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 →
Chick Update
With the wild weather continuing today, I thought it would be a good time to do an update on Trixy's chicks. They are now nearly seven weeks old and fully feathered. The millefleur chicks I have been able to sex for three weeks - one boy and one girl. I am so pleased that the... Continue Reading →
Digging and Weeding
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 →
Late Night Weeding
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 →
Quiet afternoon
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 →
Bumper Harvest
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 →
All Jammed In
The weather is absurd. When I woke up this morning, it was already 20 degrees. Knowing that it would 9nly get hotter, I dragged myself to the allotment to feed the chickens. Happily, most of the girls had enough water and I planned to pop back this evening to refill with cool water. Tommy has... Continue Reading →
Delicious Surprises!
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 →
Epic Coop Cleaning
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 →
Sunshine and Flowers
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 →
Pitter patter of tiny feet
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 →
Strawberries!
A quick visit to the allotment today ended with a surprise harvest of strawberries! Over the past few years, we have struggled to get any fruit from our strawberry plants. Happily, Geoff has let us grow some in one of his raised beds. We arrived ready to give Millie a dose of cider vinegar as... Continue Reading →
Smashing up the Nest Box
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 →
March of the Broody Hens
So today was an interesting day. If broodiness was as infectious as Covid-19, I would have less broody hens. At home, Stratus was still sitting in the nest box, blocking Nimbus and Cirrus from getting into it to lay. I had arranged to collect six hatching eggs from Trixy's breeder this evening. As soon as... Continue Reading →
Dismantling the Nest Box
Yesterday was so busy that I completely forgot to update the blog! Mid-afternoon I ambled down to the allotment, mainly to check on the chickens and to feed them. Four hours later, I was still on site covered in dirt with several blisters on my hands. It always seems to turn out this way! After... Continue Reading →
Mixed News
I ran down to the allotment this morning to do two things. First to dose up Millie and second, to check on Trixy. When I arrived, Trixy wasn't to be seen in the run. A good sign. Rather than disturb her, I walked down to the main coop. Both the bantams were hiding in the... Continue Reading →
Broody or Not Broody – that is the question!
Today we walked down to the allotment in the glorious sunshine. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. All three bantams were out enjoying scratching and dust bathing. It was interesting to see Trixy outside after her attempt at being broody yesterday. Yesterday, I had to extract the eggs she was determinedly sitting on. The... Continue Reading →
World War III
After the end of a very long and tiring week, there is nothing better than heading to the allotment for a day in the fresh air. Happily, it wasn't raining and the sun even put in a few short appearances! I checked on all the girls quickly before spotting Tracy with one of her grandchildren.... Continue Reading →
Bathtime for Bantams
After running a few errands around town this morning, I walked to the allotment wondering whether the rain would hold off. There had been intermittent heavy showers all morning. As soon as I arrived, I set up the stove and let the weed destroyers out. Sitting watching them is always fun and it's lovely to... Continue Reading →
A Fruitless Chase
So here we are. Mid-May and the weather closely resembles the dark, rainy weeks of mid January. It's so frustrating as this puts a hold on so many jobs on the plot. Furthermore, it means that the winter battle to keep the ground in the chicken coops from turning into a quagmire has returned. So... Continue Reading →
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