Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Today was a very exciting day. Late this afternoon, Nikki and Dylan appeared at the front door with a pet carrier containing three beautiful silkies! Birmingham Silkies has sadly had to sell many of her birds due to a house move. I have been following her online for several years and the silkies she breeds... Continue Reading →
Just as I was about to put Winnie back in her overnight carrier, my husband shouted from the back of the house. Clutching Winnie to my chest, I dashed out to see what was the matter. I found my husband on the patio with big smile on his face. "Look in the Omlet!" he said... Continue Reading →
After a morning of house clearing, I headed down to the allotment to clean out the Nest House. It's a job that always takes ages and it's one of my least favourite jobs. Upon arrival, I spotted Liz, Sarah and their mum so I went to say hello. Daisy was with them and gave me... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since my last post due to trying to get Winnie back on the road to recovery. Sadly, she has been steadily deteriorating over the past week and I have been in regular contact with a lovely American lady who has extensive knowledge about chickens. She has recommended a range of different... Continue Reading →
Some days at the allotment start out ordinary and end up being extraordinary! I walked down to the allotment this morning with a list of jobs to do. My first job was to sort out the willow. Somehow despite the heatwave, it has grown massively in the last week. Grabbing my trusty secateurs, I made... Continue Reading →
Having got the chickens through the nightmare heatwave, I was just beginning to relax when Winnie took a turn for the worse. Thankfully, the Crossbeak and Special Needs group were able to help by telling me what medicine to order and how to help Winnie while we waited for it to arrive. With Harker's Coxoid... Continue Reading →
Level 4 Heatwave has finally arrived after days of fire warnings from the government, the Met Office and the British pessimism which declares every type of weather dreadful. If it's raining, where is the sunshine? If it's cold, where's the heat? For the next two days, every conversation about the weather will adhere to the... Continue Reading →
When I got home this evening, I went to check on Winnie and Coco. I have been hand feeding Winnie to try and make sure she is getting enough food. Happily, Winnie began to attack the food with gusto. As I held her, I could hear Coco clucking in the background. I thought nothing of... Continue Reading →
On Friday evening, I took Gordon home from the allotment. Naively, I hoped he wouldn't be too loud and that we would be able to keep him in the garden. In the kitchen, I set up a puppy crate with a home made perch for him to sleep on and used a blackout curtain to... Continue Reading →
After filling the kitchen with a small puppy crate and vast amounts of blackout fabric yesterday, I headed out this evening to collect Gordon. As I arrived on site, I ran into Geoff and we had a chat. I caught him up with some news before heading off to the New Coop. Upon seeing me,... Continue Reading →
I had a lovely message this evening from Cat at Duster's Ark. She had been out to complete a home check for Tommy's new home. The new home passed with flying colours! He will be living in a massive field with proper fox-proof fencing and a lovely large house to roost in. Although he doesn't... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I walked into the New Coop and couldn't find Winnie. I looked everywhere. Worried that meant nothing but bad news, I lifted the top of the next box up, expecting to find a body. To my surprise, the next box was empty. No bird to be seen. Or was there? Crushed between the nest... Continue Reading →
Today was a difficult day. Due to a complaint by a local resident, we have been told we have to remove all of the cockerels from the site. As upsetting as this is, it is made worse by the fact that the complainant made no effort to speak to us directly. Instead they went online,... Continue Reading →
After a really busy week at work without a moment to stop, I finally made it down to the allotment for more than a quick visit. The weeds were beginning to dominate several of the beds and I have an ongoing battle with the weeds that insist on growing over the paths. With the feathery... Continue Reading →
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 →
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