30th March 2011

This week has blessed us with several sunny, warm days, the sort that makes the allotment irresistible. I’ve been there often, making good progress: the weeds (for now) have been vanquished, eleven rows of potatoes, five rows of red onions, four rows of broad beans, and one row of parsnips are now in the ground. The water butts are full, the vines have been neatly pruned, and all in all, it’s looking rather productive.

In Charlotte’s back garden, I’ve been moonlighting as a builder. I constructed a gate so the Rothwells can reach the narrow strip of land between their wooden fence and the wire boundary fence along the field. I tamed the wilderness that had taken over, mowed it, and dug steps into the steep slope for easier passage. To top it off, I fashioned a bench out of upturned pots and a few planks. The result? Lucas now has his very own play garden.

Yesterday, I added a pond on the flat patch near the field fence and dispatched Charlotte, Sarah, Lucas, and Ellis on a frogspawn-gathering expedition. They returned empty-bucketed, so the hunt for amphibian tenants will have to continue elsewhere.

Sarah, meanwhile, has had good news: Sheffield offered her a place, saying she made quite the impression at her interview. She’s accepted and will decide what to do after her exams. Unfortunately, her car has developed an aversion to main beam headlights. I spent a morning contorting myself into the Ford KA’s cramped engine bay, emerging with grazed knuckles with the knowledge that the culprit was the Dip relay. A friend in the trade sourced and fitted a new one the very next day for a fraction of garage rates.

Not to be outdone, my lawnmower decided to emit clouds of smoke and expire. I stripped it down and coaxed it back to life, temporarily, before the same thing happened again. It’s now with another mechanical-minded friend who’s promised he can fix it. Fingers crossed.

Sunday brought a visit from Sue’s sister Philippa, who is in Lincoln with her husband Paul, helping sort out his father’s finances. She arrived mid-morning, and we all descended on the Rothwells for lunch. Jamie and Harley turned up too, making ten of us in total (not counting the cats). Charlotte performed a miracle at short notice, producing a table groaning with excellent food. We all felt well and truly stuffed.

Afterwards, Sue and Pip headed to Harborough while I stayed on to put up yet more kitchen shelves and wire a socket for their new microwave. Lucas seemed a little subdued that day, and by Monday, we learned he had a virus.

The photo is of the Rothwells’ home; Charlotte and Suraj’s is the one on the left.