Adventures in the life of an English allotment
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 →
This morning I walked down early to let Roxy and Trixy out of the nest box. I am hoping that tomorrow the screws for the fox-proof skirt will arrive along with a few other oddments for the Omlet. But until it arrives, I will be popping down at night and in the morning to close... Continue Reading →
Today I ran down to the allotment ready to work on getting the new chicken run into place. When I arrived, I said hello to Sarah and Cliff who were busy working away on the new greenhouse. By the time I got there, they had managed to get in one of the front panels and... Continue Reading →
Today I arrived on site at lunchtime armed with a cool bag full of food. After a busy morning at home, I was looking forward to having some time outside. Even the most boring foods taste so much better when eaten outside. Liz and Sarah appeared and we set up the table. With the stove... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Today was a busy day! Cliff had found a gorgeous window to replace the ancient and rotting window frame and broken glass panels. I arrived before Cliff and headed up to Liz and Sarah's plot to say hello. I found them both having a chat in the shed and discussed with them their plans for... 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 →
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 →
Every year, I am determined that the plot, shed and greenhouse will remain tidy and rubbish free. And yet, year after year, we have to do a tip run. This year, whilst my husband ran some errands, I ran frantically around the plot, bagging up rubbish and making a heap of them on the patio.... Continue Reading →
This morning was cold but clear with a nearly cloudless blue sky. I ambled down to the allotment wondering whether to add the chippings into the coop or just to enjoy the day. When I arrived, I found Geoff, Phil, Steve and several others pottering about. The sunny weather is beginning to bring everyone out... Continue Reading →
My arms may never be the same again after today. Digging out the coop is by far my least favourite job and one that I dread due to the inevitable back ache, arm ache and exhaustion that follows a full day of digging, filling up wheelbarrows and lugging it all over the plot. I started... Continue Reading →
Despite the sub-zero temperatures this morning, the sun was out and the sky was a bright blue. In the sun, it was surprisingly warm and I decided today was the day to let the chicks explore their new home for a couple of hours. The coop is set up in our garden and has been... Continue Reading →
The wind has been really high over night and during the day which has dropped the air temperature significantly. It feels perishing if you have to be outside for more than a few minutes. Sarah messaged me to say our combined seed order had arrived at last. I dropped everything and ran across to meet... 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 →
I woke this morning to find the world covered in a thin layer of beautiful snow! Realising that the water feeders in the coop would probably be frozen, I quickly dashed out, pausing only to grab a hat and a coat. The allotment looked absolutely stunning. All the soil covered in snow with small tracks... Continue Reading →
This morning, we braced ourselves for feeding the chickens in the freezing temperatures. It was one of those beautiful clear, sunny and crisp winter days. Upon our arrival, we discovered that every water feeder and water butt was completely frozen over! Welding a large screwdriver, my husband set to work smashing the thick layer of... Continue Reading →
Down at the allotment today, occured a small miracle. In the greenhouse Sadie, Leia and Lilja has spent around 24 hours unsupervised. Unsure of what I would find, I cautiously looked through the glass. What I saw amazed me. Sadie was on the top shelf with Leia and Lilja pottering around on the floor. No... Continue Reading →
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