Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Sad news today from the allotment. After battling a stroke and recovering so brilliantly, I began to think that Pop had nine lives. Unfortunately, she went downhill last week and never picked up. We got a call from Geoff telling us she passed away on Sunday morning while we were away. Pop's recovery from her... Continue Reading →
Over the past two days, Pop has shown some improvement and is now standing independently again. She has just started to take very tentative steps today and I hope this means she will be back to her usual cheeky self in a few days. I am still getting high doses of vitamins into her by... Continue Reading →
This evening when I went down to feed Pop, I spotted something rather unusual on the side of the greenhouse. It appeared to be a large bee! I instantly recognised it as Will's handiwork. He really does have a talent with woodwork. I had a quick chat with Geoff and we both agreed that Pop... Continue Reading →
This morning, I dashed down to the allotment to check on Pop. Over the past two days, I have been giving her high doses of Vitamin E in her water in an attempt to address her wry neck. When I arrived in the greenhouse, I looked for her in the nest box. No sign of... Continue Reading →
This morning I went out for a walk to do some errands before heading down to the allotment. Upon arrival, I said hello to Cliff, Dave the Plod and Tracy, all of whom were busy with their autumn jobs. Deciding today was not a day for weeding, I picked up Pop and put her outside... Continue Reading →
The past two days the weather has taken a distinct cold turn and whilst the sun has been out, it doesn't seem to have the heat of the past few months. The wind also takes a few degrees off the air temperature. So all in all, autumn has definitely come. Everyone is busy on site,... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of days, Pop has been quieter and less keen to go outside. This morning, I found her huddled over on one side. When I picked her up, she tried to stand bit couldn't manage it. Unfortunately, it looks like she has had another stroke. Her crop was full which it shouldn't... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment to make a start on autumn jobs. It's always the part of the year I dislike most as harvesting is slowing, the weather changing and the nights draw in. In the greenhouse, Pop and Leia were busy scratching for food they had thrown all over the floor.... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, we both pottered down to the allotment to feed the chickens. The hot weather continues although there was a nice cool breeze. It was important to ensure that Pop and Leia had access to their outside coop so they didn't over heat. As I cleared the poo from the greenhouse, my husband watched... Continue Reading →
The last two days have been significantly warmer and with more sunshine, the usual brightness that heralds the start of autumn. It lulls you into a false sense of security before the autumn storms start. The sunshine has meant that the winding down at the allotment has been slightly delayed but there is a feeling... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment to feed the chickens and to check on Pop. Geoff has kindly been closing up the greenhouse in the evening the last two days so I haven't had to go down in the evening. Both of them were out and about enjoying the sunshine. I put the... Continue Reading →
Early this morning, I walked down to the allotment to feed the chickens. Looking into the greenhouse, I watched as Leia stretched and came out of the nest box but no sign of Pop. Surely she had to be in the nest box somewhere? Reaching into the next box, I felt a bundle of feathers... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I walked down to the allotment ready to sort out the enormous builder's bag of mulch my husband dropped off outside our greenhouse last night. There was far too much for me to use but I took the opportunity to finish off the fruit section. Each time we get chippings, I always forget... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment armed with antimite spray ready to do battle with the coop. I had borrowed a pressure spray contraption from Cliff to make the job faster. It's an important job but it always seems to take forever to do. Before I started, I checked on Pop and Leia.... Continue Reading →
Today was quite what I thought it would be. I anticipated an afternoon of pottering around the plot, doing ood jobs and, weather depending, clean the main coop out. As soon as I arrived, I went to see Pop who I had placed into the nest box last night. There she was, by the front... Continue Reading →
This evening something miraculous happened. In fact, two! I ran into Geoff as I arrived and we went to look at Pop in the greenhouse. There she was, standing tall and looking proudly at us. It's no mean feat to stand after nearly three months of being unable to. What astounded me even more was... Continue Reading →
Early this morning, I walked down to the allotment to find Pop and Leia already up and about. I picked up Pop and put her next to the refilled food bowl. To my astonishment, she stood upright, with her toes and legs correctly placed, seemingly balanced and comfortable for several minutes. It was incredible! Who... Continue Reading →
This evening I walked down to the allotment to check on Pop. Autumn is definitely on the way as it is getting noticeably darker earlier. When I got to the greenhouse, I closed the front door and ambled around the back to check if Pop had made it into the nest box. Fortunately, she had!... Continue Reading →
Over the last few days, the weather seems to have turned. It definitely feels more like autumn than summer and the torrential rain more like winter. At this time of year, if the weather is still good there is still lots going on, harvesting and weeding as well as putting in the winter crops. The... Continue Reading →
Today, despite the rain, something very exciting happened. I put Pop out into the tree pot and left her for a few minutes to enjoy the greenery and a fresh chunk of courgette. Leia had laid another egg and assessed my every move as I cleaned out the bedding. When I finished, I checked on... Continue Reading →
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