In the 40 odd years or so that I have had allotments, there have been a lot of changes. Remember Percy Thrower who would do the early TV gardening news?
Well, allotment holders used to wear flat caps with a shirt and tie – especially on Sundays - and plots were meticulously organised. But this was after the war when allotments were a common thing and food was still short.
Today, you will find my old friend Ron – who is well over 80 – sitting on a chair with a very different view of less organised plots shall we say… He now has a high raised bed on a plot especially for those in their autumn years. It’s a sort of perk for those who have carried on year after year, but can no longer manage a plot of their own. And if you hang on until the end, your name might be put on a small plaque and be added to the common allotment noticeboard. A bit like a war hero. ‘’These are coming along nicely’’, he says as he feels the plums on the greengage tree. ‘’Right you are’’, I reply, as I walk down the path with my strimmer. ‘’It’s an ongoing battle’’, I add, as I move my eyes across the allotment border weeds. Isn’t it strange that the weeds never seem hindered by the dry hot weather? ‘’We need rain’’, I say further. ‘’Yes, he answers, ‘’and a lot of it’’.
Something else has changed over the years. The weather! Whether this be due to global warming, man-made or not, climate change, man-made or not, the weather HAS changed!
The regular pattern of April showers and August/September thunderstorms has been disrupted. And during the last years, a thing to bother me the most is the wind, which seems to follow the rain and dry it all up again. Every summer we hear of wildfires with current ones raging in Spain, Italy, Portugal, and France. And the UK has not escaped. Though wildfires have always occurred, they are getting bigger and more frequent all around the globe. I remember the year of 1976 when everything seemed to turn to tinder. All the green vanished! And reporters often use this as a yardstick for comparison. But that was just one year! Actually, it was a 16-month dry period from May 1975 and the driest one in over 200 years.
But a lot has changed since then. For one, the earth’s population has more than doubled, and consequently the demands on our planet are far greater. So the results of lesser dry periods can therefore be just as bad, if not worse.
On a more positive note, my wife and I have acquired a helper on the allotments. Someone of like mind. A true blessing, and a tremendous help. What a difference an extra pair of hands can make! Working, eating, and fellowshipping together surrounded by God’s creative handywork. This reminds me of Psalm 133:1 ‘’…how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’’
Make sure to drink water in this heat, and if you have the opportunity to work on an allotment, why not give it a go – from someone with more than 40 years of seeing the benefits.
Watching and praying to the God who sends the rain (Matthew 5:45).
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