The fourth break-in at the shed. This is really getting tiresome. A notice at the entrance to the site alerted me that there had been break-ins on the night of 12 January. As before, metal cutters had been used to break the hasp. The still-locked padlock was lying on the grass in front of the door. You can see in the photo how the cut ends have rusted since 12 January.
Nothing seemed to have been stolen, however. We had taken the strimmer motor back to the house before Christmas, making the strimmer head alone a much less attractive prospect. Our forks and spades were grimy with dried mud, which I had fretted about slightly but which turned out to be a blessing.
Time seems to be passing strangely during January. I could have sworn that I had been to the plot since the 12th. It seems like months rather than weeks since Christmas. Perhaps it's the short, dark, busy days that create this effect. But just in the past few days it's been noticeably lighter by the end of the afternoon. With the growing light has come frost, which is often the case in Scotland, so no digging just yet. Still, I feel the first stirrings of Spring interest in the plot. It's been a long, fallow winter with many other preoccupations.
.jpg)
8 comments:
I would be getting very fed up by now Linda. It must mean that no-one that has an allotment there can leave anything valuable or precious in their shed.
It has been a long winter but I got out and did some pruning today. Felt a bit smug...
Sorry to hear about that, Linda. We haven't locked our shed for approx 15 years. The bigger the lock the harder they try to get in. We've had sheds toppled, or the roof prised off at our site. An open door policy seems to have worked - but now I'm worried that I have got too relaxed about what I leave in it.
We had a similar break in or attempted break in of our shed a while ago. They cut off the extra lock but it was also locked with a key which meant they didn't get in. Maybe they looked in the window and realised any more effort wasn't worth it. We don't leave any tools in the shed and even transport our little stove. The shed is more for netting and the like.
Some break-ins now are for scrap metal with the value of metal being so high
Oh Linda, what a crying shame. You have my heartfelt sympathy. It used to be (and, I guess, a long time ago) when the economy got bad, people pulled together to 'get through'. Now a lot take to looting instead. And what can the law-abiding do but report it - to little effect. Hang in there.
Teri, I think across the whole site, which is 68 plots, there were some tools stolen. They didn't seem to bother with sheds which looked a bit run down - obviously looking for new, quick-sale items.
Janet, the worst thing about having to take valuable items back home is that our strimmer motor really smells of petrol, and it permeates the garage. (In which we never have a car because it's too full of other stuff!)
Mal, there are 'open door' people at our site. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Sue, our shed window went in the first break-in, and since then it's been boarded up. I think you're right about the scrap metal.
Kris, we always report the break ins to the police, but as you say, there is little that they can do. We are hanging in, tho!
That's a real shame about the break in, glad they didn't take anything or do any other damage. Hope they won't be back either. On a different topic, I enjoyed checking out the Garden Organic link from your blog.
How annoying! Why are some people so mean?
It is so sad that you have so many break ins. My father in laws house sat alone for seven years along a highway and it was destroyed and anything of any value was gone the first few years. The poor and the addicted seem to be on the prowl everywhere.
Post a Comment