Adventures in the life of an English allotment
What should you do when drowning in strawberries? Make jam. Lots and lots of jam. Despite my husband's heroic efforts to work his way through the kilos of strawberries I have harvested, there were tons leftover. Whilst giving strawberries to the chickens would undoubtedly result in their undying love for me, it wouldn't be good... Continue Reading →
Just before lunchtime, I headed out to the allotment. The weeds have been taking over and the Nest House needed cleaning out. Stopping for a quick chat with Liz and Sarah, I quickly checked on Gertie, Winnie and Coco in the New Coop. Gertie was in the corner and the other two were finally off... Continue Reading →
I love lunchtimes at the moment. It's an opportunity to let the chickens at home explore the garden. I find watching the interactions between the different groups fascinating. The silkies are the first out, always keen to destroy another patch of the lawn. Cirrus is always first out and she usually wanders near to the... Continue Reading →
Another momentous day with the chickens today! This afternoon, I walked across to Nikki's house to help her and Dylan set up their new Omlet Classic. Buying second hand is an excellent way of getting hold of one. The only downside is the lack of assembly instructions which can make what should be a short... Continue Reading →
There are going to be big changes in the coops over the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately, a local resident has been making problems about the cockerels on site. As a result, the Committee have had to ask plot holders with cockerels to remove them. I have three-ish weeks to find homes for Tommy and... Continue Reading →
Sad news from the plot this morning. I ambled down before work to find one our little bantams had passed away in the New Coop. Initially, I thought it was Foxy, but closer inspection of the comb revealed it wasn't. It's such a shame as she was growing into a lovely bird (albeit a very... Continue Reading →
What can be said of the wildlife on Corfu which hasn't already been superbly described in Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy? Quite simply, the animals and plants in Corfu are as curious and quirky as the island they inhabit. Each time we holiday in Corfu, we spot something new. One of the most exciting discoveries was... Continue Reading →
Late this evening, I walked down to the plot to do some weeding. The patio was completely overgrown with weeds - it's been a job I have been putting off for a while. It is nearly impossible to get the roots out especially when they insist on growing between the slabs. The best I could... Continue Reading →
Today was a long day! By the time my husband and I finished, we were covered head to toe in dirt. We began by attempting to move the Omlet with the silkies. This was easier said than done. The Omlet had been in the same for several weeks and the grass had knitted itself around... Continue Reading →
Late this afternoon, I managed to get down to the allotment to get some jobs done. I ambled around the plot, feeding the chickens and cleaning out the water bowls. Trixie was still insisting she is broody and threw an absolute wobbly when I turfed her out of the nest. Shrieking her disapproval, she joined... Continue Reading →
Today was productive. Very productive! With my husband's help, we managed to clear most of the plot of weeds. The sunshine and rain over the past two weeks has meant the weeds have gone berserk. I armed my husband with the WolfGarten soil tiller and left him with instructions to clear the weeds on our... Continue Reading →
Two years ago, my husband bought me a beautiful bonsai tree as a wedding anniversary gift. It was stunning and all through the summer and the winter, it remained green, full of life despite regularly being blown over by the wind or knocked over by a marauding feline. But last spring, it suddenly dropped its... Continue Reading →
Rather upsetting news from the plot today. When my husband went down to the plot he found Roxy, our speckled Sussex bantam rescue, had passed away. She packed a huge personality into a tiny (sassy!) body and Trixie and Foxy will miss her desperately. Roxy was abandoned at the allotment gate with two other hens... Continue Reading →
After being away for a week, I discovered that the weeds had made good inroads into colonising the plot. It's incredible how fast they grow especially with rain and sunshine. Despite it being a busy day at work, I dashed down to the allotment as soon as I could to try and clear some of... Continue Reading →
Some sad news from the plot albeit delayed due to my being away. My husband messaged me to tell me at the end of last week that he had found Sadie dead on top of the box in the Nest House. It would appear that she had passed away in her sleep. Sadie had a... Continue Reading →
After a frantic day trying to sort out everything for a trip, I ran down to the allotment. I filled the food bowls up to the top and refreshed the water in all the coops. Nursing a minor scratch to the face courtesy of the littlest bantam in the new coop, I threw out the... Continue Reading →
At lunchtime, I dashed down to the allotment for a very unusual but exciting event - I was going to be teaching a group of home schooled children about bees. The family on Plot 1 home school their children who adore outdoor learning and forest school. As it turns out, they were learning about bees... Continue Reading →
As I came home at lunch time I received a call from Cliff. He had spotted another swarm, this time on Phil's plot. Promising him I would be down, I yelled to my husband and headed back out. When I got to the site, I found Cliff and he showed me where the swarm was.... Continue Reading →
As I was wrestling with a new stitch in my beginners crochet class, I received a message from Andrea informing me that there was a swarm in a tree at the bottom of Bob's plot. Understandably, she wasn't sure what to do but knew that I helped Steve and Phil out with the bees. I... Continue Reading →
Today was a momentous day. Finally, after five months of flockdown, DEFRA have finally lifted the housing mandate, meaning the chickens can roam the garden at last! I opened up both Omlets and encouraged the Silkies and Ancient Ones to come out. They were incredibly reluctant but eventually, with some bribery, out they came. The... Continue Reading →
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