© Copyright Harleston Grapevine 2008

Did I ever tell you about the Grand Shed Opening?

You may remember that, through the kind efforts of Tony Norfolk, I have a dear little shed on my allotment, with a stoop on which I can sit in my rocking chair while I play my banjo and . . .

Anyway.  My friend Nic said, “You ought to have a local celebrity come and cut a ribbon and declare it open. Someone like that bloke off the Archers, or the chap who wrote that book about the man with the mandolin. Captain something or other.”

“Captain Courageous?”  

”That’s the one. “

Now I couldn’t write to our local famous author since I didn’t know how to spell Louis de Bern, de Bearn, de Burn. . .  So I got a hold of Neil Carter from Ambridge, otherwise known as actor Brian Hewlett. And Brian was very charming and accommodating and local and visited our allotments. I would have liked Tony and other people to come along but there was a small technical hitch, namely the fact that I’d only had this idea the day before. So it was just Brian and I and a couple of friends. And Brian had a look round and was very happy to see that we were up and running and doing so well. He cut a large red ribbon on my shed and made a short, moving speech. At least, I was crying, but then I shouldn’t have been holding the ribbon while he was trying to cut it. I asked him what Neil Carter might do, faced with a new allotment. “He’d get a couple of Gloucester Old Spots in and have the whole place dug up in no time.”

Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to keep pigs on allotments.  Shame. It was a good tip. You are, though, sometimes allowed to keep chickens and rabbits.  I tried to imagine suggesting to my fellow allotment holders that we introduce a few rabbits but you know I really didn’t fancy being pilloried in Market Square so I’ve dropped the idea.

So that was the Grand Shed Opening. Well, not Grand exactly. More the Light Casual Shed opening. It was fun and I like to think we now have the Ambridge seal of approval at the allotments. Bring on the pigs.

***On the subject of sheds, Peter Metcalf tells me that anyone in the Association who wants to insure their shed can do so individually through Newspace Insurance Services (who insure us as an Association) Go to www.newspaceinsurance.co.uk                                                       Eileen Ryan