Adventures in the life of an English allotment
At lunchtime I went out into the garden to check on the chickens. As usual, I had to turf Stratus and Cirrus out of the nest box. As I tried to move Cirrus, I realised how dirty she was. Her previously snow white feathers were approaching a mid-grey with brown muddy flecks. On impulse, I... Continue Reading →
I rolled up to the allotment this afternoon to find Cliff sitting on the main path enjoying the sunshine. Grabbing a drink, I joined him as we discussed what has been happening on site over the last few days. It's always fun to sit and chat with the guys at the allotment as we put... Continue Reading →
After lunch I ambled down to the allotment where I caught up with Cliff and Alan. It seems there has been quite a stir about the Community Garden and two opposing points of view about what should be done about it. Our Community Garden was created several years ago and so many people put so... Continue Reading →
This morning was a total wash out. Really heavy showers and high winds which saw me curl up on the sofa and watch the Olympics until it stopped. After lunch there were signs of a break in the rain so I grabbed my keys and ran down to the plot. Releasing the Weed Destroyers, I... 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 →
It was definitely a day of two halves - one quick dash to the allotment in the morning, chicken cleaning out at home in the afternoon, and a second visit to the allotment in the evening! Busy it was, but very enjoyable! The first job of the day was to collect Trixy and take her... Continue Reading →
Yesterday afternoon, I arrived at the allotment mid-afternoon with no real plan. With rain forecast, I thought I wouldn't start on any big jobs. Once the chickens were fed, I let Roxy and Foxy out for an explore. Roxy immediately came out and began scratching but it took a while for Foxy to join her.... Continue Reading →
With the clouds looming and a forecast of rain, I dashed down to the allotment quickly this morning. All the chickens were present and correct with Tommy strutting possessively around the main coop. He is definitely starting to behave more like a cockerel and less like a marshmallow. With all the chickens fed and some... Continue Reading →
When I arrived on site, it was a blistering 26 degrees despite being mid afternoon. I opened up the shed and let Roxy and Foxy out to have a quick roam. Next I ambled down to the main coop to see how the chickens were getting on. Right by the door I spotted Hattie. Sometimes,... Continue Reading →
With the heat beginning to lessen, my husband and I walked down to the allotment to feed the chickens. As my husband walked between the coops, refilling the food and water, I got busy weeding around the Omlet watched closely by Roxy and Foxy. Much to their delight, I threw in several handfuls of weeds... Continue Reading →
So today saw the temperatures rise yet again. Landlocked Crewe is absolutely sweltering in 30 degree heat. It's utterly relentless, with no breeze to lessen the intense heat. Chickens are especially prone to hear stroke and days like today pose some danger. A fresh, cool supply of water is essential as birds don't sweat. Panting... 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 →
Today when we went down, we found Millie had passed away in the run. She had been struggling with some sort of problem with breathing and despite all my best efforts, she wasn't able to shake it off. Millie was a beautiful Welsummer, a breed which should lay gorgeous chocolate brown eggs. Weirdly, Millie's eggs... Continue Reading →
Today was a manic day at the allotment. With no broody hens, I could finally clean out the new coop and whilst I was at it I thought I might as well do the other two. The first nest box was so much easier to clean now that Will has added hinges to the roof.... Continue Reading →
Another busy morning today saw me arrive mid-afternoon at the allotment. Upon my arrival, I walked down to the main coop to check on Millie. She seemed alright although she is clearly at the bottom of the pecking order. What was wonderful to see was that all of the girls were on the perches including... Continue Reading →
After spending the afternoon in the shed wrestling with paperwork, I gave up. Granted it was much nicer to look outside and see the plot with Roxy busy foraging away. But paperwork is still paperwork. My ancient laptop battery holds minimal charge but the solar power set up meant I could plug it in to... Continue Reading →
With the weather still dry, despite the promised torrential rain, I ambled down to the allotment with no particular plan. Upon arrival, I sat with Geoff and Mick the Greek and we put the world to rights. This is an absolutely essential part of allotment life - so many world issues could be solved if... Continue Reading →
Today was boiling hot. So hot that we decided to do very little apart from feeding the chickens. With the weather being so hot, it's incredibly important to keep their water bowls full. Whilst my husband refilled all the water bowls, I got busy checking the next boxes for eggs. Not a single one! Moving... Continue Reading →
The Good Life Crewe 
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