Sunday, January 27, 2008

Who turned the fan off?

That's what it was like, someone turning a fan off. It was really windy on the allotment this morning; stuff blowing away, having to have bricks put on it, howling in the trees, too windy to have a bonfire, that sort of thing. Then at 20 past 2 it stopped. Just like that, it stopped, as though someone had switched a fan off.

It felt like what I imagine it's like when the eye of a hurricane passes over. So now I'm waiting for it to start again but in the opposite direction!

Notwithstanding the wind (so to speak) I got loads done today. The side path is now clear and tidy, ready to be kept down with the strimmer, the hedge is cut, I've two huge piles of stuff ready for bonfires. I've manured the blackberries (IDEA - put some netting over them this year to stop Mester Nutkins scoffing them all before I can get to them). Mester - a Sheffield word, derived from Mr and normally applied to a craftsman. Sheffield's iconic silverware & cutlery trade was based on hundreds of Little Mesters working in craft workshops all around the city. Now they're mostly in museums. It's also in general use in Sheffield as a general purpose word for a bloke.

There now, you come to a blog about allotments and get some etymological culture about Sheffield blokes, as related to Squirrel Nutkins.

But I digress. I've also dug and manured half of plot 4 and painted the shed with lovely brown jollop. It's been a positive hive of activity. Ivan-next-door was there and busy, as was bloke-next-to-Ivan, along with woman-below-Ivan (steady on) and woman-below-bloke-next-to-Ivan. And you used to think allotmenting was a wholesome activity?

And now for a historical perspective. It's 3 and a half years since I took this plot over so it's worth looking at:
how it was

and how it is
courtesy of a horny-handed son of toil.

6 comments:

Frankie said...

Well done!

Does your shed ever slide down that slope?

Matron said...

did that shed paint look like that colour on the tin?

The Gnome said...

Allotment 81 exposed. In real life it is the secret to Sheffields survival during the Second World War. You can see the well preserved lookout tower used by the Air Raid Warden (Sgt. Woody Wilbury of the Travellin' Wiulbury's Regiment) Notice the cunning "pop out " oil cans that the air wardens used to hide in to scare the enemy !

Gordon Mason said...

Thanks all:

Frankie - the shed doesn't slide but I have been known to

Matron - No, it didn't look anything like that, but whatever colour it says on the tin it always comes out looking like that

Gnome - you've rumbled me! The oil can "pop outs" double (triple?) as the entrance to a secret network of tunnels within which Mary Queen of Scots (Google for her stay in Sheffield) is rumoured still to be hiding. Liked Wards Ale (pronounced Waaards in these parts) so much she couldn't bear to leave.

Nome said...

Hi,
LOVE the blog. What a lot of land - you're so lucky! I'm on a mission at the moment to get a few more visitors to my own allotment blog, please pay me a visit! And if you'd consider a link to me on your page (mutual of course) I'd be really grateful!

http://nomegrown.blogspot.com/

Thanks, and good luck on the plot this year!

DUG said...

Great shed, when do we get some close up pics of it?

Regards
Mr Shed Fanatic!