Sunday 1 June 2008

Sowing The Seeds

It will probably come as no surprise to those who have read this column that I am something of a stranger to hard graft. In fact, it's a truism to say that I have spent most of my life avoiding it like the plague.

I was fortunate to be the first member of my family to receive the blessings of a university education, and my choice of a career in journalism meant that any notion of manual labour was easily sidestepped. That's not to say that the life of a scribbler has always been an easy one. Wally Green at the Stockport Argus taught me an early lesson in life, when he said 'Son, the Olivetti is your lathe, and your brain supplies the engine oil to keep it moving.'

So, it has been something of a shock to my system to recently take on an allotment. There's a lot to be said for digging away in the sun, eagerly anticipating the point at which your seeds will be sown or your bulbs will be transplanted. Even if six hours of solid labour only managed to transform a plot little bigger than my bathroom. Admittedly, it was a bit of a jungle, but even so it gave me pause to consider whether I was doing the right thing. Six decades of studiously shunning physical exercise had not exactly prepared me for such toil.

I'll be persevering, however. To everything there is a season, in the sun, and I sense that in my own personal autumn has approached. I may be hanging up my quill, and replacing it with a hoe. At least it's cheaper than a gym membership.

3 comments:

Crofty said...

Ah Yes, it might be hard work but you can't beat that quintessential image of a man enjoying a flask of tea outside his shed surveying the newly turned earth. Bliss!

Good luck with it - and don't forget to watch Gardeners World for advice, it's not the all male domain it once was!

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

Great to see you back Bill. It warms the heart to think of you toiling away in your allotment. Thank how delicious those marrows and courgettes will be, grown by the Blunt hands!
Maybe you should start giving tips on where to find cheap slug pellets and rooster er...manure...rather than have your coffee tips exploited by Sainsbury's.

70steen said...

Oh Bill a new adventure and a work out too .. what a bargain. Look forward to hearing about what fine veg you cultivate once you have managed to dig out more than a bathroom