NARMIN'S ALLOTMENT THERAPY (8)

Narmin Mohammadi, a traveller who occasionally works in London as a successful fashion PR, also takes time to write about her experiences in her city allotment.  Here is her latest installment:


GOOSEBERRY BURGLERS

Just over three weeks ago, I decided to take a Friday afternoon off to spend a few hours on the allotment. I wanted to give everything a good watering as we were having such a dry period. I pottered about, checking on the progress of the veggies, delighted that the radishes and beetroot were growing so fast, and generally happy that the plants were coming along nicely despite the lack of rain. I then went home in the early evening to discover the bottom half of my front door missing and the police waiting for me- I, along with three of my neighbours, had been burgled.

The first few days after the burglary, I didn't want to leave the flat. My mother managed to persuade me to get to the allotment to water the plants by driving me over so that I didn't feel too anxious about being away from home for more than a couple of hours. My wonderful allotment neighbours tried to cheer me up by giving me plants - special thanks to Harry for all the kale (two varieties no less!) and to Hope for goving me punnets of her delicious raspberries. Once my new door was in, I felt safe leaving the flat unattended and was looking forward to spending proper time at the allotment. On my first proper visit after the burglary, I noticed that all the gooseberry bushes were bare. I put it down to birds eating the berries. I then got suspicious when I looked around the bushes and didn't see any berries on the ground; if the birds had been picking at the bushes, then there would be some fallen berries. But there were none. My gooseberries had been stolen. I felt sick, and incredibly upset - who would want to steal unripe berries? I am surrounded by, and have come across, such generous people at the site that it feels like such a kick in the stomach to think that there are thieves amongst them. I still find it hard to believe that a fellow allotmanteer would do such a thing. I'd like to think that it was a rogue visitor who stole my gooseberries.  So I told eveyone I saw over the next few days and was sad to discover that there's been a history of stealing in my area of the allotment. But  upwards and onwards; no use crying over stolen unripe berries. I  now have a project for the winter- to build a fruit cage where we will keep all our berries under lock and key. Unfortunately, I have learnt the hard way that I need to protect my berries  in the same way that I protect my flat.