The end of the jungle!

The overcast weather today left me hopeful for overdue rain. No such luck. But still, it has been cooler and the wind has helped keep the temperatures down.

First I went to sort out the chickens. Nelly and Daisy looked braver today although they still spend the majority of time hiding under the nest box. Hopefully over the next week they will join in more. Only one egg today which may result from several of them moulting and the upheaval of new arrivals.

And to add to the chaos, Evie seems to have gone broody. Every time I open the nest box she is sitting there clucking angrily at being disturbed. As she is the only one to go broody I am half tempted to buy some fertile eggs for her to try to hatch. We haven’t had many broody chickens this summer, mainly due to the heat I suppose. I am tempted to try for some more Welsummers or Blue Laced Wyandottes.

The tea bell rang and we all congregated at the club house for a well deserved break. Once we had set the world to rights, we all pottered off back to whatever we had been doing. Dave the Plod offered me some gorgeous sunflowers and they are currently sitting in vase in my front room.

I went for a wander and met up with Mel who was keen to plant some cornflower seeds in the Community Garden. Cornflowers are some of my favourite flowers and they always looks so beautiful. I showed her our daughter’s tree which has several large olives on it! The things I thought were olives may not be, although quite what they are is beyond me.

I made a proper start on the jungle. I managed to clear all the grass and weeds around the base of the fruit trees. The bramble was evil and tried it’s best to shred my hands as I battled to remove it. Next, I got busy turning over the soil between the trees and the coop. Now that it is clear, I am not sure the greenhouse frame will fit. Tomorrow will be D-Day as I will lay out the base to see if it fits.

Whilst I was on a roll, I decided to clear the weeds around the rhubarb and between the back of the berry bushes. The rhubarb plants look a bit ropey but they should perk up with some rain. I intend to dig up the last rhubarb plant and replace it with the gooseberry I discovered yesterday.

Geoff’s black currant bush is still on a knife edge but the green part seems to be healthier today than yesterday. I will give it a good watering tomorrow which should help it a bit more.

So tomorrow will be busy checking to see if the greenhouse frame fits and finish clearing the last weed-filled section of the plot. The potatoes need digging up and the weeds growing beneath the greenhouse shield need removing.