John Badger - A Life Celebrated

And although the Winter is a quiet time for your average gardener, I have done a few things since mid November.

But the most monumental news - and by far the saddest - is that John Badger from the bottom has passed away.  His health has not been great for some time, but when I saw him at the AGM he was still in fine form, if less robust than previously.

What a institution he has been at the Hill!

His ability to get on with absolutely anyone has benefited the Allotment Society enormously - from being the star of the show when we had a class of children from one of our junior schools visiting the site to talking any funding body he could find to winkle funds out for our various maintenance jobs, with huge success.

He was a fiendish Aston Villa fan, and if I was on the plot on Saturday lunchtime I would often be stuck head first into some weeding to be hailed with a cheery 'hello, gorgeous!' as he drove off to go to the match.

Famed for his barbecues at the bottom end of the plot, he was passionate about bringing the plotholders together - he loved the Annual Show, and of course, served on the committee.

And my best memory?  Before my first show in 2007 when I told him I was going to enter the 'home made marble cake - recipe supplied' category, he surprised me when he said, 'do you want a tip?'.  I couldn't think what tip he might offer me on baking a cake, but he said, 'I was in the catering corps for years - if you dip your knuckle in milk then smooth the top surface with the back of your hand, you'll get a cake to bake without cracking.'  Absolutely right!

Quite a chap, all in all - I think Chris (who has the plot next to his) has it right when she says that JB was a 'rare individual'.  Indeed, indeed.