Shortly after posting my entry  It wasn't the children ! yesterday I received an email from the school's head teacher.

He says something rather different to what his colleague told me on Tuesday, and what two plot holders saw happen on the day !

I'm not going to detail what he said but call me cynical as I'm guessing that he doesn't want to involve Barclays and possibly jeopardise any support that it gives the school.

Anyway he's made a very generous gesture and offered me £50 of garden centre tokens.

I've accepted, and said that on receipt of them I'll consider the matter closed.

I'd like to thank everyone who commented on Not a good day ! entries here and there.

This morning I spent a few hours tidying up the damage to my plot but as you'll appreciate I wasn't quite my usual happy self, despite the welcome sunshine and a chirpy robin.

I've learnt that it wasn't the children who caused the damage but some mindless, uncaring so-called adults!

Monday morning I got an email from the guy at the council who deals with day-to-day allotment matters saying that he'd contacted the school and would email me again when they responded. He did that on Tuesday morning and whilst I was reading the email the phone rang. It was the council guy saying that if I went to the allotment then I could talk to the guy from the school.

I did that and walking round with him it was clear that the damage had not been caused by children. Not only had over 20 wooden railway sleepers,  a big heap of topsoil and possibly the shed panels been put on my plot but then the people moving it all had trampled over my plot to do so.

That was done by some of the 18 Barclays Bank volunteers who were there ! I asked if they had been properly briefed or supervised. His reply indicated not !

He then said that once I bought replacement plants and seeds if I let him know the cost then he'd see about possible reimbursement ! I said that I found that derisory and walked off before I said what I really thought. I'm still waiting on a reply to an email I sent him on Tuesday reiterating my anger and concerns.

I must say the council guy was brilliant with both his emails and phone call. Also, as a nice gesture, he later advised that my next allotment invoice would be cancelled so that I could spend the money on some more seeds.

Anyway the plot is now looking almost as good as it was before it happened, and I'm feeling a bit happier.

Oh yes, is anyone wondering if I bank at Barclays ? No thankfully  !

I always treat myself to a non-fiction hardback book for Christmas.

This year it was a really easy choice to make as all the reviews for have been  first-rate.

The excellent  Aeroplane Monthly magazine made it  Book of the Month in the December issue, rating it five roundels which equals absolutely outstanding.  

Real role models - the women pilots of WWII is a very good Philobiblon review.

Although it is an aviation book it is more about the women themselves and, as such, I'm sure will appeal to a much wider readership than just aviation buffs.

I look forward to settling down sometime over the holiday period to read this book, with the help of a cup of tea and some biscuits of course!

As you can read here.

is the title of this entry that I did earlier on my Flighty's Plot blog showing the progress that I've made on my allotment over the past few months.

As I said there I look back at what I've achieved so far with a great deal of pleasure and a real sense of  satisfaction.

The next few months will be spent mostly pottering and pondering whilst I wait, somewhat impatiently, for when I can get to work again sowing seeds, planting  and even weeding.

Today is  Remembrance Day

We Shall Keep the Faith

is a four part TV series on Channel 4 in which Ian Hislop travels across the country to examine the history of Britain's War Memorials.

1/4.Commemoration is being shown on Saturday at 8.00pm and 2/4.Class is on Sunday at 6.30pm.

This is a repeated programme which is well worth watching if you missed it when it was first shown, or watching again if, like me, you did see it.

Have a good weekend.

Need I say more?

Well I already have in this entry over on Flighty's Plot.

Have a good weekend!