Ashes to ashes

I was deep in my work applying chippings to the paths when I heard someone trying to attract my attention.  It was a twinkly eyed man, and he was asking if I could use three bags of wood ash.  Well, I wondered if he had been sent as a gift from the devic realms, as wood ash, and plenty of it, was exactly what I needed in the area I was currently developing.  In fact, I could hear the apple trees and strawberries clamouring for attention in the long allotment as well.  It was like they were baby birds with open mouths. 

So, in as restrained a fashion as I could muster, I said 'Yes please, that would be very kind of you'.  Then he said' 'right, I'll be back shortly', and off he went.  I did wonder if I'd been working too hard, and was hallucinating, but no, in a few minutes he was there with his truck, loading it off. 

Three Huge Bags.  It was like Yule had come early.  I thought really I should do the public spirited thing and let other people in the allotments know, but I so badly needed this ash, so I'm sorry to say personal interest was the more powerful motivating force.  I kept saying to myself,  'I'll let them know when I've applied what I need'.  The trouble was, it turned out I needed all of it.  The new fruit area got a liberal dowsing, so did the new strawberry beds, then the strawberry bed in the long allotment, the apple trees, the blackberries and the daffodils all along the borders of both plots, plus the little plum tree.  I forgot the rose, but there is just enough left to treat that as well. 

So thank you kindly man/sprite/pixie or whatever you are, and thank you on behalf of my fruiting plants as well.