Helping M on her first plot

On Saturday we accompanied M to a nearby site.  It's on a hillside with a park at the eastern boundary, a nature reserve at the northern end and the branch line to the south.  M wanted us to look at two plots that had become free.  We were impressed.  The site secretary let us in and showed us a very spacious 'hut' - ressembling a community lounge, with darts board and easy chairs; proper toilets and kitchen and a large tool store.  Then he took us up to the vacant plots.

The first one was nice and easy and it was obvious he was quite keen for M to take it.  M asked to see the second and fell in love with it.   We could understand why.  I counted the trees coming into blossom and the fruit bushes - a mature espaliered pear tree along the southern boundary, two apples along the eastern side, what looked like an apricot in the middle, a fig, another espaliered apple trained alongside what allotment holders euphemistically refer to as 'a temporary structure' , a young cherry tree, another apple hidden at one end of the temporary structure and a row of gooseberry bushes smothered in brambles. 

We returned to the amenity hut, had a nice cup of tea, M paid the deposit on the keys to the hut and locker room, signed the paperwork, memorised the combination on the gate.  After lunch we came back and slogged away for five hours.  At the end of that time we had strimmed the boundaries (by 'we' I mean my dear husband), uncovered a greenhouse base, emptied out sacks of old compost and horse manure, weeded around the cherry and filled two brown bins.  It was when I barked my hand on one of the concrete structures that I knew I had almost had enough.  We had cleared about one third. 

We sat on the four green plastic chairs we had salvaged and ate hot cross buns.   Then I untangled the fig from the brambles and pulled off all last year's small unripe fruit.

It was time to go home.  The hillside has some lovely views and a sharp wind.  M declined our supper invite.  She just wanted to sit in her own flat and count her blessings.