Monday 5th July

Day 77

Leaning against the sink, my husband tells me one of our allotment neighbours died on Saturday. She had a heart attack. She was 65. She had grey plaits and a weather beaten face and her fingers were always in the earth.

The first time I stopped to talk to her she offered me some potatoes and gave me advice about how you know when they are ready to dig up. I gave her a lettuce, she told me rhubarb is good with ginger, I said try it with elderflower. I think she knew everything there is to know about growing things.

The last time I passed her plot, a few days ago, she was bent over, tending to the soil. I didn’t call out hello. Now I wish I had. I still can’t believe she won’t be there tomorrow when we go to water the tomatoes. I don’t even know her name. Just how kind she was.