First of all, unfortunately, the VPA Committee has been unable to meet and we need to have a discussion and then fix the date for the Annual General Meeting. It looks as though it will take place in early December. The date and venue will be announced in the December issue of the Upton News and Blewbury Bulletin, with a notice in Blewbury Post Office.
No sooner have we got into autumn than we’re heading for winter. Winter officially starts on either the 1st December or between the 20th and 23rd December, depending on which season you consider. The reason that there can be two ‘official’ start dates for winter is because the year can be split into meteorological or astronomical seasons. This explanation does help to prevent differences of opinion on the allotment!
It’s amazing to see the gardens still full of colour with an abundance of flowers and how most of the trees are holding onto their leaves. The horse chestnut trees have done well with their conkers. However, I was none too happy the other day when out walking, I was attacked by a falling conker! It was still in its prickly casing which was very spiky! – so you can imagine by landing on my head it was quite painful!!
The allotment is beginning to look quite tidy and I’ve had to make three trips to the recycling centre to get rid of contaminated vegetation etc. We are very lucky that we can go the to tip when it suits us – some of my friends in other areas have to book a slot at their local centre. I find 8.30am during the week is a good time to find it nice and quiet at Drayton. Holly, Shallot and Borlotti are doing fine and enjoying pecking at a small pumpkin which I’ve grown and hung up in their run.
DID YOU KNOW? James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, a Scottish biographer, diarist and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. (1740-95) wrote: “In an orchard there should be enough to eat, enough to lay up, enough to be stolen and enough to rot on the ground.”
BY THE WAY: Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900) an American essayist, novelist and friend of Mark Twain wrote: “Everybody talks about the weather but nobody does anything about it.”
Happy Gardening – keep well
Eileen