Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Rather to my surprise, today was dry and, even more shockingly, there was sunshine! Granted in November, the sun contains little warmth but it's a vast improvement on the past few days! Armed with cleaning supplies, I dashed down to the allotment during my lunch break to clean out the chickens. Poor Maude and Mavis... Continue Reading →
So here we are again, loading up the car with wood to attempt to shore up the main coop roof. Thankfully, the rain has held off for most of yesterday which means we could actually catch up on jobs at home for the first time in three weeks. However, lunchtime saw us jumping into the... Continue Reading →
There has been so much rain this week that I have been obsessively checking the main coop roof each time I have been down. I couldn't get down yesterday so I dashed down before work this morning to check on the girls (and the roof!). Most of the roof has coped well with the relentless... Continue Reading →
This morning saw both of us down at the allotment again. I can't remember the last time we were both down two days running! Determined not to waste the momentum from yesterday, we grabbed the ladder and made a start. The final three panels went up relatively easily although the apex panels proved much more... Continue Reading →
Armed with only a vague plan and a handful of tools, we headed off to the allotment early to tackle the roof. I'm not going to lie, it was rather a daunting prospect to get the scaffolding netting, greenhouse shield and old roof panels off and put up the new roof within a day. Especially... Continue Reading →
As I was busy working this morning, there was a loud knock on the front door. Dashing downstairs, I thanked Amazon Prime for delivering emergency coop supplies so quickly. Upon opening the door, I discovered a delivery lady who looked rather confused. She was looking at a piece of paper and muttered "Oh dear, I'm... Continue Reading →
It is with a weary resignation that poultry owners read the news that the next Flockdown will begin on the 7th November today. Considering the massive cases of avian flu throughout the year, it had a feeling of inevitability about it although that doesn't make the Flockdown any more welcome. My main frustration is the... Continue Reading →
With the weather dry, the sun out and a day off, I dashed down to the allotment. Work has been so busy the last few weeks that aside from feeding the chickens, I have barely done anything on the plot. But today was the day to do jobs! When I arrived, I was happy to... Continue Reading →
Just before 7am this morning, I found myself busy feeding chickens before work. It had rained heavily overnight and the temperature has dropped significantly in the last few days - so much so, that I resorted to a fleece and coat. The latter could have been avoided but the sharp contrast from a warm duvet... Continue Reading →
Why is it that whenever I go to feed the chickens, the heavens open? Even the merest thought of "I'll go and feed the chickens in a bit..." seems to send out some invisible signal to the clouds to ready themselves for a full monsoon. Usually this phenomena is limited to my leaving the house... Continue Reading →
Shortly after lunch, I dragged my somewhat hungover husband down to the allotment to make a start on the jungle. As he fed the chickens, I walked around the plot, trying to work out a plan. I decided that if we could clear some of the main beds then other jobs such as clearing the... Continue Reading →
After work this evening, I ambled down to the allotment enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. There wasn't anyone else on site as I arrived and I pottered across to check on Maude and Mavis. Mavis seems to have joined Maude in deciding to shed her feathers all over the run. If they weren't standing... Continue Reading →
Tonight we waited until the scorching heat had abated somewhat before heading down to the allotment. Yet again, the temperature is above 30 degrees and it is sweltering. There is no breeze and the hot air hangs over Crewe, blanketing in the heat. It's days like today that I wistfully daydream about my home town... Continue Reading →
After a morning of house clearing, I headed down to the allotment to clean out the Nest House. It's a job that always takes ages and it's one of my least favourite jobs. Upon arrival, I spotted Liz, Sarah and their mum so I went to say hello. Daisy was with them and gave me... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since my last post due to trying to get Winnie back on the road to recovery. Sadly, she has been steadily deteriorating over the past week and I have been in regular contact with a lovely American lady who has extensive knowledge about chickens. She has recommended a range of different... Continue Reading →
Some days at the allotment start out ordinary and end up being extraordinary! I walked down to the allotment this morning with a list of jobs to do. My first job was to sort out the willow. Somehow despite the heatwave, it has grown massively in the last week. Grabbing my trusty secateurs, I made... Continue Reading →
Having got the chickens through the nightmare heatwave, I was just beginning to relax when Winnie took a turn for the worse. Thankfully, the Crossbeak and Special Needs group were able to help by telling me what medicine to order and how to help Winnie while we waited for it to arrive. With Harker's Coxoid... Continue Reading →
Level 4 Heatwave has finally arrived after days of fire warnings from the government, the Met Office and the British pessimism which declares every type of weather dreadful. If it's raining, where is the sunshine? If it's cold, where's the heat? For the next two days, every conversation about the weather will adhere to the... Continue Reading →
When I got home this evening, I went to check on Winnie and Coco. I have been hand feeding Winnie to try and make sure she is getting enough food. Happily, Winnie began to attack the food with gusto. As I held her, I could hear Coco clucking in the background. I thought nothing of... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I walked into the New Coop and couldn't find Winnie. I looked everywhere. Worried that meant nothing but bad news, I lifted the top of the next box up, expecting to find a body. To my surprise, the next box was empty. No bird to be seen. Or was there? Crushed between the nest... Continue Reading →
The Good Life Crewe 
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