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 →
A lone survivor
Yesterday afternoon I checked on the mouse nest. I had hoped the adult mice would have come back to the nest but when I checked inside the plant pot, I discovered that the smaller one had died and the other one was only making weak movements. Call me soft, but I couldn't just let it... Continue Reading →
A Brief Window of Opportunity
Today was a busy day! Cliff had found a gorgeous window to replace the ancient and rotting window frame and broken glass panels. I arrived before Cliff and headed up to Liz and Sarah's plot to say hello. I found them both having a chat in the shed and discussed with them their plans for... Continue Reading →
Compost, Cleaning and a Rescue
I got down to the allotment at lunchtime after waiting in all morning for a parcel. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Cliff and Andy. Both were about to leave but before Cliff left he said he had something exciting to show me. Intrigued, I followed him across to his plot and to his chicken... Continue Reading →
Seeing Stripes
Today I ran down to the allotment early. The sun was out and it was dry! A magic, and often elusive, combination! I stopped to say hello to Michael and Phil before heading off to the shed. Out came everything once more - it's amazing how much stuff can be fitted into a shed! The... Continue Reading →
Fixing the Sail
So with the mice invading the shed yet again, I had discovered they had gnawed a big hole in the middle of the sail. The sail is old but entirely usable as a sunshade, ideally without the massive hole in the middle! With some advice from my dad, a seasoned sailor, I ordered some white... Continue Reading →
Beaten by the Heat
Late morning, we walked to the allotment excited to see how many chicks Cliff's broody had managed to hatch. The heat was already climbing significantly and we knew we would have to wait until evening for it to be co enough to do anything other than feeding the chickens. We arrived to find a few... Continue Reading →
Throw in the plants
Today I got down to the allotment much earlier than usual. Everyone was busy beavering away. My first job was to move the chicks into their outdoor run. With some minor encouragement, they hopped into the run and I left them with food and water. The greenhouse door, I left completely open to try and... Continue Reading →
Coop cleaning
Today I walked down to the allotment in the sunshine! The British weather is notoriously fickle and after many days of overcast weather, we finally had a warm spring day. Until it started to pour with rain. On and off giving the perfect example of April showers! I checked Dolly first and she seemed reasonably... Continue Reading →
Busy as a Bee
Today was the first day of lockdown due to coronavirus in the UK. No one is to go out except for specific reasons such as medical appointments and once a day for exercise. Fortunately, allotments look to be one of those reasons why you could be outside due to the need to feed chickens. Taking... Continue Reading →
A week of rain
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 →
A mouse
I pottered down the allotment today with a list of things to do including to remove the wooden frame within the greenhouse. The chickens fed and one whopper egg collected (there were several smaller ones) I decided that the cleaning out of the coop could wait until another day. On my way out, I looked... Continue Reading →
Recent Comments