The jobs' list

​18 January 2025 (Saturday)

We had a Work Social this morning.  It had been postponed from the cold, cold Saturday of last week, to land on the cold Saturday of today.  Decisions.  So often they need to be made with an inkling of what might be, though more often than not no surety.  Whilst expecting it to be cold, though not freezing, I’d hoped for sunshine beating down on us as we got on with the jobs list… though there was, as seems usual currently, none breaking through.

As usual I’d already planned out the jobs that needed to be done.  I'd walked around the site the day before, visiting the areas that I thought needed work and making a mental note if it was needed or not. The one job that I thought we might not get on with was painting of the furniture with a wood protector; the cold was still here and unlikely to lift to allow the protection to soak in and do its job well.  Accepting this one might have to wait for another day, I wondered how many other jobs on my list might have to wait.  Just how many of the jobs we’d get done would rely entirely upon just how many plotters turned up to assist and maintain their site.  Sometimes the turnout surprised one way, and sometimes surprised the other.

So to the jobs list.

One of our tenants who manages the riverbank had pruned willow trees.  Their poles and brush needed to be moved away from into the site to ensure no prunings dive into the river when the bank next floods; eight tonne of wood chip needed to be moved and barrowed and shovelled onto paths; the ivy along the pavement that borders our fence line needed to be cut back just a little to allow better access, and the same with the cornus by our main allotment gate; our communal shed needed a tidy, and a sort as items tend to build up… in particular items that some feel might be useful for our little allotment community, though so often turn out to be junk to be turned into a skip months or years later; a litter pick of the site, including the riverbank; and finally, a few areas needed a judicious prune to allow easy passing of plotters over paths.

Despite no longer being chair and despite no longer being on the committee, I still organise and manage the Work Socials.  At the moment I’m fine with this, and in all honesty think I’m the best to do this at this time.  Fortunately, one fellow tenant in particular helps, and she picked me up on her way down to save me the faff of walking with a heavy flask of 5 litres of boiling water, various biscuits, Lidl apples pies and a carton of oat milk - refreshments that will sustain the morning's work.  The lift was gratefully received!  As we drove the short journey from my home to the site we caught each other up, and continued doing so whilst sitting for ten minutes further in her parked up car, with the doors open a touch to save condensation, and then to the site gate and in to get all ready for the masses.

I'm delighted to say that despite the cold we had a decent turnout, and got most of the jobs done I'd wanted but not expected to get done. The completion of a litter pick will have to wait for another day, and so will the protection of the wooden furniture, as had been expected. 

Before these Work Socials, I always feel a little deflated with the time and organisation I'm putting in and the tasks that need to be done.  However, by the time I’m walking home some three or so hours later my mood is always buoyant and many laughs have been had… and importantly much work has been done.  And, of course, I start making a mental note of the jobs to be done at our next gathering.


Weather:  That blanket is still fully cloaking the sky, but it does feel a tad brighter.  Maybe a little colder than yesterday, but feeling MUCH milder than a week ago.

Breakfast:  Porridge, banana and Lidl Bran Sticks
Lunch:  Squash & Red Lentil Soup, Quorn ham sandwiches with Lidl artisan baguette and cucumber
Supper:  Baked Lidl Spinach Gnocchi and broad beans in a cream-style blue cheese sauce, and grated salad.