A big thanks to Fliss who produced the great Gardeners Delight fanzine for sending us some pics of her new allotment in deepest South London.

I asked her for some before and after shots but as she says “as it’s such a huge plot it is hard to capture in a definitive before and after way! It was literally covered in hip-high weeds at the start, in early May (above). I must admit some of them got up to neck height before I could tackle them, too!” I understand 100% and looking at the pics here, you’ve done loads of work on the plot and it shows!

And below are the results of her hard work plus some grapes and tomatoes which she received as gifts from other plot holders. Great stuff!Fliss picked two corkers of tunes to accompany her pics. The first being Desmond Dekker with “Beautiful and Dangerous” as an ode to the many and interesting bites, stings, scratches and scrapes she got into along the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHUQsFYA_as

And the very excellent “Young wings can fly” from Johnny and the Attractions which she dedicates to “the mighty rose chafer beetle that alarmed me when it flew so noisily above me when gardening. A new discovery on me, those things, they’re very weird!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbamwW484Bs

By the way Gardeners Delight Issue 1 is still available and well worth buying (it would suit beginners and anyone interested in growing veg and fruit) and Fliss is still producing more fanzines which is admirable in this day and age what with online blogs etc.

There’s a recipe fanzine called “Eat Y’self Fitter” inspired by songs from The Fall, Tambourine Dream (great name!) all about Brian Jonestown Massacre and The All Thrills, No Frills Music Bill which has features on record shops, strange vinyl and an interview with Robyn Hitchcock, which sounds well up my street! All these are available on her Etsy page here.

Thanks again to Fliss for the great pics of her allotment and If you want find out more about her plot and how it’s progressing alongside other interesting stuff have a look at her great blog here.