So, we had just received the amazing news that we had finally reached the top of the list for an allotment. We went to view it in late August 2024 and to be honest, it was a right ****hole and I stood there thinking how the hell are we going to get this mess cleared into something that resembles a garden. Luckily for me, we were due to go holiday and so I didn’t have too much time to fret about it!

We had a fantastic time on holiday but it was time to put that behind us and get grafting at the allotment. We merrily set off on a Sunday and got to work. It was going really well and we made fast work of clearing the unkempt beds ready to grow our own produce.

I was just making my way to the back of the allotment when suddenly the mound of earth that I was walking on gave way and I was plummeting towards to ground. My head was aiming right towards the concrete but I managed to swerve my body to the right. I managed to get upright, I was winded and my arm was bleeding. Carl meanwhile was happily chatting to a fellow allotmenteer and had missed my near death experience!

A week later, after being in unbelievable pain and a unhelpful visit to the doctors, I decided that enough was enough and dragged Carl to a&e. After a four hour wait and an X-ray I was told that I had in fact fractured a rib! This more or less put an end to my allomenteering for the next couple of months.

So what have I learnt from my experience – wear the right shoes, trainers and wet grass do not go together, to look where I’m walking and scream so Carl notices the next time I make contact with the ground 🙂

(Carl is making me add this bit ;)) – Carl has made the ground much more level and it’s now safe to walk on.