Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Browsing the internet in the early hours is never a good idea. Unless it involves chickens. I was perusing several chicken groups I follow on social media when I spotted an absolutely stunning mauve- coloured booted bantam who was looking for a new home. She comes from a very reputable local breeder who I have... Continue Reading →
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 →
So this morning, wrapped up warmly, I headed out to the allotment. It's been a busy week and I wanted to make inroads on weeding the raised beds that Geoff kindly has let us use the past couple of years. As I arrived, I ran into Ken. It was lovely to see him looking so... Continue Reading →
As I smashed the ice on the top of the waterbutt before work this morning, I wondered about how warm the last few winters have been. It seems so much colder this year and I have to keep reminding myself it's January and cold weather is normal at this time of year. The Met Office... Continue Reading →
The weather has been abysmal the last week, alternating between pouring with rain, blowing a hoolie or a combination of both. But a short dry spell this afternoon gave me an overdue opportunity to clean out the chickens and quail in the garden. The Topknot Gang are in fine form although Trixie is still limping.... Continue Reading →
Another year gone! It seems only yesterday that it was the start of 2022. Doesn't time fly when you are having fun? I always love spending today looking over the blog, reminding myself of all the changes, successes and failures during the year. I've tried to pick out some of my most memorable adventures but... Continue Reading →
It's been a very eventful week and one which I will be happy to see the back of. We have had a family emergency which has been complicated by distance and Covid. To try and cheer myself up, I ambled down to the allotment. Winter afternoons are wonderful when it isn't raining! The sun was... 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 →
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 →
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 →
Earlier this week, I walked down to the allotment before work to feed the chickens. Granted it was still quite dark and I was half asleep but I quickly noticed a problem with the roof of the main coop when I struggled to open the door. The roof panel by the door had bowed downwards... 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 →
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