For those who listen to the Jeremy Vine programme at lunchtime on Radio 2 on Fridays, the name Terry Walton may be a familiar one. For those who don't, Terry's involvement on the programme is a ten minute, 'little gem', slot of live broadcasting from his allotment in the Rhondda Valley in Wales.
Having found this item of the programme not only interesting but also amusing at times, I try not to miss it. I was therefore surprised and delighted to discover Terry's book on sale in B & Q of all places. More delight when I found it at a reduced price in the post Christmas clearance shelves, after all, being a Yorkshire man, I am careful with my brass!!
My Life on a Hillside Allotment is Terry's own account of his life story from childhood to the current day.
The Book.
After an opening acknowledgement by the author, there follows a foreword by Jeremy Vine, which is brilliantly written and extols the virtues of Terry, his infectious spirit and enthusiasm for his passion and is a joy to read that alone.
There is an introduction passage entitled 'The adopted allotment' which explains how Terry was chosen for the programme in 2003, although initially Terry believed it to be a 'wind up' by a pal of his. A copy extract from the BBC news website reporting the 'adoption' ends this passage.
The book is then divided into 12 chapters, one for each month of the year, each chapter ends with Terry's tip for that month and his wife Anthea's recipe The recipes are interesting, sweet pumpkin cake, courgette loaf, jams, chutneys, relishes and even marrow rum!! Each chapter also contains some exquisite line drawings.
At the age of 4, Terry often accompanied his father to the allotment and it would seem that this was the time when the seeds of his future passion were initially sown and would begin to blossom early. So early in fact, that, at a mere 11 years old, he became the holder of his very first allotment. At that time all produce grown on an allotment was purely for feeding the family but the young Terry was a budding entrepreneur for, by his mid teens he owned and tended 10 allotments . All these allotments were tended meticulously and combined with grammar school, plus a paper round, must have required a huge commitment and colossal effort. The allotments were turned into a highly successful business enterprise, not only edible produce but also flowers. The produce was sold and he spotted a blooming market with selling his flowers outside the adjacent hospital gates at visiting times on a Sunday afternoon. A shrewd lad indeed and the money from his allotment venture enabled him to buy his first car at the age of seventeen, a remarkable feat at that age for any working class young man. He actually earned more money from his allotment business than when in full time employment in the pencil factory but appreciated the allotment earnings were not all year round so maintained his paid employment working.
The chapters cover every aspect of Terry's life, from the changes in the valley in industry, his various jobs, his family, marriage and children and on to grandchildren. The main focus however is the allotment life, the changes to it, characters, the produce, tips on growing, his personal choices, pesticides and a return to organic growing and pest control. All these are cleverly intertwined into each chapter, so there is no lack of continuity in the story.
Littered throughout are many little anecdotes the following are just a couple, his pride at growing the flowers for Anthea's wedding bouquet. The tale of Tommy Scott and the Senators, being paid off without completing their act in a club because they were too noisy and disturbed the men who were playing cards. Tommy who??? I can see you wondering, why none other than Tom Jones before he made his name as a solo artist is the answer. How many of you knew that? Not me for one.
The final chapter reveals how from his appearance on the Vine programme, Terry has since become something of a 'celebrity' both in television and the general media, particularly in South Wales. He also does great charity work, raising money from his pumpkin growing as well as working with children with learning difficulties on an allotment donated to the school by Terry and the other members of the allotment site. A real testimony indeed to his down to earth roots. There is also some instances of problems, amusement, and interesting moments when broadcasting the programme.
The book finally concludes with a wonderful poem by Terry and a detailed index section.
Terry's philosophical outlook on his allotment is a simple but quite interesting in that he considers it to be his gymnasium or health club. It keeps him fit, his sunbed that keeps him tanned, a stress counsellor for relieving tension and relaxation in the fresh air. On reading that, I shall view my extremely large garden in a totally different light, thanks Terry.
My opinion.
A very interesting read, not merely because of the many interesting gardening tips but a man whose passion for his allotment is unending and this feeling is clearly expressed with the undoubted effort put into passing this to the reader. It is a book I would readily recommend to anyone who enjoys a biography of an ordinary bloke finding 'fame' late in life, who has an interesting life story to tell.
Availability.
Paperback. £7.99p Hardback. £8.57. Both from W.H.Smith online.
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