MeToo long for a gardening gift. Most of the gifts I coveted are already on my Christmas list. Clever pruning shears too.
Until the plot, there was no desire for tools. His father’s loyalty was to Wilkinson’s sword, which also made razor blades, but it was about my father.
I associated my gardening tools with Saturday chores that had to be done before I rested after tea. Rakes and hoes, lawn mowers and brushcutters have been associated with a certain kind of masculinity for too long, and they didn’t really interest me.
At least until you start assigning. It was the parcel where I developed a circle of fine handmade copper trowels (implementations.co.uk). I learned to understand the value of the mono ball.
Then Danish meadows entered our lives. It was there that I discovered my deep love for a proper axe. Constant winter need for chopped firewood. And now, next Christmas, I have a big pile of logs to split.
So my first wish is for a new ax that is lightweight yet heavy enough to make a decent dent in beech and silver birch.
I also yearn for Higgledy Gardens bee-friendly mixes (higgledygarden.com) of cosmos, cornflowers, borage, phacelia, nigella and calendula to keep working on the meadow.
In the plot, my Christmas wish is a new garden fork. Our old ones are a bit broken and past their prime and we’re eyeing the Burgon & Ball ones. If someone close to me sees this, I might be obsessed with garden shears right now. But they may wait until my birthday in January.
Finally, Merry Christmas everyone.
Allan Jenkins’ Plot 29 (4th Estate, £9.99) has been released. Order from Guardianbookshop.com for £8.49
Follow Alan on Instagram @allanjenkins21