Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Just before 7am this morning, I found myself busy feeding chickens before work. It had rained heavily overnight and the temperature has dropped significantly in the last few days - so much so, that I resorted to a fleece and coat. The latter could have been avoided but the sharp contrast from a warm duvet... Continue Reading →
Why is it that whenever I go to feed the chickens, the heavens open? Even the merest thought of "I'll go and feed the chickens in a bit..." seems to send out some invisible signal to the clouds to ready themselves for a full monsoon. Usually this phenomena is limited to my leaving the house... Continue Reading →
Over the past few weeks, the Omlet in the garden has become a battleground. Three of the silkies have been conducting a battle royale to hog the nest. The majority of the past four weeks, I have daily been turfing off Stratus from the nest. She has absolutely no idea how to be a broody... Continue Reading →
Just before lunchtime, I headed out to the allotment. The weeds have been taking over and the Nest House needed cleaning out. Stopping for a quick chat with Liz and Sarah, I quickly checked on Gertie, Winnie and Coco in the New Coop. Gertie was in the corner and the other two were finally off... Continue Reading →
It's been a busy week and I have only managed to get down to the allotment briefly in the afternoon to sort out the chickens. Escaping from work slightly early, I dashed down to the allotment to see what has been happening in my absence! Predictably, more flooding of the plot due to the non-stop... Continue Reading →
Just when I was breathing a sigh of relief that we had come through Storm Eunice unscathed, along came Storm Franklin. This storm is gusting at nearly 90 mph and has caused quite a lot of damage on site. I received a phone call early this morning from Derek informing me that two panels had... Continue Reading →
The above title is rather optimistic as it's still windy and pouring with rain. When the storm hit on Friday, it was pretty spectacular, even though we are nowhere near the worst hit areas down south. As the wind rose, I dashed down to check on all of the chickens. Happily, they all had enough... Continue Reading →
Rain was forecast for today. Not just a bit of rain, but what the news was calling 'Washout Saturday'. When I got up this morning and looked out of the window, the sun was out and the ground slightly damp. And that was it. So much for 'Washout Saturday' I muttered to myself as I... 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 →
The rain this morning was torrential. One look outside and I decided to go down to the allotment later. The chickens in the garden still needed feeding but it was much quicker to dash from the kitchen to the garden and back to get their food and water sorted. Maude and Mavis were sitting in... Continue Reading →
The last two days, I have been woken up by Gordon doing his best impression of a cockerel. Despite having very accommodating neighbours, I just couldn't keep him in the garden anymore. The fact he set off three times yesterday shows he is getting more confident in his voice. So my plan was to move... Continue Reading →
What a day! I can't remember the last time I spent a full day at the allotment, work has been so busy! I arrived down on site at about half nine, determined to finish hoeing the plot. A mere fifteen minutes later and the job was done! I love my WolfGarten tiller, it makes life... Continue Reading →
Upon arrival on site today, Cliff told me that the beautiful Buff Orpington had died whilst we were away. It's a rather tragic end for such a stunning bird. She seemed to be recovering from her injury but she didn't seem to want to eat much or mix with the other girls. In the main... Continue Reading →
Between the showers, we dashed down to feed the chickens at the allotment. Fortunately, we chose our moment well and remained dry the entire visit! The Buff Orpington has taken up residence on the perches and although still very timid, she does seem to be holding her own against the others. I was even able... Continue Reading →
We awoke to rain this morning. A steady drizzle which lasted all day and is forecast to continue tomorrow. Fortunately, I only needed to pop to the allotment briefly to check on the chickens. I quickly opened up the shed and shoved some kale into the Omlet coop for Roxy, Trixy and Foxy. They of... Continue Reading →
Upon waking in the night to the wind and pouring rain, I suddenly remembered the sunshade was still attached to the shed! Fortunately, I only put it fully up when it's sunny but I usually leave the widest part of the sail attached to the shed. Worried that the wind might rip off the sail... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
Another day, another downpour! It was relentless! I just about managed to dash around the chicken coops, checking on the birds before running back to the shed. As I sat in the shed, waiting for the rain to stop, I pondered upgrading the social media for the plot. Besides this blog, I have been running... Continue Reading →
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 →
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