Abundance

She picked up her basket and set off towards the allotments through the narrow rows of mill cottages that made up the village. She admired Dorothy’s washing swirling gently in the breeze. At the entrance to the allotments was a small iron gate which she pushed open and then caught sight of Adrian working in his greenhouse. He had the most organised allotment of them all with two lean-to greenhouses, one with a peach trained up the back wall and one with an apricot. Adrian waved a cheery greeting to Holly as she passed admiring his neat rows of runner beans.

Each allotment was so different and reflected the character of the owner, some with straight rows of produce, some with cottage garden mix of flowers and vegetables, her own plot was wild and free. Chives mixed in with buttercups, mint with blackcurrants.

As she stepped into her allotment and walked down the central path she admired the beds of different plants. A row of Autumn raspberries called Joan bobbed about in the breeze. She would collect those later. The lavender bed, with beautiful purple spires against a grey green leaf. A small orchard of apple and pear trees was at its best now and Holly would soon be collecting the abundance of fruit from the branches.

There was not so much work to do at the moment and that meant there was time to sit at the table and chairs in the herb section and listen to the river running below. She tilted her head up to the sun and sighed with appreciation of the day.