Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Over the past week, the Silkie chicks have been living in the coop on our lawn. The first morning, I had to lift out each chick and put her in the run because they wouldn't go outside themselves. Once out, they huddled together and seemed far too terrified of the outdoors to move a few... Continue Reading →
This morning after posting off a few odd and ends, I walked down to the allotment ready to continue to do battle with the shed. Yesterday's work needed some touching up with more white before I could begin the next phase. Tracy came by to see how it was going and Steve added his usual... Continue Reading →
Today I ran down to the allotment early. The sun was out and it was dry! A magic, and often elusive, combination! I stopped to say hello to Michael and Phil before heading off to the shed. Out came everything once more - it's amazing how much stuff can be fitted into a shed! The... Continue Reading →
Late this morning I ambled down to the allotment determined to make a start on clearing out the shed. It's a once yearly job which I feel signifies the start of the growing season. The glorious weather had tempted out lots of people from their winter hibernation and I spent an hour happily chatting to... Continue Reading →
So with the mice invading the shed yet again, I had discovered they had gnawed a big hole in the middle of the sail. The sail is old but entirely usable as a sunshade, ideally without the massive hole in the middle! With some advice from my dad, a seasoned sailor, I ordered some white... Continue Reading →
Every year, I am determined that the plot, shed and greenhouse will remain tidy and rubbish free. And yet, year after year, we have to do a tip run. This year, whilst my husband ran some errands, I ran frantically around the plot, bagging up rubbish and making a heap of them on the patio.... Continue Reading →
The last few days have been incredibly cold, so much so that temperatures have stayed below zero degrees for the last three days. For the UK, this is unusual and makes allotment jobs and projects more difficult to do. Digging for example is completely out of the question, with the ground frozen solid. On the... Continue Reading →
This morning was cold but clear with a nearly cloudless blue sky. I ambled down to the allotment wondering whether to add the chippings into the coop or just to enjoy the day. When I arrived, I found Geoff, Phil, Steve and several others pottering about. The sunny weather is beginning to bring everyone out... Continue Reading →
My arms may never be the same again after today. Digging out the coop is by far my least favourite job and one that I dread due to the inevitable back ache, arm ache and exhaustion that follows a full day of digging, filling up wheelbarrows and lugging it all over the plot. I started... Continue Reading →
So early this morning, I ran down to the allotment to help our friends Liz and Sarah clear the enormous pile of wood from the unsuccessful bonfire night mountain. The half plot has been covered by this stuff for months with no concrete plan to move it. Luckily, one of our friends owns his own... Continue Reading →
Despite the sub-zero temperatures this morning, the sun was out and the sky was a bright blue. In the sun, it was surprisingly warm and I decided today was the day to let the chicks explore their new home for a couple of hours. The coop is set up in our garden and has been... Continue Reading →
The wind has been really high over night and during the day which has dropped the air temperature significantly. It feels perishing if you have to be outside for more than a few minutes. Sarah messaged me to say our combined seed order had arrived at last. I dropped everything and ran across to meet... Continue Reading →
Yet more snow arrived overnight! I have never known so much snow since we moved here several years ago. There is nothing more exciting than opening up the curtains to find everything covered in a layer of pure white. Sometimes if the snow is thicker, the sounds of traffic and other noises of a busy... Continue Reading →
Day two of Storm Christof and the entire allotment site is under several inches of water. There are several plots severely flooded and inevitably, ours is one of them! The last few wet weeks combined with an already high water table has meant the current downpours has flooded vast swathes of the allotment site I... Continue Reading →
A string of messages last night and this morning found me down the allotment early having one last cuddle with Lucky. It turns out Lucky's concerned owner has been knocking on doors and posting online trying to find her. Somehow, one of the wonders of living in a small tight knit community, Andy knew the... Continue Reading →
I love days like today. Days when you go down not expecting anything exciting to happen, especially during winter when there is so much less work to be done. I arrived just as the kettle in Cliff's shed started to boil and sat down outside with Cliff and Geoff. After several minutes of chat, Cliff... Continue Reading →
And so as the January weather continues to make the third lockdown more miserable than the last, I escaped down to the allotment for some fresh air. Over the past couple of weeks, I have told myself that I must clean out the main coop. In winter, with the water supply off, the freezing temperatures... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of weeks the weather has swung between Artic and typical January rain. As the plot is either frozen solid or flooded, there had been little to do apart from feeding the chickens. The lockdown rules are getting tighter so I have been going down in the afternoons to avoid as many... Continue Reading →
So now, in addition to the Avian Flu lockdown for the chickens, the UK has entered it's third lockdown. According to the Prime Minister we will be in lockdown until at least mid-February. As a result, I assume that the usual end of January seed sale will be cancelled which may leave us in a... Continue Reading →
And just like that, it's a new year with new plans and opportunities. In the works are big plans to continue the shed upgrade, a new growing area, add raised beds to the greenhouse, finish the vertical garden and build a small terrarium area as well as finally getting some more quail (much to my... Continue Reading →
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