A young helper and Wendys suspect pot plants

New young volunteer Richard justifiably has concerns about Wendy's pot plants!

Cannabis sativa leaf. photo Lode Van de Velde 

Extract from the podcasts of Route and Branch, autobiography of Bill Clark, former Warden of Wandlebury: full recording available here:
https://archive.org/download/young-helper/Ch9b-Young-Helper.mp3

Richard boarded with an Aunt, and occasionally had holidays with his father who worked in Jamaica. After one – lasting some weeks – he arrived back, and finding Wendy busy in the greenhouse, immediately asked where I was working, but still hung around, acting as if on ‘tenterhooks’. She asked if he was well. ‘Of course I am well, whatever makes you think I am not,’ was the indignant reply. Wendy persisted, ‘Richard, if you are worried about something, I am sure we can help.’

Richard shuffled, his face colouring up, ‘Well actually, I was wondering why you are growing cannabis?’ Wendy now coloured up, and pointing, said, ‘Oh good gracious, do you mean that row of plants?’ Richard looked even more embarrassed, ‘Oh dear, Bill hasn’t told you!’

I had found fifteen pots of tiny plants and a trowel hidden in the undergrowth one showery afternoon, and assumed it was the work of some well-meaning person – other garden flowers had been planted around the new trees from time to time. Not recognising these, I had asked Wendy to plant them in the garden. ‘They must be something exotic,’ I had remarked.

Wendy sent Richard ‘hot foot’ after me. I jogged back beside his bicycle; Richard apologising profusely for causing such a kerfuffle, and surmising – although he had seen the plants all over Jamaica – that he could be wrong. At home – looking in the correct book – we could see the now quite large and handsome plants, were indeed cannabis.

I looked aghast at Wendy. ‘Can you remember if any policemen have driven round here since you planted them?’ Neither of us could be sure, for they came fairly regularly. Not always because of Wendy’s 999 calls, sometimes bringing information, or hoping for some, about local, ‘bad lads’ – and also, just in case Wendy had her celebrated honeyed scones in the larder.

It was no good, I couldn’t take the chance and just burn the plants – we could already be under surveillance – I would have to phone up and confess. It quite amused our local bobby, but to Richard’s anguish, the ‘Narcotics Division’ still arrived with sirens wailing and blue lights flashing.

Readings continue with Birders at Wandlebury and the Icterine Warbler https://routeandbranch.blogspot.com/2020/06/birders-at-wandlebury-and-icterine.html