5th March - To Accept A Plot Or Not

Having been on the allotment waiting list for over a year I get a letter from the local council. Their most recently available plot has been taken by a girl who is keen to share the site - am I interested? I think about this (while forcing vile antibiotics down Son Number 2 who has tonsillitis AGAIN).

Pros Of Sharing An Allotment:
1. Half a plot will mean less work and a less daunting challenge, especially at the beginning.
2. Moral support from someone just as clueless as me.
3. Potential company on the many days when I will be alone on the plot with the boys while the Preoccupied Husband grafts away in his study or in London.

Cons of Sharing An Allotment:
1. I am a control freak in most areas of my life and so am surely going to want to be fully in charge once I get into my stride.
2. One of the main reasons for getting an allotment is to have somewhere for the boys to run around away from our lovely but very overlooked Victorian Terrace and Tiny Courtyard "Garden". This may not go down well with a Co-Holder.
3. What if I hate her?

I telephone my Allotment Guru friend (two plots on two different sites) and ask her advice. She thinks go for it and will come with me to meet my potential Co-Holder on Saturday and to help me check out the site.

I collect Son Number 1 from school and tell him the news which is potentially very stupid if I decide not to go ahead. He is HUGELY excited and announces that he will be In Charge as I have no clue about gardening while he has dug around and planted potatoes with my mother in her garden. This equates to Extensive Horticultural Expertise in his 6-year-old mind.