Memories and Loss

You know when your in the car and a song comes on it evokes all those memories of that time. My playlist is very eclectic to say the least from Matt Monroe to Prodigy. If I hear something I Shazam it to add it to my list. Every song is a memory of a time, place or person.

Sometimes I have to flick it to another song depending on my mood and weirdly depending on how it hits me I can react to a song by dancing around, yes even in my car, to being in floods of tears. Last Christmas by Wham is a classic example, it takes me back to such happy memories of being in the house my mam and dad lived in which they had bought in a small village many miles from where we grew up. They extended it and created an amazing family home that was always filled with people, music, laughter, it was a bit of a party house and occasional strops and tantrums. And of course Christmas when it would be festooned in gaudy decorations and lights, which my dad loved, he just loved that time of year. The Wham song can come on the radio and I feel such joy but equally it can floor me.

I now realise my dad was a gadget twat a term used by another blogger. He had an eight track surround sound thing, cine filming and one of the first Motorola mobile phones which was the size of a small breeze block. He loved all the new gadgetry.

This week my niece sent me a link to the videos from the cine films my dad had done back in the late 70’s early 80’s. She’d sent them off to be put on whatever we can view on them now, I’m a bit thick with this kind of stuff but the link she sent I could view them. 

Seeing these films transported me back to those times. My first wedding, I was so young and I bloody hated my dress. What's the rule? your future husband shouldn't see the dress until the day of the wedding, well he came to Pronuptia, THE at that time wedding dress shop to go to and chose it! The flares and the fashion styles. I had some denim jeans that I had customised into quite short shorts, on one back pocket I had dipped my hand in some paint to leave a hand print and on the other pocket I had sewn a badge with a cat sat on a fire and I wondered why my dad spit his tea out shouting "You're NOT going out in those". There is no sound on these films but I can cast my mind back to the banter and conversations that we had. The many trips to Spain to Casa Aquarius. What a whole new world to us was Spain in the mid seventies. My dad pretending he spoke fluent Spanish and the laughs we had watching him trying to communicate, back then there were very few English speakers. Donkey rides in a tiny unspoilt village way up in the mountains. It was quite a hairy drive up there. Market visits, mam loved a market or two and had to buy the obligatory "Benidorm Donkey" to bring home amongst other things. Larking about in the pool and the sea. N when she was a new born, at my mam and dads she only weighed 5lb 9oz and I'd forgotten how so tiny she was. Another video of her then aged 5 joyfully splashing about in the sea. There is a whole film dedicated to the Humber Bridge and it 's progress being built. Dad had a bit of a fascination with it and ironically Hessle foreshore is a place I visit when I want to just be. 

I couldn't understand why I became so emotionally overwhelmed on a girls trip to Benidorm a couple of years ago, it completely blindsided me. My one stipulation to the ladies on the trip was that I wanted to go back to Altea the small town that holds many memories and a couple of them were happy to come along with me. I had never been back to Spain since those days and right there on these video's were so many of those memories. The feelings and memories brought sharply back  made me cry,  made me laugh and smile fondly. I absolutely loved seeing them. I also thought at that time I was fat! God no I was so skinny, lesson to our selves on perception. 

I’m so very grateful for my niece in doing this and that my dad liked his gadgets.

Priceless precious memories captured of a time that once was in the minds eye now not lost.

Sha x

Lottie Love

The friend of the lady who I went to see about stuff for the allotment is a professional gardener and allotment owner herself, I was all ears to glean any advice and tips. She suggested I YouTube a guy called Charles Dowding on the “no dig” method which she wholly recommended especially for a newbie like me. Well after checking him out I realised I would need cardboard.............lots of cardboard. The idea is you lay down the cardboard it suppresses the weeds and eventually breaks down into the soil placing the raised beds on top of it, seemed like a good way to go to me.

Feeling the need to work smart not hard I wondered the best way to get cardboard. Going through neighbours brown bins didn’t seem ideal so I called our local electrical store and Halfords, they should have large boxes, to ask the random question if they had any cardboard and if so could I have it please. They were quite happy for me to collect. The guy from the electrical store was quite bemused as to why I wanted all of his large pieces of cardboard. “Its for my allotment” and clearly he’s never heard of the Charles guy as I could see in his face there was no correlation for him for cardboard and allotment. Halfords couldn’t give a shit why I wanted it they were just glad to offload and put it in my car, which was helpful. I can at times play the hapless, helpless woman when it suits. My local pizza shop saved his boxes from his deliveries for me, a round robin email to all branches at work and a colleague who had just moved house all contributed. After a week of collecting cardboard like some demented person I hoped I had enough to make a start.

My new go to are selling and free sites on faceache and I was delighted to secure a shed for fifty quid. I then messaged a lady who was selling 20 flags stones for a tenner. OH and I had a bit of a "domestic" about this, his argument was how would we get them and it would be easier to order some to be delivered straight to the allotment. Trouble is I do like a bargain. Saturday morning he said tell her we’ll have them and we can go collect them in two cars. I’m very grateful he’s on board. Someone else on a selling site had some plants, cucumber, tomatoes, rhubarb and a gooseberry bush! I do love a gooseberry crumble which doesn’t  seem readily available nowadays. Opening the gate into her garden was like stepping into a horticultural grotto it was amazing.

The weather has been abysmal. I know my mam always said “Don’t cast a clout until May is out” but jeez its been wet preventing getting anything done on the allotment. We’ve managed to make a start when it’s been dry. To be fair OH, T and her boyfriend have done most of the donkey work whilst I’ve been at work, dismantling the raised beds and bagging up the compost to put back in them when put in place. Between us we’ve managed to get four raised beds in place and two other beds all planted. I’ve found it quite satisfying removing the bracken from where the fence is, you can see where you’ve cleared and how it opens it all up. I’ve got bruises, had bracken in my hair and wrapped around me, that stuff gets where water won’t! You know those aches you get when you’ve done some manual work out in the fresh air, its a kind of nice ache and nothing an Epsom salt bath won’t sort.

This weekend there’s been a bit of a buzz up there, beds being created, raised beds put in place and sheds going up. Passing the time of day with whoever’s up there. A few of us have decided to hire a rotavator between us for a weekend which massively spreads the cost. I’m looking forward to the better weather and having our little allotment community. Going up there, being outdoors away from everything and the only thing to think about is planting, the feel and smell of the earth literally is a breath of fresh air.

Like any new love it’s a little obsessive and all consuming and I’m pretty sure we’ll have our ups and downs but for now, I’m just a little in love.

Sha x

 

Here We Grow

Quite honestly if I had said to my 30 year old self that I would be considering an allotment I would have had a "word" with myself!

We have dabbled in the garden with growing vegetable's, tomatoes, lettuces and the like with some greater successes than others. I'm a bit of a chuck it in and see what happens kind of gardener but oh not the OH he is a little more meticulous than that and unlike me does take on board what Monty has to say on a Friday evening. I find it quite distressing when he starts cutting things back to encourage new growth, it looks like total annihilation to me. I kind of like the let it do what it likes look, but he is usually right.

So back in January a little seed started to germinate in my head (pardon the pun) about having an allotment. The thought of growing our own vegetable's organically seemed appealing. On making enquiries there a quite a few rules and regulations to having an allotment. I couldn't be on the list for one in my local town as you have to be a resident in the area so it became clear it would have to be in the village where we live. I emailed the parish council to be told there are two local to me, one that is established and had a waiting list BUT there is a brand new allotment planned for the top of the village where a new housing development has been built. This would be allocated on a first come basis.  I may have contacted *harassed* the parish council lady a lot, asking questions on what the criteria would be for allocation, what was happening, they were waiting to sign the land over. Then lo and behold last week there was an email to arrange to meet that day at 5.30pm up at the allotment. The land had been signed over and ready for allocation. I was beyond excited.

A small group gathered up at the brand spanking new allotment to choose our plot. A full plot was huge! and too much of an undertaking for a newbie were my thoughts. People staked their claim whilst I was pondering. Whilst the council lady signed people up and marked on the map the plot that they wanted I was still pondering. She then said the part on the other side near to the car park was also available, I claimed that. Now I don't know if I've dropped a bollock here as a week down the line and a few YouTube video's later.....I know, I know, I should have done my homework prior. Maybe I should have checked where the sun rose and set as the back of my bit has tree's which is quite shady.

Quite quickly we've formed a little community, a Facebook and WhatsApp group has been set up. As it's a new allotment we are all in the same boat as new allotment owners, there is none already established and refreshingly a lot of young couples. The guys hinting that it will be the equivalent of a man cave and standing stroking their chins wondering where to start. I must admit I've been up there most evenings to plan what I'm going to do and put what where, but it seems quite daunting too.

Now way back in January when the thought first came to me about having an allotment, somehow despite being told about the waiting lists and the slim likelihood of  having a cat in hells chance of getting one any time in the next few years I had popped in my Amazon basket A Guide To Allotments Handbook. I chatted to anyone I knew that I was getting an allotment. I just knew with every thing in me that it would be a reality soon. Having a conversation some time in February with a lady a throwaway statement of when you get your allotment let me know I may have some bits and pieces that maybe useful. 

The lady texted me in April to ask if I'd heard anything about the allotment yet to which I replied unfortunately no I hadn't. So when I'd had the meet up, signed on the dotted line I texted her to say yes I got my allotment! She asked if I could meet her at the house she is selling to see if there was anything of any use. And right at the bottom of the garden was the magic, practically just about everything needed to set mine up. What first seemed very daunting now seems very doable. 

It is going to be hard graft, especially initially but what I may lack in knowledge there is no shortage of enthusiasm, an allotment guide book, YouTube tutorials to watch and a picking of others brains. I'm pretty sure my OH will have lots of input too, even if it is to reign in my impulsiveness, he's much more of a Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance advocate. 

So this weekend the work begins. Magic, manifestation or luck, all I know is I asked the universe and boy did it provide.

I'll keep the little seed of a camper van in my head....well just for now.

Sha x