In memory of Angelo

Angelo died during the winter. He was a lovely bloke, who never stopped telling me how to do things. Joe was very unforthcoming about it. Domenico told me when I met him in town one day, but if he hadn't, Joe would probably have said nothing. Now, Joe is working all three allotments, his two (plots 56 and 58) and Angelo's (plot 57). He says he will give up the one next to my old allotment, but it looks as if he won't give it up until October at the earliest, when the rent falls due. Even though Angelo couldn't do any work by last October, and Joe had kept his allotment more or less tended and planted, Angelo still told him he wanted to keep it on. For these old Italians, growing food is in the blood and they will carry on until they drop.

I loved Angelo. I have the grapevine he gave me to remind me of him. He gave me it when it was only two or three feet high; now it's a monster and has spread all over the front of my house, and last year I got about twelve bunches of small, purple grapes off it. One day I'll make wine from it in memory of Angelo.

Morning Glory

My Morning Glory has flowered at long last. I thought it never would. They are the most exquisite flowers, such a delicate blue, well worth the trouble.

I have more outside my house, twining with the vine. They are doing better, and should make a good show when they flower.

Greg's vine support

My brother Greg came round yesterday to build a vine support for me outside my back door. He did it in the time it took me to make him a salad. The packet of vine eyes I bought from Wickes which I thought contained 10, contained only 9, and on closer examination, the packet said "approx. 10"!

The grapevine has already curled one of its tendrils around the wire.

Grapevine

Angelo gave me a grape vine he'd grown from a pip. I decided to plant it outside my back door. There was some wooden trellis there when I moved in that had supported a clematis, but every year the clematis got mildew and the flowers were few and died. I decided to use the trellis for the vine, so I dug up the clematis and put in the grapevine instead. I had some Morning Glory plants, too, and I planted one next to it. But the grapevine didn't like that kind of support, and what was worse, it was attacked by some kind of leaf miner that seemed to emanate from the trellis. So I have taken the trellis down, and taken it down the allotment to use as firewood, and I have asked Greg to come and see me and bring a heavy-duty drill so that I can put up some wires to support the grapevine. He is coming tomorrow. Meanwhile the grapevine and the Morning Glory are clinging to each other for support.

Someone down the allotments has got a grapevine, and has a full-sized wire support. I am envious. One day I might have my own down there, though I think it might be too cold down there: it is warmer outside my back door. Dom says they have a grapevine in their greenhouse at home. And of course Joe makes his own wine from grapes brought on a lorry from Italy every year.