Allot Grdns

It took me a long time to figure out why so many open spaces in these parts are called Allot Grdns (as represented in maps). It's short for allotment gardens, and it's what they call community gardens. And having determined what they are, I feel like I am therefore qualified to give an opinion on their presence. First of all, these allotment gardens are plentiful and large and so you come across them somewhat regularly. My first face to face exposure was my first day of exploration last summer when I moved to London and decided to go check out Bishop's Park by my house. A large area (let's say around 2 football fields) within the park was fenced off and full of small rectangular raised planter beds. There was some scattered greenery, but the general impression was that of inaccessible decay and isolation, a place not frequented by human beings. I assumed at the time that it was something connected to the neighboring school.

Since this time I have seen 'Allot Grdns' appear on many maps, including one of Bishop's Park, and have thus been able to make the connection to what they actually are. While it seems like a good idea, people living in cities having a little plot of earth to call their own and grow plants and vegetables and such, they just don't come across as being of much use in reality. Perhaps it's just been the time of year, but they all just look sad and lonely to me. I've never seen anyone actually tending to their little plot. I can't help but think it might be a bit more conducive to community development if they were just left as open fields that everyone could actually walk through. I don't know, perhaps come April they'll be packed every Saturday with little families teaching their small children to grow tomatoes and I'll be eating my words. But they could at least take down the high fencing or have visiting hours or something. And I am in no way considering getting myself an allotment. I would have to spend my Saturdays weeding. When I could be sitting around watching tv.

In a scattering of other news, it's really winding out and I'm slightly fearful that the building is going to collapse. We found out yesterday that ours is the only flat in the building that has the extra room extended onto the back of the building. For some reason my gym has decided that their current locking system of putting in a £1 coin to release the key (you get it back when you put the key back in) is too conducive to people leaving their stuff in lockers when they're not there, so have decided to switch over to old-fashioned padlocks. Because having to carry a padlock around with you all the time does not tempt you to just leave it on a locker all the time. So now I have to go find a padlock at lunch today or spend £5 to get the one they are selling at the gym (I want to get my own, otherwise I would never be able to figure out which one was mine when I was done with the work out). I haven't used a padlock since high school. Oh, and all the people have returned to work and I'm stuck with unnaturally overcrowded trains while trying to get to work. I shall be a sardine for the foreseeable future.