Adventures in the life of an English allotment
At lunchtime, I dashed down to the allotment for a very unusual but exciting event - I was going to be teaching a group of home schooled children about bees. The family on Plot 1 home school their children who adore outdoor learning and forest school. As it turns out, they were learning about bees... Continue Reading →
As I was wrestling with a new stitch in my beginners crochet class, I received a message from Andrea informing me that there was a swarm in a tree at the bottom of Bob's plot. Understandably, she wasn't sure what to do but knew that I helped Steve and Phil out with the bees. I... Continue Reading →
Over the past weeks, we have been organising a new site project. The back corner of the site, next to the Razza, doesn't have easy access to a tap. Added to which, when the pond needs topping up or refilling, we need two hoses to reach it from the nearest tap. So the committee has... Continue Reading →
Typically, I overslept this morning resulting in a mad dash to get ready and to the allotment to feed the chickens before the inspection began. Cramming on my hat, I ran out the door, arriving on site with just enough time to clean out the nest boxes in the greenhouse and main coop. As I... Continue Reading →
The oppressive heat continues, more like mid July than early September. With the week looking increasingly busy, I bribed my long suffering husband to come down and help out. An offer of sausages for lunch, cooked outside the shed definitely helped! As the door of the shed opened, we were hit by a wave of... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, we dashed down to the allotment to measure up the pond in the community garden. The old liner has worn and there's a leak somewhere. Despite attempting to raise the water level, it keeps dropping which confirms the need for a new liner. Andrea has recommended a Firestone liner which comes with the... Continue Reading →
There is always something so special about seeing children at the allotment. Time spent outdoors is becoming scarce in modern childhood due to a mix of over-scheduling activities and endless screen time. For the past few days, we have had one of our godchildren stay and we have loved sharing the joy of the allotment... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I ambled down to the allotment to check on the chickens and do a few jobs. When I arrived, I found Steve and Phil and joined them for a chat. As we were chatting, a small juvenile robin landed briefly on Phil's knee before perching hopefully on a chair. Steve really must be... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I pottered down to the allotment determined to make a start on the community garden pond. Over several months, the weed in the pond has started to choke the water plants. When I arrived, Cliff was busy putting the finishing touches to Sarah and Liz's pond so I went to sort out the... Continue Reading →
I walked down to the allotment this morning, never dreaming of how much would happen. There are weeks when nothing much happens then everything seems to happen on a particular day. Today was that day! After saying hello to everyone, I began to clean out the chicks. Steve dropped by and said they looked a... Continue Reading →
We arrived down on site mid-morning to be greeted with the news of a jail break. Millie had apparently managed to escape her isolation coop and had been wandering around the site! Fortunately, Liz and Sarah spotted her and with Cliff's help, caught her and put her back in the main coop. It's very lucky... Continue Reading →
I don't know what it is but suddenly there seems to be a day a week that the local wildlife goes temporarily AWOL. Last week it was Jack the Jackdaw. This week, the bees. As we opened up the shed, I saw Phil and Steve busy down in the Community Garden. We walked down to... Continue Reading →
Today marks the 75th VE Day celebrations. As I walked to the allotment this morning, I saw several houses decked out in Union Jack's. It's so important to mark these dates especially as there are so few WW2 veterans left. At the allotment, everyone was busy being productive, making good use of today's glorious weather.... Continue Reading →
Today began as usual with the walk to the allotment in the April sunshine. What was to follow in the next half hour was completely unexpected. We surveyed the work from yesterday and decided it looked even better than the day before. It will take some getting used to after six years of hanging off... Continue Reading →
Over the past few days, my husband has been busy caring for the chickens and digging over the plot while I have been at work. When I arrived down today I was astonished to see how much bigger our chicks have grown in just a few days. They are massive! It looks like we might... Continue Reading →
This week we have been experiencing a deluge. Most of the plots have had puddles, lakes or oceans on them. As usual, our plot was pretty much entirely flooded although Keith's was definitely worse! The water did drain off but it took a few days and just as it was getting dry, we had the... Continue Reading →
This morning I strolled down to the allotment to see if the ground had dried out. It hadn't. I give up - the weather either bakes the soil to a crisp or it's 6 inches under water! I went to the greenhouse and watched the chicks. When I arrived they were roosting in the nest... Continue Reading →
Today I got down to the allotment very late as I has several jobs to do in town. I found several people by the clubhouse although no one stayed too long. Geoff, Cliff and Cliff were all enjoying the breeze whilst Mick the Greek and the others were busy working. I chatted for a while... Continue Reading →
This morning, we walked down to the allotment determined to get through the massive list of jobs that I have been ignoring due to the inclement weather. We made a start by feeding Leia who seemed quite perky this morning. I put her out and left her happily exploring while we went down to the... Continue Reading →
For the last few days, our Plymouth Rock chick has been struggling to stand and walk. At first, I thought it was because the other two chicks were picking on her. They were but her legs don't seem to be in the correct position and she seems to be in pain. On Tuesday morning, I... Continue Reading →
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