Adventures in the life of an English allotment
I love days like today. Days when you go down not expecting anything exciting to happen, especially during winter when there is so much less work to be done. I arrived just as the kettle in Cliff's shed started to boil and sat down outside with Cliff and Geoff. After several minutes of chat, Cliff... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of weeks the weather has swung between Artic and typical January rain. As the plot is either frozen solid or flooded, there had been little to do apart from feeding the chickens. The lockdown rules are getting tighter so I have been going down in the afternoons to avoid as many... Continue Reading →
This morning I ambled down to the allotment to check on how our latest arrival was settling in. As I came onto the main path, I found Cliff and Geoff enjoying the fresh air and having a chat. Somehow half an hour passed by as we put the world to rights and caught up on... Continue Reading →
Suddenly the days are much shorter, the nights longer and the temperature drops. The clocks went back yesterday and the change in daylight is really noticeable. I ambled down to the allotment at lunchtime to feed the chickens. As I arrived at the gate, I saw Cliff busy fixing his trailer. Apparently it had come... 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 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 →
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 →
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 →
Another sweltering day even after another spectacular lightning storm last night. My first job when I got down was to put Pop into her wheelchair with some food and give her a thorough checking over. Yesterday she got caught in the downpour and I was worried she might have caught a chill. After a little... Continue Reading →
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