Emergency Rescue

After lunch, I pottered down to the allotment, determined to finish planting in the greenhouse and to clear some of the weeds from Geoff’s raised beds. Last year Geoff kindly let us grow some vegetables on his plot and I have been meaning to clear the beds for him so they were ready for him to use. As it turns out, he has let us use them again which means some of our crops will be safe from the ever present threat of flooding. It’s a perfect example of how we all look out for one another.

When I arrived on site, I was armed with a box of ice lollies to share with Liz, Sarah and Andrew. We sat in the sunshine with Daisy running between us excitedly. They have big plans for their realised beds which include Jerusalem artichokes. I plan to watch their growth with interest as they have stunning flowers. Leaving them to get back to work, I checked in with all the chickens. Trixie was sitting on the nest and I turfed her off it. Begrudgingly, she went to get some food with the others. In the main coop, Flora seems to be holding her own which is quite impressive but then she is a very bossy bird! Over in the new coop, Leia seemed a bit quiet which worried me. She is usually very bossy and, being twice the size of the others, usually barges them out of the way when the treats appear. Hopefully, she will be back to her usual self tomorrow.

Before I began planting, I borrowed a tape measure from Liz and Sarah to measure up the patio. I have wanted a pergola over the patio ever since we took down the back section of the greenhouse. On hot days, the patio is akin to the hottest parts of the Sahara desert. The lack of shade also means the greenhouse regularly gets far too hot. Several careful minutes if measuring and I had all the details. One thing I did realise, is that the roof slat nearest the shed will need to have a hinge to allow it to open so that the solar panel on the shed roof can be cleaned and moved. A hinge and a bolt should do the trick!

I ambled back into the shed searching for my hand tools. Hidden away at the back was my mini WolfGarten handle and hoe. Armed with a bucket and the hoe, I pottered across to Geoff’s plot and spent a happy hour busily clearing away weeds. I was rather pleased with the results – I hope Geoff will like it when he comes down tomorrow!

By now it was almost tea time so I decided to leave the extra planting until tomorrow. I went for a quick walk down to the car park to drop off a few pieces of broken glass into the bins. On my way back, I spotted a ball of feathers on the path. I stopped and discovered it was a tiny fledgling bird! It had some flight feathers but had clearly grounded itself. Gently, I picked it up and checked it over. Nothing appeared to be out of place and after a few moments of wondering where to put it, I decided on the compost heap next to the path. Hopefully mum will have been keeping an eye on it and will come down to collect it. I’ll be down to check first thing tomorrow morning!

With all that excitement, I was late for tea so I dashed back home armed with an exciting tale for my husband!