A long wait...

This morning came with terrible news, the UK has voted to leave the EU.  English as I am, I now stand with my fellow Scots and was proud to see the whole of Scotland yellow on the map, all with majority votes to remain.

Thankfully the day brought better news.

When I first moved to Edinburgh I wanted to put my name down for an allotment.  At the time I wasn't aware that you can transfer your name to a different list if you move so I waited 7 years and when we moved I put my name down.  Last year I got to play on my boss' allotment whilst she was away for a month.  Longing for my own space and having waited a year and a half longer than the advised waiting time, I emailed to find out how much longer it would be.  A year to 18 months.

A year on (6.5 on a list that claimed to be a 4 year wait) and I needed to update my email address so emailed again.  The wait is still a year to 18 months!  However, this time the guy mentioned he might have a raised bed at an allotment not too far from me.  A few emails back and forth and today I was meeting him to have a look.

Looking on google maps I assumed that they must have taken a normal plot and turned it in to raised beds.  When I got there however it turned out they'd taken on a bit of land next door that had once been a scrap yard.  It's beautiful!  There's about 14 beds, the soil is all loose, no digging over needed (which is currently a nice wildflower meadow in my plot!), gravel floor (less slugs but limits opportunity to be barefoot), water points, young bramble plants growing through the wall behind my plot and a half container as a communal shed.  There's a chance I could get a second bed too but he needs to confirm someone else defintely wasn't interested first.  It was all very informal and I was handed over a key there and then and left to lock up when I was done.

We've estimated that the plot is 7'x14'.  There's mare's tail growing in the wall and at the base of my bed but thankfully none in it.  The rest is wildflowers, the odd thistle, few docks, some ground elder and a bit of couch grass.  Hopefully it shouldn't take too long to clear.  I took out the mare's tail and pulled up some bindweed from underneath the container before we left.  Passing the big allotments I tried the key and it worked so I've got access to a toilet too!

It was then home to an afternoon with M&H, cheese making then G cooked a lovely roast followed by board games and banter.