A wee while ago when the earth was still warming up and it felt like everything was trying to wake up, a fellow allotmenteer delivered a pile of pallets on-site, for our use. Not long after, fences, compost containers and climbing frames started to appear!

We had recently gained an extra foot or two of ground and decided that this would be a very good spot for a place to sit.

With a few pallets, saw, screwdrivers, hammer, borrowed crow-bar and some plasters, I gave it a bash and transformed the pallets into a different shape. It took a few days from start to finish. I was so engrossed I forgot to take ‘in process’ pics!

We gathered some locally washed-up driftwood sticks to finish off the front. And a bit of a sandpaper rounded the corners off nicely. No splinters or jaggy edges for my bottom thank you very much!

A bit of a rustic vibe, I don’t mind the hand-made look!

It took a fair bit of hefting, but Malcolm and I managed to haul the bench (which is heavier than it looks) into position on our plot. I’d felt quite embarrassed about it in the garden, but it fits in a bit better here.

The serendipitous, handy storage compartments in the back hold things like:

• My home-made stinky garlic spray
• String and other small, useful ‘things’
• Smidge – midge repellent (the clegs have been fierce this year)
• Emergency packet of Hula Hoops (plain)

Now that it’s weathering and everything is growing up, it doesn’t stand out as much.

A perfect place to perch on the plot

There has been evidence of birdlife using the bench – and I am delighted that our plotty neighbours are taking a break on it too! I probably use it more as a place to put my stuff than for an actual sit on site, but it gave me a purposeful project for a few days, and it fills Malcolm with joy each time he comes round to mow the paths!