a real tangle for my first attempt. (Should've practised on a scrap of fabric first - but I was in too much of a hurry!).

The second attempt was even worse and I nearly tore the linen. 

Taking a deep breath, I considered that perhaps I was overthinking the stitch. Overthinking is something I have a tendency to do and can be a terrible obstacle to getting things done.

I tried a different approach. Using my intuition and subconscious mind, I let my fingers and the needle work together and realised that the stitch I have used numerous times as a variation to a French Knot was actually a compact form of Bullion Knot.

Easy!

The heart design is complete; The birds are singing, Spring is in the air and there is lots of inspiration for more embroidered pictures.

Things are looking good!!

xxx