Selfsufficientish.com

Flo wrote:
The pigeon fanciers on adjacent plots explained their positions clearly early on - bonfires from Friday night to Sunday evening in the racing season stop the pigeons landing and running machinery such as hedge cutters and strimmers will have the same effect. Damn and that could be a bit difficult with the hedge cutter as we have miles of hedge around plot. Still we shall get around it - can't be affording to upset one of them who is very good to my compost heap.

All you do is say to one of them.... err excuse me but when do you want me to drop off the hegde trimmer for you??

If they ask what ?? just say that you can only do the hedging on a weekend so who would be doing it for you in the middle of the week.

Soon shuts them up and they become more friendly saying things like " well it'sd only when they are coming back so probably between X & Y hours.....

You can easily see when pigeons are coming home as the owners are all flying higher than a kite....

Ssssssssssssh Big Al - would I be saying that in case they are reading here.

We usually get round things without too many problems - it's just that one of the neighbours has the motto "it's not the taking part but the winning that counts"

Some friends of ours in the next town up had a letter from their council to complain that amongst other things 'the fruit trees were randomly planted', presumably rather than in straight lines. Really, don't people have something better to do with their time than dream that up?

Oooooooooh I must have one of those letters.

That should make for an interesting meeting on site as there is no way I could plant trees in straight lines on my allotment.

Our site is bordered by a cricket club and on match days and evenings balls hit our plots. The cricketers wander anywhere to find them and crops are often damaged. Several people have been hit and a lot of glass broken. If I'm on site I don't let them on my plot, the site secretary has even given them a key to the gates (his plot is "out of range"). What can we do about it?

find loopholes, use them to p1$$ off the annoying members. you arn't allowed to plant flowers? grow ornamental cabbages.
you arn't allowed to use carpet to damp down weeds? use curtain fabric instead. so long as you stay within the boundaries, they can't penalise you for it and will waste their time trying to.

Odd this, I was considering resurrecting this thread myself. I rather glibbly earlier said ignore people, or words to that effect, but things have changed dramatically on our plots. Now we have 'New People' who are trying, - successfully - to put the backs up of all the old boys on the site by, in the old boys' opinions, attempting to take over the committee, among other things. Theres a serious amount of ill-feeling there now, lots of accusations flying about, some of it committed to print and probably libelous. The atmosphere has changed completely, I used to enjoy meeting fellow allotmenteers for a chat, but now I pretend I haven't seen them because I know what the subject matter will be and no-one will accept that I refuse to take sides. I just want to grow my veg and have an hour or two of peace away from the hassles of this world, have the occasional cuppa and chat with like minded people. Is it asking too much?

Had a lovely time last night picking bits, however did get a visit from what seems to be the allotment unofficial spokes person.

Nightmare, last time I spoke to him it was the high rent £50 per year. I dint think it was too bad but decided not to try to annoy him.

Now the water is broken next to his plot and he was on the war path to see if anyone was using water thus stopping his from working. He now wants to get the water removed from the site and start a petition. I told not to be so stupid and wished I hadn't.

I did suggest while his was broken he could fill up his cans from another station but he was not interested, I think he would rather loose his crops because the council will listen to his moaning then.

Next time I will remember to head for my shed for a coffee!!