Polytunnel Dreams

In the early 80s, when I was a girl, my grandfather built a small Wendy house out of wood and plastic on the patio for my sister and I to play in.  We loved the privacy and warmth of our little home.  We played in it all the time and our miniature black and tan dachshund ‘Katie’ was our most agreeable baby.

And, as he had a green thumb, of course grandad also gave us some lettuce and tomatoes to lovingly watch, water and harvest.  At tea time, often we would be sent out with scissors in hand to clip a few lettuce leaves and gather a few toms for the plate – happy days.

Nostalgia? Of course.  And so I have high hopes for my new polytunnel.  That in the moment of smelling the “green” aroma of tomatoes leaves from my forthcoming crop, I will be transported back to simpler times and pleasures.

A big ask for a polytunnel? Maybe.  But hopefully I can at least bask in its long warm days (maybe reading a book or two?) whilst still fighting the good fight against those pesky snails who have previously eaten my outdoor harvests!

Who knows, I may even develop a small desert like area and grow some catctus – for grandad, and his admiration of cactaceae & succulents, in pride of place on his living room window sill.

Anyway, I’m pretty confident my polytunnel dreams will soon be a reality of reasonable sorts.  I’ve certainly no shortage of ‘green genes’ to help, what with grandfather No.2 having worked in the greenhouses of Birmingham Parks also!