Thursday 8 April 2010

The Office Allotment

Jackdaws chack from the trees as they gather in groups. A cool breeze blows up the hillside. The allotment garden is sheltered from the worst of the winds by the office building, an old farm steading. I eat slowly, preferring to have lunch before we start spreading manure on the soil. My fellow office gardeners arrive late, one in his pin striped suit, fresh from an important meeting. We work for different organisations and this is a good way to mix socially. We divide the garden tools between us and set to work, I choose to weed rather than spread manure. A whole area of the garden has been entirely cleared since yesterday! That must have been the elusive extra member of the gardening team, who only ever appears when no-one else is around, but does loads of hard work. We chat about what we want to grow and what has the best chance of growing well here. Some plants haven't thrived at all.

what ate last year's peas?
a pheasant calls and struts
in a nearby field.

17 comments:

Lucy said...

Sounds like you've got some benign sprite on your side! What an interesting project, so many good things in your life...

Kay said...

How nice to have help on gardening. I lost my friend rcently who tilled my garden..
I especially love the haiku

Gillena Cox said...

the haibun was
a good choice for this experience

much love
gillena

Magyar said...

... and that strutting pheasant may have answered the question: "Who ate last year's peas?"

Lovely haibun, sincerly. _m

PurestGreen said...

What a wonderful project to bring people together. I wish our office had a green space. It might solve some of the politics!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Lucy - I like the idea of the benign sprite...

Kay - sorry you lost your friend...

Gillena - thanks

Magyar - well we think it was the pheasant....

Purest Green - yes it probably would help office politics, its certainly a good way of getting to know people, in our case from differnt organisations, which adds a different aspect to the work environment

Anonymous said...

Earthly project and fun at this time of year, Juliet :)
Enjoy it the full!
N

Anonymous said...

Wood mice are always my first candidate for pea eaters. They love them.

libbyquilter said...

love the idea of an "Office Allotment" and agree that it must bring people together in a quietly productive way.

interesting that you have one who prefers to work alone . . . but does so much~!~

always love your haiku/poetry~!!~

:)
libbyQ

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Yes, agree there must by a garden elf of sorts. It will be interesting to see how the allotment unfolds. What a great way to work together when you work together, if you see what I mean....

Owl Who Laughs said...

Some of your spirit guides must be birds. You fly from one lovely tree (poem) or flower (haiku) to another with the utmost grace and joy of a bird's flight

The Bunns said...

Plant carrots. LOTS of carrots!

Robin Rule said...

just seeing the word "jack daw" and then reading the haiku was like a present. i just finished reading a charles de Lint book (urban fantasy) and he has a character named Jack Daw and it took me chapters and chapters before I got the pun. i love yr haikus so much, i have to attempt some and hope i don't go off blathering...

nĂ  from the treehouse said...

What an incredible place to work! I'm so pleased for you!!
Mr M. would merrily come and help with your allotment too, if we lived a little closer.
Have lots of fun!

Crafty Green Poet said...

sunnydunny - the mice would be our other suspects....

Nat, libby, Robin, tree shadow moon - thanks

d.moll - yes I know what you mean...

Owl who laughs - you say the nicest things, thanks

Bunns - you'd like some carrots would you?

Naquillity said...

love the idea of everyone coming together on one central project like the gardening. sounds like that one person wants to play anonymous right now but i'm sure they'll show sooner or later. glad your work is fulfilling you. have a great day.

Charlotte said...

Hello...

Hope the new job is going well and I LOVE the office allotment thing... what a fabulous idea, and much nicer than these ridiculous corporate team bonding days you hear about.

It reminds me of a session I did at the Dr Hauschka farm last year - when there are lots of you it's amazing the difference you can make in a short time!

Charlotte
xx