Adventures in the life of an English allotment
There really is nothing better than getting outside and getting stuck into digging to clear away the cobwebs after feeling under the weather. The relatively dry weather over the past few days has meant that our usually water-logged plot seemed like it might be dry enough to dig over without running the risk of sinking... 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 →
I sprung out of bed this morning, threw on my wellies and headed out the door before breakfast to feed the chickens. The sun was out, the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue and although it was still a bit nippy, it definitely felt warmer than a few weeks ago! In the Omlet, I... Continue Reading →
I ambled down late morning to the allotment armed with supplies for lunch. Before I started any jobs, I sat with Geoff, Darren, The Plod and Cliff about the AGM tomorrow morning. It could be quite an interesting meeting as we haven't had a committee meeting in over two years. Hopefully it will be a... Continue Reading →
One universally acknowledged trait of the British is their obsession with the weather. After greeting a fellow Brit, the conversation always turns to the weather. It's an inexhaustible subject which can be used in any conversation. When I worked in Italy several years ago, I completely baffled my colleague by cheerfully chatting about the weather... Continue Reading →
Apart from feeding the chickens and checking that the new girls are coping in the main coop, we spent half an hour harvesting the first of our crops. As my husband got busy picking our white strawberries, I ran around making sure that all the chickens had a full water bowl. Chickens can't lower their... Continue Reading →
Despite having an allotment for over 7 years now, I can safely say that growing plants successfully is still a skill that alludes me. What I seem to be able to grow brilliantly, and without any effort whatsoever, is a wide variety of weeds. Personally, I think they sense my lack of ability and take... Continue Reading →
With the end of a truly dreadful week at work, I trudged down to the allotment. A few weeks ago, I spotted an advert for point of lay hens from a local farm. I contacted the farm and to my delight, found they had pullets available in two of my favourite breeds, Black Rock and... Continue Reading →
An early start this morning saw me down the allotment and sorting out Roxy and Trixy wondering how on earth the nest box would be moved. To be honest, this is the panicked thought that has haunted me over the past few weeks. Will appeared around the shed door and said he and Cliff were... Continue Reading →
And so as the January weather continues to make the third lockdown more miserable than the last, I escaped down to the allotment for some fresh air. Over the past couple of weeks, I have told myself that I must clean out the main coop. In winter, with the water supply off, the freezing temperatures... Continue Reading →
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 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 →
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 →
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 →
After a rather sad start to the morning, I walked to the allotment hoping that there wouldn't be anything wrong with any of our other girls. Fortunately, all the others seem to be ok and Pop seems to be going from strength to strength. I joined Cliff and Koko for a chat whilst Pop spent... Continue Reading →
Late this morning, I walked down to the allotment. By the time I arrived, I was dripping. The heat was unbearable! I grabbed Pop and put her in the tree pot to have a scratch around. Cliff was down and I showed him the chicken wheelchair. To show him how it worked, I grabbed Pop... Continue Reading →
So after some online research and browsing of an Austrian webpage, I discovered chicken wheelchairs are actually a thing! Unfortunately, the only place I could potentially order one for Pop was in Australia and there weren't posting to the UK currently. Undeterred, I asked on a chicken forum whether anyone else knew about wheelchairs and... Continue Reading →
Yesterday when I cleaned out Leia and Pop's coop, I had moved Leia into the top section of the nest box and dumped Pop rather unceremoniously in the Plymouth Pear tree pot. I was halfway through clearing away the old bedding when I heard some clucking coming from the pot behind me. There was Pop... Continue Reading →
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