Introducing the Shack

I love my shack.  It's a kind of magical beach hut, only on an allotment.  In fact her full name is Psychadelic Shack, after the Temptations song.  It looks just like an old shed on the outside, but inside it is a riot of rainbow colour, flowers and stars. 

I came across her first of all when I was out on a walk, before I was even an allotment holder.  It was one of those days when I needed a space to think, and I find walking very good for that. I found myself sneeking into the allotments.  They looked so intriguing, and I wanted to get a closer look at all their varied characters.  It was a Winter's day, but even so there were some beautiful structures created by the things people had used to support plants, and sometimes even the plants themselves, crystalised in frost, looked fascinating and dramatic. 

This was the case in the plot my shack was in.  There was what appeared to be a kind of fairy ring of lavender, and I felt impelled to trespass and stand inside it.  Then there was the shack itself, unlocked and with some of its shiplap fallen off.  It looked very desolate and unloved.  I thought I would go inside to explore and give it some company.  I discovered an old bird's nest that someone had put on the table, with four perfect pale blue eggs in it.  It was a lovely space just to sit and think. 

I came back several times afterwards, and put my name on the allotments waiting list, in the hope that it was available, as it looked so neglected.  In March I was taken to the allotment allocated to me.  We turned down the familar pathway towards the shack, but still I couldn't quite believe it.  My surprise and delight knew no bounds, as my plot turned out to be the one I most wished for.  The previous tenant had just phoned the day before to say she wanted to give it up.  Was it fate, or the fairies?  From that day on the Shack and its Land have become transformed, and so have I. 

One of the first things I did for the Shack, was to give her a blue ceramic doorknob with white stars, and two brass door knockers.  One is in the shape of a Pixie, and is for humans to use.  The other is in the form of a horseshoe, and is placed at Fairy height, just in case there are any around. 

The next thing I bought for her was a rainbow fly curtain, which totally set off her plain exterior, and suggested the whole theme for inside.  From then on it was a kind of rainbow rollercoaster than I couldn't step out of.