Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Today marks the beginning of spring, at least according to the chickens. They have yet to inform the weather which although bright, was quite cold and windy today. As I walked down to check on the Little Weed Destroyers, they all greeted me enthusiastically. Such a welcoming sight was only slightly spoilt by Roxy mistaking... Continue Reading →
Today, the sun was out, the sky was blue and I finally managed to clean out both chicken coops at home. To thoroughly clean both Omlets, get them dry and put in new bedding took the same amount of time as it takes to clean the wooden coops on the allotment. I know Omlets are... Continue Reading →
It's been an exciting day! After waiting impatiently for over a year, the Fylde Fancy Fowl advertised that they finally had painted silkie pullets available! I confess, I may have let out a small shriek of excitement, startling my husband. I immediately messaged the breeder and reserved a gorgeous painted hen. Thankfully, my husband had... Continue Reading →
Today was freezing. I delayed going down to the allotment, hoping it would warm up later in the day. It didn't. Wrapping up as warmly as I could, I headed down to the allotment mid-afternoon. By the time I had arrived and unlocked the gate, my hands were freezing. Metal seems almost cruelly cold and... Continue Reading →
With my husband and I planning a big Day out, I rushed down to the allotment at 8am this morning. As I arrived, I was greeted by a morning chorus of crows. Tommy's crow is instantly recognisable as it ends with a flourish. It's also longer than the other cockerels which I think must antagonise... Continue Reading →
I pottered down to the allotment late this morning, enjoying the sunshine on my walk across. It really doesn't seem like January - blue skies, sunshine and just a nip in the air to remind you it's officially winter. Doubting that this glorious weather would last very long, I took the opportunity to check the... Continue Reading →
So although it's not quite midnight, I thought I would do a quick review of the year. All over social media, everyone is sharing their highs and lows, so I think I will jump onto the bandwagon! It's been another busy year on the plot! Our feathery flock has expanded massively, welcoming in a small... Continue Reading →
The hardest decision at this time of year is choosing what to grow in the spring. Every year there are long debates on site about whether this variety of potato is tastier/better/stores longer (delete as appropriate!), which type of tomatoes have the best fruit and so on and so forth. Usually, I have a clear... Continue Reading →
Armed with a willing volunteer, I headed down to feed the chickens. Thankfully it wasn't foggy or raining as it has been the majority of the past week. All the chickens were getting ready for bed, with several of the not pleased at our intrusion. However, we were quickly forgiven when the sunflower seeds came... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, while there was still enough light, I finally managed to clean out Maude and Mavis's coop. Currently, their coop sits on the edge of the patio, sheltered from the wind and rain by the fence and the side of the house. Fortunately, when I bought their Omlet, it came with a 2m long... Continue Reading →
At the moment there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day to fit everything in. Usual last minute preparations for Christmas today saw me dash down to the allotment at four o'clock, just as it began to get properly dark. Leia and Flora were already half asleep on the top of the... Continue Reading →
After indulging in a Christmas shopping session, I decided that with the light going and the rain set in, was the nest time to move the Omlet in the garden. Poor Stratus was looking particularly punk and I was worried about them getting muddy foot feathers. Between Fiona and I, we shifted the coop onto... Continue Reading →
So we are being battered by another storm with high winds and rain causing flooding and damage all across the country. At home, aside from a fence panel, we have got off lightly. Both coops with the silkies and our veteran bantams have stood firm against the onslaught. But I always worry about the allotment... Continue Reading →
The temperature has significantly dropped over the past two days. Going out to the allotment now requires some serious thought about how many layers of clothing are needed to keep warm. As I was only popping out to feed the chickens, I opted for my fleece lined walking trousers a thick fleece top and walking... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, after chairing an EGM meeting, I went back down the allotment to sort out the chickens. With the drop in temperature over the past few days, the Warden has set a date for the water being turned off. So in preparation for it being off tomorrow, I had planned on cleaning out the... Continue Reading →
After several hours of tossing and turning last night, I gave up trying to sleep at 5am. Getting up, I walked down to the allotment to check on the chickens. It's surprised me how many people were out at half five. I checked Leia and Flora in the greenhouse first, refilling their food and water... Continue Reading →
Mid-afternoon, my husband and I ambled down to the allotment armed with coop cleaning supplies and two empty food boxes. Upon our arrival, we chatted briefly to Cliff before we headed off to open up the shed. First job was to sort out cleaning the Omlet. The feathery weed destroyers were left to roam while... Continue Reading →
So when I arrived down on site this afternoon, I discovered that Cliff's black leghorn who have been trying desperately to save from suspected gapeworm/respiratory infection had died. It looks like she went peacefully in her sleep which is a blessing. I immediately rang Cliff to let him know what had happened. Slightly saddened that... Continue Reading →
Just before dinner, I dashed down to the allotment to check on Cliff's black leghorn. Each evening I have been going down to make up a fresh batch of antibiotics for her. When I got down there, I was struck by how different the familiar landmarks looked, especially the greenhouse! Making up antibiotics which require... Continue Reading →
I arrived down on site early this morning ready to meet with a representative from the Allotment Federation. I got the stove up and running ready for a hot chocolate apiece before going to the car park to let Kerry in. Our meeting was very productive and Derek came to join in for a bit... Continue Reading →
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