Monday 15 April 2013

Out look for A Reiki Druid is Bleak Allotment Wars

I love my allotment it is a place of peace and harmony for me I love growing and planting; it is a bit of a frustrating year as it is too cold to plant out overwintered herbs and perennial flowers sown in the Autumn the plants in the ground are hunkered down and are not growing. I haven't yet been able to put in my seed potatoes and even tough broad beans planted in autumn have succumbed to the rain,cold, snow and lowlight only a dozen have survived.

On the good side my daffodils are flowering and  lasting  much longer than they did last year. The bellis daisies flowered  from late February  through the snow and are flowering still.  The pot marigolds which usually by now are flowering and brightening the beds haven't even emerged yet.  The borage and cransbills both early flowers are not growing at the moment.  Everything is at a standstill waiting for the warmth of the sun.

The vagaries of British weather are not the cause of my feeling of bleakness no it has a human cause -  My Neighbours at the allotment The Community Allotmen  have continued to allow their groups and users to walk over my allotment to a path which is closer to the toilets rather than take the path take that has been built for their  users  Last week yet again a group walked into my allotment and out the tiny gap between the rail for disable users and my fence.  They walked over my herb bed which  has been tamped down so solidly by these  users stepping on to it.  I doubt my herbs there will emerged this year. .  

Now I need to explain about the path along side my plot, it  is blocked by the Community plots cold frame. Oh dear  I think a picture would do better.


As you can see there is a sharp turn and then a slope up to the gap and the raised  disabled path.  That is concrete path the path Community Plot users should use but they take a short cut through my plot.  Which was OK when regular groups were using the allotments but now there are short courses run some of the users do not respect people's allotments.  After having fruit bushes smashed to bits and my dog kicked by a poorly managed group of children, I requested that Community plot users did not walk through  through my plot.  The Manager of the plot agreed that this would be done.  It wasn't.  I repeated the request  again, in November and December Yes  of course it was agreed, yet there was no stopping the flow of their  users., across my plot and herbs. I repeat this request.again in March, again last week which in April 2013.

This was what sparked the present Allotment War.  After more short course user walked onto my plot   I reminded  a member of staff, Jenny about this agreement .  Her reply was to raged:

"What is wrong with you."
First oophs I admit that Perhaps it wasn't the right thing to say but  I retaliated with:
"Your Poly-tunnels are ugly"
Oh heck Allotment Wars! 

Yes I did say poly-tunnels I now look out on 8 rods of  plastic.  I can longer see across the allotments and my friends working on them.  I cannot see the trees or see the Kestrels in their nesting site. They have put in a huge  commercial poly-tunnel next to their original one, creating a bleak outlook for this  
for a Reiki Druid.


I  had already asked them what their planting plan was to minimise the visual impact of the the tunnels and eventually got an email saying "lovely vegetables and sunflower, not adequate in my view.  

The member of staff who was so aggressive with me also told her immediate boss that I wanted the poly- tunnel taken down.  Not true I accepted that being a Council Project the effect on neighbours had not and would not be taken into account. Yes I would like it moved- hey is that likely..

My emails to the manager were sent back for technical reasons with this message  


Mail Delivery Subsystem
5 Apr (4 days ago)
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification THIS IS A WAR....

How appropriate!  


Next step was to phone Tony K on Monday morning.   This another oophs!  I get up at 5.30 to write, meditate ,potter be with my cats before the dog wakes up and peace runs away with the cats.

I knew Tony came to work at 8.00 a.m. so I phoned at 8.30. OK I am getting to the oophs I had misread the time and it was 7.30 the phone was answered by a senior manager,which I did not know at the time,who took a message asking Tony to phone back but also lent my a very sympathetic ear so I told all. 

Tony phoned me back I felt he was very angry After telling him about the failed emails I told him my reason for calling, I also reminded him that he thought that the path was not suitable for disabled, frail and elderly users.  He was spitting feathers at this time and said, 
I will get Rob down and he will dig out the slope or put concrete steps in.
This is on my plot! 

Oh no he wouldn't 

"It is my plot and you do not have permission to touch anything on it"

He then said,


 "You are shouting at me."
 I ask you wouldn't you shout?

Let battle commence.

I phoned the Allotment Officer who was out,  and out.  By this time I was upset and angry.  I felt Tony had been bullying me, although he may not have realised it.  I definitely want to stop anyone coming on my plot and carrying out work without my permission and which was not needed.  Council officer or not.  The Allotment officer was away, but eventually I spoke to some one in the department and He sent a note to Tony and left a message for David when he returned next Thursday. 

I have strived to  emphasise that I do not want my good relationship with the community plot broken, but  I feel sometimes things just cannot be mended.

I am sending Reiki to the situation, and asking for wisdom in handling it.  I have taken to my plot a green Calcite crystal it is:


Cooling to the hot emotions ... it clears the heart chakra of stress and other unhealthy psychic debris.
it also 
.... assist one to be more in tune with nature and  the spirit of plants and animals.*

Hopefully all out war will be averted and I can make changes to me plot that will make it once more my haven by the sea.  Mmm...  perhaps a woodland  border I have newly brought elderberry and loganberry, dog wood roses, perhaps and there is a filbert in the back border that is a start... lots of.reflection time needed ....and patience  and keeping my speech wise and not filled with "hot emotions"..  Oh tough one!. 

P.SI have now planted  a screening hedge of dog roses



I ordered from the RHS Hedge Nursery  last Wednesday, they arrived Friday I started clearer the border and planting them this weekend.  They are five foot high as they are for screening the poly-tunnels and:


The RHS Dog Rose (Rosa canina) is a large fast growing native rose, with prickly stems that carry clusters of single, scented pale white/pink flowers in summer, followed by glossy red egg-shaped hits in autumn. .. it has a scrambling habit so it forms an impenetrable barrier and will attract birds and deter intruders. 
The perfect solution for me, the wild birds and insects.

P.P.S.  A friend said to me with Reiki surely you do not feel anger and stress - I did feel very distressed by the way I have been spoken to over the path by the Community Plot and depressed by erection of another huge Poly-tunnel next to my plot.. What Reiki practice did was help my seek a positive solution by late Sunday afternoon I felt tired, my back was aching from digging out the grass edge to my bed and planting the bare root hedge, but I was singing again about Pops, my plants, birds and insects, and my friends. I was filled with a sense of gratitude to Usui Sensei, the RHS Hedge Nursery, and to the beautiful Roses I  had planted.


Wishing you all Reiki Harmony and Blessings
and the positive solution you need.

MerryB

* From the book of Stones by Robert Simmons & Naisha Ahsian