6th April 2011 – The weather this week was undeniably beautiful. Gloriously warm sunshine deceiving humans in to perhaps a false sense of security. Extreme sunshine, heat and drought so early in the season has in recent years often been a prequel to a summer of rain and flooding. Ella Montt searched for a crystal ball to gaze in to, but could not find one. Now the sunshine was bright, but future weather conditions could not be perceived so were therefore cloudy.
Ella Montt arrived at Allotment 326 after examining the root of the Sweet Potato. The blossoms and leaves on the Fruit Trees were gradually unfurling. There was an alien quality to the Cherry’s leaves reminiscent of a science fiction life form.
Ella Montt attempted to dig the sun-baked soil to prepare for the fence that needed to be erected, but the task was thwarted. The ground had become as solid as rock. The heat of the sun so early in the season was also quite unbearable to the labouring and pale Ella Montt. It was a very unproductive day, but the Garlic was growing vibrantly.
On the 7th April at 2.30pm, Ella Montt arrived at Allotment Plot at MERL, she had avoided the heat of the midday sun, but it was still unseasonably warm for the time of year. There was a special purpose to achieve that day and that was installing a net barrier to surround the soil that was planted with Peas and Carrots. The reasoning behind this was that the Peas may not be so visible to the bird attack and that carrot fly would not have access to the germinating carrots, because they fly at below the height of 2 feet (60.96cms) scenting out Carrots.
Two humans stopped to converse with Ella Montt, who then removed a root of Mint that had strayed in to the grass outside of the Plot and handed it to the female human.
After the interaction Ella Montt returned to her work. She cut the netting so that it would be the height of 31.496 inches (80cms), then pushed bamboo canes in to the dry soil and tied the netting to the bamboo. The planted area was surrounded, but birds would still be able to launch aerial attacks from above. Ella Montt was running out of time, because MERL was about to close for the night, but before departure Ella Montt fetched water to dampen the Plot.
On the 8th April Ella Montt returned again to Allotment 326 to resume preparation for the fence. The weather was still hot and sunny. Ella Montt once again attempted to dig the dried ground, but neither the fork nor the spade could barely penetrate the surface. Disappointment and frustration at failure to dig was becoming very difficult. Two pieces of sawn wooden pallet were inserted in to soil that had been dug for the Potato planting. These pieces of pallet signified the first fence posts. Then pieces of carpet and other coverings were gathered from the around the Plot and the shed then placed along the boundary of the Plot in the hope that some how the covered ground would soften enough to be dug at a later stage. The fence constrution was going to be a long process. Ella Montt was able to dig an area of soil that she uncovered by moving a length of carpet, but the area was inside the boundary of the Plot so not part of the fencing system. Drought and ground hardening had not been foreseen. Future plantings at Allotment 326 depended on a fence being erected to try to ward off rabbits and rats. The utopian dream of the working allotment had an element of failure contained within it.
