A visit to the allotment and Easter date

Yesterday, especially the morning, was beautifully sunny in the Tamar Valley. Having to see someone in Luckett was a good reason to use my visit to that little village to spend an hour on the allotment there. My green fingered friend proceeded to plant some potatoes in a part of our land she had already dug whilst I removed some more of the brambles that had taken over much of the plot before our occupation. Then back home via the Rising Sun Nursery so my friend could buy some compost.

A contrast in the weather today - now grey and drab after yesterday's spring sunshine. The Met Office have been promising us something of an arctic blast over the Easter weekend which is very different to the really warm Easter we enjoyed last year. Of course Easter was much later then but the whole of April was really good weather wise, arguably the best month of the year in fact. Some consolation for us is the suggestion that we will get the best (or least bad) weather here in the southwest over the next few days. Interestingly this Easter is so early that a good many schools are waiting for another couple of weeks or so to have their 'Easter' holiday!

Some people might say that the Church should decree a fixed date for Easter rather than it being a movable feast. I like the present system: we don't know exactly when Christ rose from the dead so that it would be impossible to get a consensus on a fixed date. The way it is determined is worked out from the date of the Spring Equinox and the date of the Moon, more information on the internet I'm sure. It's very pleasing to me that in our materialistic world it is the natural order of things in the heavens that provides us with a date for the Easter Festival each year. Long may that continue even if it's freezing cold in March!

We take an allotment

A gardening fanatic friend and I have taken an allotment. To get what we needed we have had to go to the next parish, that parish has allotments in two locations one of which I believe is fully subscribed. However the other site, at Luckett, still has allotments unused despite being advertised so we are not depriving the locals of anything. The availability has been assisted by the fact that one of the tenants, Fred, who had several plots there is emigrating (good luck with the move Fred!).

The plot that we are taking on has been untouched for some time and so needs a lot of work to become usable. Fortunately the settled weather we are having has come at the right time for us to get started. My friend has a lifetime of gardening experience so I shall be relying on her for some tips! I'm certainly keen to learn.