There are three in my marriage, Hilary, Lottie and myself, well that is what my daughter Alison tells me. Alison was largely responsible for me and Lottie getting together but that is a story for another day.

Hilary and I have been partners for many years but my affair with Lottie only began twelve years ago when I became attracted by Lottie’s beauty, fragrance, and her organic but down to earth approach.

Now, I usually see Lottie for a couple of half days at the weekend and sometimes I slip away from home early in the morning to say a big hello.

You will know by now that I am talking about raised beds, the birds and the bees and getting to know your onions.

Last week Argus reporter Becky Evans, who wrote this article about the allotment boom in Sussex, asked me if I would write a blog on my allotmenteering. The article was also the centre spread feature in the Argus last Thursday, with me posing with my watering can surrounded by Lottie and the fruity Ulrika surrounded by my plums, blackcurrents, apples, pears and peppers.

When I told my father that I was in the Argus he asked if I was on the front page, I should have known better than to look. There was a feature on a “cute cocker spaniel” - “Paw little Louise needs your help” was the headline. It’s always good to have family support.

I am a blog virgin so I contacted web editor Jo and she was ready with good advice, some sample blog pages – all idiosyncratic - and we agreed that it should be short and sweet, regular and personal (sounds like a laxative) with news and anecdotes on what Lottie is up to this week. There may be the occasional rant about aminopyralid pesticides passing through horses and their manure poisoning allotments, or my sneaking admiration for rats, possibly something on the Weald’s world record-breaking orange-tinged slugs or more likely on Lottie herself.

I can concentrate on the delights of discovery apples ... crisp, succulent, slightly tart with a white flesh that is tinged pink near the skin asking to be picked and or on raspberries rolling off the canes, smelling of vanilla and tasting of heaven. Or I might just include being in the Garden of Eden with Lottie. Let’s see.