[Christine]

Doing a photo call on the allotment for an item in a national magazine tomorrow.

Lady who calls says do I have a trug (no), fancy wellies (no), a trug (no), a tool belt (no) or a gardener's apron (no). And can I wear bright colours please not blue, black, brown? (Yes, ok). And what colour is the allotment? (Green and brown).

Excuse me but the article is in conjunction with a report on older people and the environment so she knows I'm not young and that it's an allotment not a flower garden.

So out of the list (trug, fancy wellies, tool belt and gardener's apron) are essential kit on an allotment? Possibly wellies but I have feet that don't fit into any known make of wellies and I wear extra wide, extra deep shoes anyway. Hmm.  But am I missing something essential in not having her list of items?

[oldbean]

They are all essential..............       for the TV chef collecting from their kitchen garden before demonstrating their latest masterpiece. 

[JimS]

I like to wear an apron and my wellies, and that's it! Get's a bit chilly sometimes if there is a SouEaster blowin, but hey, no-one said being an Allotmenteer was easy... 

[mikem]

A bottleopener, although the edge of a spade seems to work well enough.

[Christine]

Aren't you lot just taking this all in the same vein as me - not very seriously   

Come the day, come the photographer and I expect that me and my pink watering can will manage somehow 

[8doubles]

As the old saying goes ' never let the truth get in the way of a good story' , get them to bring some nice shiny tools to go with the trug and tool belt. 

[BobandJack]

Not surprised you feel a bit chilly JimS if all you're wearing on the plot is an apron & wellies, surprised you haven't been arrested 

[Eatyourgreens]

I have just been sitting in my greenhouse and for half an hour I was in a different world, I just drifted off into a world of thought.

I would say my favourite garden chair is pretty essential 



Bob

[Christine]

Well came the day, came the photographer and I told him what the lady said. Being a Durham lad he murmured something about London Journalistic gentry not being related to the real world and wasn't it a fruit and vegetable allotment as wot we were going to take pictures of? However as he wanted paying we'd work out something.

I'd found a shocking pink fold up garden bag in the garden shop as I walked up the road home before he arrived and it went lovely with the purple fleece.   

I'm sure they won't use the one of me sitting in a black foldup chair with me can of coke in the sun next to the parsnip tubs and they won't be able to hear me saying that I could see parsnips appearing (no fancy chitting here - straight in tubs in a sunny place in good compost, grow or not will you!).