Home Pumpkin Celebration!

 

                               

 

                                LOCKDOWN AT WINDMILL GARDENS

 I'm lucky enough to be one of the four core volunteers who have been working away in the community allotment since the spring.  I say lucky, because it has got me out of the house, where I tend to listen to the radio all day long, including the news, and kept me healthy.  I decided that it was safest to travel by bike, so I have cycled the mile and a bit twice a week, every week, except when I took a short holiday in Great Yarmouth.  The weather has been kind to us too, there have been very few days when we have been "Rained Off".  We have been lucky to have Tracey finding out the Covid restrictions and finding ways to keep us working.  Social distancing doesn't always come naturally, but we have managed, and used many bottles of anti-bacterial hand gel.

                                 Tracey shovelling shit!               

     We started in April with a massive pile of manure, which we cleared very quickly, despite the fact that we had to work in shifts.  We were helped by Jeremy and Ash and Clare.  In fact, there have been many other volunteers coming and going over the past six months, including one of our older members, Brian, who is invaluable for those DIY jobs, Tammy who has a magic touch with Calabrese and Kale.  Mo, Durbah and Ayaan who have been watering regularly all summer.  Also Shahnaz, Zarifah, Mary, and Adam who have been with us briefly, the list goes on.  More recently, old volunteers like Stuart have been returning.  We also had help from three year old twins, whose sister is shown resting below.  They planted so much salad, that we have been making money selling it.  Because of all these visitors, including people coming to buy plants, we had to install a bell, made by a friendly Blacksmith - Gavin.  It can be heard at the far side of the allotment.

 

  The Bell                                                        

  

 

                                                       

                                      Rosie with salad trays                                                                                         

                                                                                                       

     

                       

                                                                       Our youngest volunteer                                                                    

    

One of the benefits of having fewer people around, is that you don't stop to talk so much.  Consequently more work has been done.  We have been really impressed by the amount of vegetables that we have produced.  In fact, we have been giving a lot away because we can no longer have our Thursday meal cooked by the lovely Zarifa, Mary, Shahnaz and Mo.  We have donated food to community meals and given some to the Sumac Centre food hub, in return for Time Credits and goods.  We have also been sending supplies to Mohi and Mohamed, who are isolating because they are expecting a baby very soon.  They normally grow their own at the allotment.

Of course we mustn't forget the lovely Clare, who has started up a new project working with people with mental health issues.  She runs a separate session for them, but is encouraging people to join our regular groups.  As we have all found out over lock down, gardening and being outside in the fresh air and greenery is one of the best cures for stress, depression and anxiety.

      Bryn hard at work!

             John making Comfrey "Tea"                                

                                                                  

Rosie Jarrett 30/09/2020

Wassail & Lohri Celebration 2020

Now that we've left 2019 behind, and darkest part of the Winter is past, we hope you'll help us to celebrate the returning life and light. As always, we’ll be mixing in elements of the Punjabi Lohri Festival with medieval traditions taken from Old Twelfth Night and other older ceremonies. On Saturday 18th January, from 1pm, there’ll be fires, drumming, fun and gorgeous food and we’ll make decorations to hang in the fruit trees as we wassail them (Wassailing is an old tradition to celebrate fruit trees to ensure a good crop in the coming year). 

We hope you can join us – please try to bring something to make noise with to help us wake up the trees! Also - if you could bring your own mug / bowl for drink / food and a spoon, that would help us no end as we don't have running water on site this time of year.
Free event but we always appreciate donations!

Happy New Year from Windmill Community Gardens!

Happy New Year from all of us at Windmill Community Gardens, and we hope that 2020 is a good one for you!

2020 sessions will start at Windmill on Monday 6th January, and we'll then be doing 10am - 1pm sessions on Mondays & Thursdays until Easter, when we'll re-start lunches and the afternoon session on Thursdays. We've got lots of fun activities planned, including our first event of the year - our celebration of Wassailing and the Lohri festival on Saturday 18th January - see next post for details!

And here is a new poem to mark the start of 2020 from our Allotment Poet Laureate, Stuart Vanner

New Year

Welcome in this fine new year,

For it has only just arrived.

In spite of worries you faced before

You came through it and survived.

So make it one of joy and pleasure

And find new ideas and new ambitions.

And know that you shall always cope,

And make successes be your mission.

Let it not be one of despair 

But one of joy for everyone.

And should you find a bore at times.

Turn it into one of thrills and fun.

So now look forward to the future

With many a resolution

And if at times life goes awry

Know you'll find the right solution.

Season's Greetings from Windmill Community Gardens

It's getting close to Christmas and Windmill Community Gardens are about to go into our final week before our Winter break. We will be celebrating the season with our annual Festive Fuddle on Thursday. All welcome - please bring some food to share and join us any time between 12noon and 2pm. We'll also be holding a Wreath-making workshop on Saturday from 10.30am until 12.30pm, with materials and tools provided, as well as a festive snack.

After that, we'll be closed until Monday 6th January, with our first event, our Wassailing and Lohri celebration on Saturday 18th January from 1pm until 3pm.

We hope that you have a wonderful Christmas / Solstice or any other festival you celebrate at this time of year, and we look forward to seeing you soon! Here's a poem by our resident bard Stewart to celebrate the season.

Christmas Time

Christmas is a time which we love and adore. 

When we are happy, excited and so much more. 

It is time when certain magic can all be believed, 

When special gifts are both sent and received.

It is a time for families to all get together, 

And be merry and joyful - whatever the weather. 

It is time to put all quarrels aside, 

To have fun and laughter with no need to hide.

It is a time for us all to be cheerful and jolly, 

And maybe quite silly and full of folly. 

It is time to understand and a time to be kind. 

It is a time to relax and a time to unwind.

It is a time to hear all the carollers sing, 

And everywhere goodwill to all people bring. 

Is it time to hope for the soft thick snow? 

Will it fall this year? Who can know?

It is a time to tuck into a fabulous feast, 

Then as we indulge, all talk may be ceased. 

It is a time to excuse one for having a drink. 

Then have another as there's no need to think.

And as this festive time comes to an end, 

Another year is coming, to which we must attend. 

Then to the future we must all now look. 

To begin a new chapter of our new book.

Pumpkin Excitement Coming to Windmill Soon!

Not long now until we start to eat, sleep and breathe all things pumpkin!! We'll be making spooky decorations on Thursday 24th October between 11am and 3pm with Toni from Tiger Textiles - just drop in to take part (children welcome) as the lovely people from Nature in Mind carve their pumpkins. On Friday a group of Cubs and Scouts will be carving pumpkins by candlelight. On Saturday, a bunch of crack pumpkin carvers will gather at a secret location to carve show-stopper pumpkins, then on Sunday morning 27th, we'll hold a pumpkin carving class for adults and older children before we have our main event in the afternoon.

Hope we'll see you there!

Summertime is in full swing!

Realised we haven't put up a blog post for a while, so here's the latest seasonal offering from our resident poet, Stuart Vanner

 

Summertime

The summer season must be the best, 

For it is when with the world I am most impressed. 

It is time to be out and to have constant fun, 

To be under blue skies and the endless Sun.

Time for scorching hot days and muggy nights, 

To see smiling faces all filled with delight. 

It is time to relax and time to unwind, 

While all about you there is joy to find.

Time to visit the beach and be by sea, 

For colds drinks, ice cream and for feeling free. 

Once again we'll mention the sweltering heat, 

Since all the seasons it must always beat.

And it is time to look round and appreciate 

These summer moments and celebrate, 

For this lovely season shall in time be past, 

So remember - enjoy it while it lasts.

For more regular updates - check out our Facebook Page HERE