After spending Monday to Friday staring at computer screens in a stuffy office, the thing I look forward to most at the weekend is heading over to a community allotment on the edge of my town. It is basically a small plot of land where local residents can grow their own fruit, vegetables, and flowers. I usually get down there early on a Saturday morning, around eight o'clock, before the midday heat sets in.
I tend to go with an old school friend of mine who shares the lease on the plot. We divide up the chores pretty evenly, one of us might be weeding the raised vegetable beds and pruning tomato plants, while the other turns the compost or mends the wooden fencing. It is quite physical, hands-on work, but because we are chatting away and listening to the birds, it never feels like a chore. Occasionally, some of the older gardeners on neighbouring plots wander over to offer advice or swap seeds.
As for why it leaves me feeling so invigorated, I think it comes down to a total shift in focus. My regular job involves dealing with constant emails, tight deadlines, and endless digital notifications. When I am working the soil, my mobile phone stays zipped in my jacket pocket, which gives my mind a much-needed digital detox. Getting my hands dirty and being outdoors in the fresh air completely clears away the mental clutter from the working week. By the time I walk back to my flat around lunchtime, clutching a basket of fresh mint or courgettes, I feel completely reset and ready to take on the week ahead.