An Early Start

This morning I ran down to the allotment armed with paperwork and a laptop for the first meeting of the new committee. I suspected it might be a long meeting as there hasn’t been a committee meeting in a few years. There was a lot to discuss! Afterwards, I ambled back to the shed and had a chat with Derek about what we needed to work on.

Closing up the shed, I walked home for lunch and to write up the minutes. Later in the afternoon, invariably once the heavens had opened, I dragged my husband down to the plot to help me fend off Tommy as I unceremoniously turfed Polly out of the nest box. I couldn’t believe how many eggs she was sitting on! Just shy of half a dozen! With the Nest House door blocked, I threw them all into an egg box and beat a hasty retreat.

Over in the new coop, we checked on the Buff Orpington. I removed the grill that had been separating her from the others. All was quiet until Leia went into the nest box to see her. A few gentle clucks made me hopeful that there wasn’t going to be another fight. You’d assume that after having chickens for seven years, I would k.ow better than to believe that a new chicken would integrate into the flock in 24 hours. As I was breathing a sigh of relief, Leia attacked and the poor Orpington legged it out of the nest box, straight into the beak and claws of Lilja. Out of the frying pan and into the fire! I shooed Lilja away then turned to try and remove Leia from the Orpington’s wing. To my surprise, into the frey leapt Sadie, forcing Leia to drop the Orpington’s wing in order to defend herself. Sensing her opportunity, the Orpington fled back into the nest box. Despite the rainy weather, I replaced the grill to keep the waring factions apart. The three girls will need to fend for themselves tonight whilst I work out a better way to integrate them!

Just before we headed back, we picked some tomatoes for dinner and also another four lemon cucumbers. Both the tomatoes and the lemon cucumbers just keep going! I know they will stop eventually, but it’s amazing how many we have had.

The plan for tomorrow is to start preparing the plot for winter. This means digging over the beds and removing as many weeds as possible. I am also going to order some green manure to try in a couple of the beds. It’s apparently a great way to boost the fertility of the soil!