I’LL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT…
I am knocking on Councillor Marian McDonald’s front door in Moville as the church bells are chiming ten in the morning. I have been asked to judge this year’s, Moville Tidy Towns Gardening Competition and unlike the last time I did any judging, we are ahead of the frosts. We need to make an early start as Marian has to be in Greencastle at 12:30pm for the Blessing of the Fleet, so time is a precious commodity for her, as it always has been in her five years of being a local Councillor.
Marian welcomes me in “Hi Ian, sorry for taking so long to answer, I have just made my fifteenth phone call of the morning and I was a bit tied up”. Marian passes over the list of entries for this year’s competition. “There are fewer entries this year”, she tells me. “That’s because of the way we have put it together. Originally anyone could enter a garden from around the town that they thought was looking good. Now it’s up to the garden owners to put themselves forward”.
Marian takes me around the back of her house to the next-door neighbours garden. “Here is the first entry”, she tells me. I am peering over he fence, looking at Chantel Busack’s vegetable patch that has been carefully planted with scallions, carrots and rocket. Chantel has built a very tidy raised bed out of treated timber and built it up with very good quality compost. It is a good start to the competition.
We jump into Marian’s car. I have a rough idea what I am looking for in a well-planned and maintained garden and to make the job even easier for me, Marian has split the competition up into eleven categories, twelve if you include the random one at the end that awards a prize for the best hanging basket display around the town.
“Here’s the second stop”. Marian announced, travelling just 10 yards down the road as I am just about to finish buckling up my seat belt. “It’s Ard Foyle and its up for the Best Kept Estate. Very good again, no litter, plenty of colour, well cut grass. I scribble down a few notes that I am quite sure I won’t be able to understand when I get home and Marian starts the engine to go to our next stop.
BY APPOINTMENT
I am here by appointment and because it’s early, there isn’t anyone greeting me at the houses. It feels as though I am trespassing when I wander around stranger’s gardens unannounced.
“Take your time Ian”, says Marian from the drivers seat. “ It’s the front and back garden here and Sarah Anne has entered for the best vegetable patch as well as best pensioners garden”. Marian has just stopped outside Sarah Anne McLaughlin’s house and urges me on. The front garden looks promising with the immaculately maintained floribunda roses. I sneak round the back to inspect the veggie plot and very impressive it is too.
“Well hello”. Says a friendly voice. “I saw you coming up the drive, you must be here for the judging. Don’t forget to look at the apple trees, they have been really good croppers”. It’s my first face-to-face encounter with a participant of the competition and it is Sarah Anne greeting me wearing her floral nightgown. “I also have some fabulous cabbages and turnips and the new crop of rhubarb has been very successful”, she continues. “Don’t leave before I come out”, she says mysteriously as she slips back into the house.
I carry on my scrutiny of the planting and Sarah Anne re-appears. “Here take these with you”. She hands over two jars of homemade jam, one blackcurrant and the other gooseberry. “I’ve had a good year for all of the fruit and managed to make a load of jars”. I take the containers, wrapped discreetly in a brown paper bag. “Of course these are in no way my very first bribe.” I say with a smile, tucking the booty under my arm. If I was in a different business the brown paper bag might be filled with something a bit greener. I am more than happy with the beautifully presented jars of sweet fruit.
“Will you be coming to the Gardening Competition Presentation when we have it?” Marian asks me when I jump back into the car ready for the next stop. I carefully place the fruity jars on the back seat and say. “With friendly faces like Sarah Anne, you try and keep me away………..”
I will announce details of the winners when I get home and tally up the points.
FOR ALL OF THE PHOTO'S GO TO INISHINDIE
