Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Over the past few weeks, I have been worried about Gertie. She's been spending the majority of the day huddled on her perch. I kept bringing her down and encouraging her to eat. She would eat a little bit quickly lose interest. I've tried her on layers mash which she begrudgingly is eating although without... Continue Reading →
Yesterday we lost Elsie. Despite seeming to perk up once she was at home, she passed away in the night. Elsie was one of Trixie's chicks from the same clutch as Gordon, Little Miss, Flame and Smoke. Elsie was initially very timid and spent much of her time sitting on the perch in the new... Continue Reading →
With the weather forecast dry for today, I headed down to the allotment hopeful of a productive day. Upon arrival, I dashed around the coops to feed the girls. I noticed that Elsie, who has been a little quiet the last few days, was having a dust bath by the ramp. Pleased that she seemed... Continue Reading →
Over the past week, the nights have been noticeably drawing in, with the chickens taking themselves to bed much earlier. The temperature has dropped and the autumnal drizzle is making a determined appearance from battleship grey clouds that cover the sky. The chickens have been snuggling together at night, keeping each other warm. It's the... Continue Reading →
At lunchtime, I headed out into the garden to clean out Gertie and Quail Mansions. I started with Gertie. She has been spending lots of time on her perch and not eating much which is worrying. Pondering where to put her, I decided she might enjoy the sunshine for a bit, so I deposited her... Continue Reading →
After being away, it was wonderful to be back on the plot. I was greeted by the usual jungle of weeds. Apparently, it has been really wet and that would explain the explosion of weeds all over the plot in such a short time. I opened up the shed and said hello to Maude and... Continue Reading →
I wrote last year about Corfu; an island in the Ionian Sea with spectacular flora and fauna. My love of Corfu only grows each time we visit or I re-read Gerry Durrell's outstanding Corfu Trilogy (if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it!). But today, after days looking across the water, we made it... Continue Reading →
I had meant to write about this exciting development a couple of days ago but finding time to write has been tricky over the last few days. Our site Clubhouse, closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has left us at the mercy of the ever fickle British weather. It's all very well in... Continue Reading →
Considering how wet this summer has been, any day when the British weather isn't trying to emulate the height of the monsoon means it's time to get down the allotment. Even rarer are the days where the sun is actually visible and the sky changes from drizzle grey to blue. Days like today can't be... Continue Reading →
After spending several days trying to find some quail to keep Queenie company, I found a breeder in Twemlow. He had a clutch of chicks that were three or four weeks old. These were too young to go in with Queenie but happily, he had some older quails who would be perfect. We drove into... Continue Reading →
Over the last week, the Topknot Gang has been keeping me on my toes by laying stealth eggs. These can be laid anywhere. Under bushes, in the middle of the patio, next to the BBQ... The hiding places are endless! To date, I have found eggs under the bushes, next to the BBQ and even... Continue Reading →
I walked down to the plot early today, determined to avoid the worst of the rain that was forecast to last most of the day. I dashed around the coops and fed everyone. Geoff's black rock came out into the run today which showed progress. She has been terrorising Geoff's other hens and blocking their... Continue Reading →
Sadly we lost Quentin Quimby today. He showed no signs of illness at all and we have no idea why he passed away. Poor Quentin was rescued by a friend who has a plot on a different allotment site. He was walking his dog when he came across some unsavoury types trying to feed Quentin... Continue Reading →
Today was a brilliant day on the plot. At lunchtime, I was joined by the Lea family. It has been a couple of years since I last saw the children and it was lovely to spend time with them all on the allotment. The children all love the outdoors and were very keen to help... Continue Reading →
Sad news today. When I went out into the garden to feed the Topknot Gang, Gertie and the Quails, I found that Quinn had passed away. She showed no signs of illness so I am at a loss to explain why she died. Quinn was a very tame quail who always came running to the... Continue Reading →
Over the past couple of days Gertie has been busy exploring the garden with the rest of the Topknot Gang. Unfortunately, she hasn't been accepted by Coco or Trixie but the silkies don't seem to mind her walking near them. Initially, I opened up her coop expecting her to just enjoy the fresh air and... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, I headed down to the allotment with the sole intention of blitzing the weeds. I promised myself, I wouldn't get distracted or procrastinate especially as our Warden is checking plots regularly to make sure they are up to scratch! Once the shed was open, I put my phone onto charge and went to... Continue Reading →
After Gertie spent the weekend with Geoff, we collected her and put her back into her temporary inside run. How Geoff works his magic on chickens I shall never know! I left her on Saturday morning lethargic and not interested in food. Thirty-six hours later, she was bright, alert and eating like never before! I... Continue Reading →
This afternoon I headed down to the plot with only a vague idea of what I needed to do. Weeding clearly, but I hadn't decided where I would start. I opened up the shed and surveyed the mass of weeds. Where to begin? To put off this difficult decision, I went to go and catch... Continue Reading →
My plans for a full day at the allotment today were scuppered by the fickle British weather. Despite living in an era of climate change and increasingly hot dry summers and milder winters, July has been a total washout. As frustrating as the relentless weeks of drizzle are, I find it somewhat nostalgic. I remember... Continue Reading →
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