It has taken me a fair while to write this post, this is down to the fact that I really didn't know what to write. What happened on Saturday both shocked me and made me appreciate what a family there is at the allotment.
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Last week I had decided that I was going to work on the plot over the weekend, the plan was to turn over the last of the raised beds and clear some of the very end of the plot, so we could turn this section over and start planting.
So quite early on Saturday morning I drove down to the allotment and opened up, there were already a few people busily working away at their plots and the usually suspects said hello. I opened up the shed to collect my tools and noticed that a few things were slightly different to how I left it. Now on the allotment I am more than aware people borrow and replace tools if they need them and I am more than happy for people to do that. This though was different and it become evident pretty quickly that my toolbox with all of my hand tools, planting bits (my dibber, seed syringe, labels) and my good knife had been stolen.
This really shocked me, even though I had been told that this could and probably would happen. Because of this I had followed advice and not even put a lock on my shed, this was because I was told if people wanted to get in they would break the door, the lock and then steal everything inside. If the thieves had looked into the toolbox they would have seen that the contents could not have been worth more than about £20. After working out what had actually been taken I had a walk around the allotment and found that my shed was not the only shed that had been stolen from and the sheds that did have locks did indeed have doors smashed and locks cut - it turns out that I was quite lucky.
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After finding about the thefts, I must admit I did go home. I was so annoyed and really could not even think about tending to the plot so I went home and of all things had a nap! Later that same day after some errands I went back to the plot as I had left my coat, the weather was beautiful and it was a lot quieter than when I left.
I decided that actually I would work a little, I added compost to the beds where there was nothing growing and I planted some Onions and some Garlic. I also met my new neighbour (across from me) - an absolute gem of a bloke who told me how he was down at the plot to get away from his family as they were all down to see him because he was so ill, he said coming down to the plot was his way of just forgetting everything and getting away from everything at home.
He has a number of plots on the allotment and they are all cracking and he plans that his new one will be no different. After talking about his plans for his new plot he asked whether the thieves had got into my shed, I explained about what had happened - but really him talking about his illness and his fighting spirit had really put everything into perspective. With that he said, "Do you want some onions?" He shot off and came back with 50 onion plug plants, he handed them over and wouldn't even take a thank you calling it a neighbourly gift.
So a really mixed day at the plot that started with me feeling pretty negative ended with a new friend made lots of work done!
