Adventures in the life of an English allotment
We arrived down on site mid-morning to be greeted with the news of a jail break. Millie had apparently managed to escape her isolation coop and had been wandering around the site! Fortunately, Liz and Sarah spotted her and with Cliff's help, caught her and put her back in the main coop. It's very lucky... Continue Reading →
This evening, I popped down to the allotment to water the plants. It was still very hot. As I quickly checked the chicks, two of them looked very hot. Remembering a tip I had seen somewhere online, I fished about for a shallow tray and partially filled it with water. Trying not to spill it,... Continue Reading →
The dreaded heat continued so I walked down just to sort out the chickens. Other jobs can't wait until it's cooler this evening! I stopped for a chat with Geoff, Andy and Tracy until it was too hot. Then I retreated into the shade of the main coop. Rey is getting braver although she is... Continue Reading →
It got even hotter today. After a night of little sleep, my husband popped down to feed the chickens in the morning. I decided to hide in the house in front of a fan until the relentless heat dropped. The morning report from the allotment came back that all our girls were doing well, Leia... Continue Reading →
Late morning, we walked to the allotment excited to see how many chicks Cliff's broody had managed to hatch. The heat was already climbing significantly and we knew we would have to wait until evening for it to be co enough to do anything other than feeding the chickens. We arrived to find a few... Continue Reading →
Late this morning, my husband and I walked down to the allotment, ready for some digging. The weather continues to be blisteringly hot and by the time we arrived, I conceded that we wouldn't be able to dig over the whole of the section I wanted to without getting sunstroke. We said hello to everyone... Continue Reading →
It was hot today. Really hot. The forecast rain has yet to appear - there wasn't even a token cloud in the sky. I arrived down, briefly said hello to one and all and made a start on feeding the chickens. The chicks are continuing to grow well and are eating everything I put into... Continue Reading →
My husband popped down to the allotment this morning to sort the chickens. He found Leia off her eggs. We hoped this was just her daily break from sitting. Later in the afternoon we both went down for a little fresh air. Upon arrival we discovered Leia sunbathing outside. Idiotic bird! Unfortunately, this probably means... Continue Reading →
We walked down to the allotment really late today in order to try to do a few jobs without meeting too many people. My husband made a start on feeding the chicks whilst I wrestled with the shackles on the sail. The very high wind that had been blowing all day yesterday continues and I... Continue Reading →
After work, we popped down to the allotment to water the plants and check on the chickens. My husband had been busy feeding the chicks and chickens this morning but as it was early, none of the girls had laid anything. I collected three eggs from the main coop and wondered why my husband was... Continue Reading →
Today I got down to the allotment much earlier than usual. Everyone was busy beavering away. My first job was to move the chicks into their outdoor run. With some minor encouragement, they hopped into the run and I left them with food and water. The greenhouse door, I left completely open to try and... Continue Reading →
Today I walked down to the allotment armed with my monkey puzzle tree. I bought it about eighteen months ago and it's now too big for its pot. It was time to pot it on and move it into the greenhouse. The kitchen windowsill isn't big enough to accommodate a bigger pot! I rummaged around... Continue Reading →
We have had an old wooden pallet for years. It was actually the pallet the olive tree was delivered on several years ago! It has lived in the chicken run for most of that time and latterly, has been abandoned outside the main coop. I have been pondering what to do with it for months... Continue Reading →
It's been a quiet few days on our allotment. We have been down feeding the chickens and enjoying the fresh air. The jobs that need doing have been put aside for another day as we have been so busy already this season. Today however, I received very exciting news! Steve's beautiful Buff Orpington has managed... Continue Reading →
I don't know what it is but suddenly there seems to be a day a week that the local wildlife goes temporarily AWOL. Last week it was Jack the Jackdaw. This week, the bees. As we opened up the shed, I saw Phil and Steve busy down in the Community Garden. We walked down to... Continue Reading →
Today I got down to the allotment a little earlier than usual. I said hello to everyone as I ambled down to the main coop. Georgie and Hattie ran to greet me and demand their loyalty be rewarded with treats. Opening up the food bins, I grabbed a couple of handfuls of sunflower seeds and... Continue Reading →
Upon arrival on site this morning, we discovered that there had been a fox attack. The fox had managed to get into one of the broody coops, got the broody hen and made off with all the eggs. It's been several years since we had a fox attack because everyone has strengthened their coop designs.... Continue Reading →
This morning we ambled down slowly to the allotment. Despite every day in lockdown feeling the same, Saturdays still require a lazy morning. By the time we got down, it was hot. We opened up the greenhouse and shed to air them. We decided it was too hot to do anything useful other than feed... Continue Reading →
Today marks the 75th VE Day celebrations. As I walked to the allotment this morning, I saw several houses decked out in Union Jack's. It's so important to mark these dates especially as there are so few WW2 veterans left. At the allotment, everyone was busy being productive, making good use of today's glorious weather.... Continue Reading →
Today began as usual with the walk to the allotment in the April sunshine. What was to follow in the next half hour was completely unexpected. We surveyed the work from yesterday and decided it looked even better than the day before. It will take some getting used to after six years of hanging off... Continue Reading →
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