Trompe l'oeil

Yesterday I finally got my allotment, sorry chaps for not updating sooner its been a busy digging weekend! It was quite interesting when we first got there though as there are lots of middle to old aged men, mostly just sat around, trying to get away from their wives. There was also a lot of fuss made about the fact that someone in their mid-twenties would quite happily take on an allotment, and take to it with gusto.

To chuck in a early season crop, Keith Moon doing The Beatles? You better believe it, I am not entirely sure why this makes me think of allotments... but it does!

Keith Moon - When I'm Sixty Four

The first known allotment was in the 18th Century, and was based in Birmingham, unfortunately at this time there was no legal specification for how allotments had to be provided by the government. Due to this point there was a great decline in the amount of allotments and of their owners, as people could charge what they wanted for allotments. It was in 1908 when the Small Holdings and Allotment act came into play and from then each local county council had to provide a certain amount of land for a nominal fee. In 1997 the total that the UK councils had made from allotment fee's was £2.61 million, whereas the costs involved in renting the land out and up-keep costs was £8.44 million. Allotmenteering (which is the actual word) is not just a strict British institution either, Sweden and Germany are two of the main adopters of allotments, famously Albert Einstein had an allotment he almost got kicked out of for not weeding.

A slightly more cultured (though there is nothing wrong with Keith Moon) supper of Turin Brakes is in order when going down the allotment route. I think this has vibes of a rainy overcast plot, which is something, I am realising more in my allotmenteering capacity, comes with the job.

Turin Brakes - Above the Clouds