Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Today was the day that nonessential shops could open for the first time since December. Up early, I dashed into town before it got too busy and popped into my favourite shop. Armed with new sewing fabric, I began to wall home. Partway back, I spotted I had a missed call from Steve. I called... Continue Reading →
This morning I dashed down to take advantage of the clear, if very cold, day. My first job was to tilt the solar panel. It's so heavy that in the end, I gave up. The metal tilt props are too tall to use so whilst I was trying to work out how to shorten them... Continue Reading →
The cold and rain that greeted me this morning was rather depressing. Ever since I put up the solar panel, the weather has been either cold, windy but dry or wet and windy. Neither particularly helpful for growing plants or for working solar panels. I'm beginning to think that by putting up the solar panel,... Continue Reading →
Over the past year I have been thinking about how to get power to the shed. The amount of time I spend down on the plot in the spring and summer would surely warrant the expense of a solar set up? It would mean we could have a light in the shed during the winter,... Continue Reading →
Today I ambled down to the allotment with a few minor jobs in mind. I arrived and fed all the chickens. Every single one of them shouted at me, like I could stop the cold wind or make it warmer! I collected five eggs from the main coop and one from Roxy in the greenhouse.... Continue Reading →
Opening up the nest box this morning, we discovered Nimbus cuddled up with Cirrus and Stratus breathing normally and back to her usual self. as the best box door opened, Nimbus was the first one out and ran the length of the coop to get to the food bowl. There's no sign of strange breathing... Continue Reading →
The last couple of days I have been beavering away on a project - more to be revealed later! When I got home, I went out into the garden to let the silkies enjoy some time roaming the garden. As my husband made lunch, I noticed that Nimbus, our black Silkie, was making strange noises.... Continue Reading →
After a sleepless night, I had a plan. Well, I hoped it would work. Distressed clucks greeted me when I opened the backdoor. Poor Cirrus was getting some serious grief from Roxy. As I opened the run door, Roxy ran up to me and I grabbed her. The relief was visible on the silkies faces!... Continue Reading →
After spending this morning working, I dashed down to the allotment to feed the chickens. My plan was to just pop down quickly. As it turned out, I spent a manic four hours running around the site trying to complete several jobs simultaneously! The British weather has decided to try to emulate the Mediterranean climate.... Continue Reading →
Over the past few weeks (well, few months if I am being completely honest), I have been quietly working on a special project. Usually, I write about what I am doing each day but this project was a little different and I chose to wait to share it until it was done. It started off... Continue Reading →
Plottering is a word that has been coined on site to mean spending hours dawdling at the allotment, starting different jobs but completing none of them, chatting with fellow plot holders and enjoying the slice of paradise the site offers. I plottered today. I began with a specific job in mind - painting the shed.... Continue Reading →
Today was quite a momentous day. Before I headed to the allotment this morning, I walked across to the Covid vaccination centre and got my jab. The centre was so efficient that I was in and out in 15 minutes! Nursing a slightly tender arm, I walked to the allotment and was greeted by the... Continue Reading →
This morning I walked down to the allotment, planning on a quick visit as I needed to pop back home to be in for a delivery. I rushed down to the main coop, filled up their water and food bowls and threw out their treats. Scanning the coop, I realised I had forgotten to check... Continue Reading →
I got down to the allotment at lunchtime after waiting in all morning for a parcel. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Cliff and Andy. Both were about to leave but before Cliff left he said he had something exciting to show me. Intrigued, I followed him across to his plot and to his chicken... Continue Reading →
After spending the morning dashing here and there to pick up wooden pallets, my husband and I lugged three new pallets to the plot to join the one I had brought home from work. The compost heap has been an eyesore on the plot for years but until last season, it blended into the scruffiness... Continue Reading →
Over the past week, the Silkie chicks have been living in the coop on our lawn. The first morning, I had to lift out each chick and put her in the run because they wouldn't go outside themselves. Once out, they huddled together and seemed far too terrified of the outdoors to move a few... Continue Reading →
This morning after posting off a few odd and ends, I walked down to the allotment ready to continue to do battle with the shed. Yesterday's work needed some touching up with more white before I could begin the next phase. Tracy came by to see how it was going and Steve added his usual... Continue Reading →
Today I ran down to the allotment early. The sun was out and it was dry! A magic, and often elusive, combination! I stopped to say hello to Michael and Phil before heading off to the shed. Out came everything once more - it's amazing how much stuff can be fitted into a shed! The... Continue Reading →
Late this morning I ambled down to the allotment determined to make a start on clearing out the shed. It's a once yearly job which I feel signifies the start of the growing season. The glorious weather had tempted out lots of people from their winter hibernation and I spent an hour happily chatting to... Continue Reading →
So with the mice invading the shed yet again, I had discovered they had gnawed a big hole in the middle of the sail. The sail is old but entirely usable as a sunshade, ideally without the massive hole in the middle! With some advice from my dad, a seasoned sailor, I ordered some white... Continue Reading →
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