An afternoon of freedom 

Yesterday afternoon, having successfully fobbed off small hungry baby on my long suffering husband, I made a successful dash to the allotment.

Upon arriving I saw this. I did rather a double take and then burst out laughing. I suspect Steve is behind this although I wouldn’t put it past Phil…

In the couple of hours I was there, I managed to clear a wide section below the horrific grass section and even started to clear on the other side of it. I feel so much better now as it is starting to look like an allotment instead of an abandoned piece of communal land behind some decaying factory warehouse.

Fiona joined me after she finished work and we caught up with Geoff – meeting his adorable 13 year old King Charles-Springer Spaniel dog, Barney. Geoff has spotted a super efficient and effective way of making a large coop at minimal cost. The allotment committee had bought some metal fence panels to reinforce the site fence to stop the sadly regular attempts at burglary. Using 5 of these we could construct a 16ft by 11ft coops, plenty big enough for all 9 chickens, their massive nest box and possibly even the quail. And all this for £10 per panel. I plan to email Donna the Chair today to see whether I could purchase some!

Whilst Fiona was down, we picked masses of redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries from the bottom plot. In doing so I wondered aloud whether it would be a good idea to dig up one of the blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes to move onto the top plot along with a few of the fruit bushes we planted. This may be massively optimistic and completely idiotic as I have never dug up big fruit bushes but there is always a first time!

I have planned to have a fruit section in front of the trees on the top plot as the chicken coop and paraphernalia will take up the entirety of the back of the plot behind the trees. Ever helpful Fiona reckons she can get us a couple of tayberry plants from home to add to the fruit bush section. I am holding out for a lingonberry bush – someone somewhere must sell them? The fruit section will also require the replanting of the cherry tree so to appease my OCD on such matters, it seems logical to buy two trees to match the current pear and apple trees. I have decided I love the idea of a nectarine and Almond tree. Although I may change my mind on the nectarine if I find something equally amazing that apparently can grow in the abysmal UK climate. 

Major jobs remaining: clear the horrific grass patch, dig up and replant the raspberry bush and cherry tree, dig up and replant fruit bushes from the bottom plot, dig up and give away three gooseberry bushes, replant the rhubarb thus clearing the way for the new chicken coop.

I think we have our hands full!