Adventures in the life of an English allotment
I may have been somewhat over-enthusiastic yesterday in Wilkinson's. Hauling the loot home took ages! This morning after breakfast, I raised our egg boxes to find three big ones to put on the window sill in the dining room. There is always something so exciting about putting the potatoes out to chit. Maybe it's because... Continue Reading →
Late this afternoon, I ambled down to the allotment. I had hoped that the weather would have warmed up during the course of the day, but no such luck! Wrapping up warmly, I filled the big water bottle with hot water and used it as a hand warmer as I walked to the plot. The... Continue Reading →
The past week has been a constant battle against the weather! Coming back to the allotment after our holiday, it was rather a shock to the system to find such cold temperatures. A drop of over 20 degrees is rather severe! As always, Geoff, Nikki and Dylan had done a fantastic job of looking after... Continue Reading →
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 →
Winter in the UK is wet. Not full monsoon for weeks on end but a persistent drizzle interspersed with heavy rain accompanied by howling winds. You may wonder why Brits have no problem going outdoors in this depressing weather. It's simple. If we waited for the rain to stop, we wouldn't leave the house for... 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 →
After a busy day out with the family yesterday, I headed down to the allotment to make a start on the seemingly endless battle against the weeds. My first job was to finish pruning the willow screen and arch, a job I started last week. I dread cutting the top of the willow. It's a... Continue Reading →
Over the past few weeks, the Omlet in the garden has become a battleground. Three of the silkies have been conducting a battle royale to hog the nest. The majority of the past four weeks, I have daily been turfing off Stratus from the nest. She has absolutely no idea how to be a broody... 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 →
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 →
After a really busy week at work without a moment to stop, I finally made it down to the allotment for more than a quick visit. The weeds were beginning to dominate several of the beds and I have an ongoing battle with the weeds that insist on growing over the paths. With the feathery... Continue Reading →
What should you do when drowning in strawberries? Make jam. Lots and lots of jam. Despite my husband's heroic efforts to work his way through the kilos of strawberries I have harvested, there were tons leftover. Whilst giving strawberries to the chickens would undoubtedly result in their undying love for me, it wouldn't be good... Continue Reading →
Just before lunchtime, I headed out to the allotment. The weeds have been taking over and the Nest House needed cleaning out. Stopping for a quick chat with Liz and Sarah, I quickly checked on Gertie, Winnie and Coco in the New Coop. Gertie was in the corner and the other two were finally off... Continue Reading →
I love lunchtimes at the moment. It's an opportunity to let the chickens at home explore the garden. I find watching the interactions between the different groups fascinating. The silkies are the first out, always keen to destroy another patch of the lawn. Cirrus is always first out and she usually wanders near to the... Continue Reading →
Sad news from the plot this morning. I ambled down before work to find one our little bantams had passed away in the New Coop. Initially, I thought it was Foxy, but closer inspection of the comb revealed it wasn't. It's such a shame as she was growing into a lovely bird (albeit a very... Continue Reading →
Today was productive. Very productive! With my husband's help, we managed to clear most of the plot of weeds. The sunshine and rain over the past two weeks has meant the weeds have gone berserk. I armed my husband with the WolfGarten soil tiller and left him with instructions to clear the weeds on our... Continue Reading →
After a frantic day trying to sort out everything for a trip, I ran down to the allotment. I filled the food bowls up to the top and refreshed the water in all the coops. Nursing a minor scratch to the face courtesy of the littlest bantam in the new coop, I threw out the... Continue Reading →
The Good Life Crewe 
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