Our time on the allotments has been somewhat curtailed of late. Our flat is 'sold subject to contract' with our offer accepted on what will be our new home in Preston. Now the legal processes begin. By contrast, the allotment paperwork was simple, a letter to our local authority informing them that we will be handing back the keys at the end of the horticultural year.
Meanwhile, like a house move, there are tasks to be completed - mowing, strimming, cutting back and harvesting. There are things to be done, and things to be left, and things to be given away - a friend has just asked for our small greenhouse. This was free to us and will be free to her in return (we shall ask her son to disassemble and reassemble it). M took some strawberry plants and squash, but is leaving her Bramley as she has so many apple trees of her own. We are also distributing surplus produce to neighbours and friends where we can.
Throughout all this activity the allotments are a place of peace and will continue to be so until the moment that we lock up for the last time. As we enter by the big gate with the car, or the smaller gate on foot, I feel that I live both in the present moment and also at the centre of the last nine years of our tenancy. It is as if many satisfying experiences co-exist at the same time. I cannot explain this, I just know that I am filled with happiness.
