At the bottom of my winter tasks that include barrowing out manure, enlarging beds and pruning comes cleaning. I prefer 'outdoor' jobs on the allotment, but M loves cleaning and so we tackled the large greenhouse last week armed with two cheap sponges from the pound shop, yellow rubber gloves, a bucket and a bottle of distilled vinegar.
The greenhouse on our orchard plot is larger and sturdier than the other one and accordingly much easier. Most of the green lichen-like stuff was along the east and south sides. I went backwards and forwards between the plot and the amentity hut with buckets of hot water as M sponged down the exterior followed by the interior. I then contorted myself and knelt under the metal tables cleaning panes at floor level (M is taller than I). My final contribution was to attach a sponge to a bamboo cane with a plastic clothes peg in order to reach the highest panes. This makes M laugh.
I asked M why she liked cleaning so much (and have her permission to blog this). She told me that it comes from her love of photography, which literally translated means 'writing with light'.
We stepped back to admire our handiwork. Our greenhouse is now ready for propagation in the spring. Once again, it seemed much larger. Much of the glass was now so clear and clean that it was hardly visible.
(PS On Monday we went to the plot. It started to rain, once more. My husband tidied our big greenhouse. The showers diminished overhead and through our newly-cleaned windows we saw a double rainbow.)
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