Adventures in the life of an English allotment
After work this evening, I ambled down to the allotment enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. There wasn't anyone else on site as I arrived and I pottered across to check on Maude and Mavis. Mavis seems to have joined Maude in deciding to shed her feathers all over the run. If they weren't standing... Continue Reading →
Level 4 Heatwave has finally arrived after days of fire warnings from the government, the Met Office and the British pessimism which declares every type of weather dreadful. If it's raining, where is the sunshine? If it's cold, where's the heat? For the next two days, every conversation about the weather will adhere to the... Continue Reading →
After a really busy week at work without a moment to stop, I finally made it down to the allotment for more than a quick visit. The weeds were beginning to dominate several of the beds and I have an ongoing battle with the weeds that insist on growing over the paths. With the feathery... Continue Reading →
What should you do when drowning in strawberries? Make jam. Lots and lots of jam. Despite my husband's heroic efforts to work his way through the kilos of strawberries I have harvested, there were tons leftover. Whilst giving strawberries to the chickens would undoubtedly result in their undying love for me, it wouldn't be good... 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 →
Sad news from the plot this morning. I ambled down before work to find one our little bantams had passed away in the New Coop. Initially, I thought it was Foxy, but closer inspection of the comb revealed it wasn't. It's such a shame as she was growing into a lovely bird (albeit a very... Continue Reading →
The oppressive heat continues, more like mid July than early September. With the week looking increasingly busy, I bribed my long suffering husband to come down and help out. An offer of sausages for lunch, cooked outside the shed definitely helped! As the door of the shed opened, we were hit by a wave of... Continue Reading →
Waking up to sunshine pouring through the window, I grabbed my keys and ran down to the allotment. Upon my arrival, I found Cliff, Geoff and Cliff chatting by the sheds. I shouted hello and disappeared off to the shed. I put up the sail sunshade and threw in some kale for the little Weed... Continue Reading →
Today was an important day - the AGM was finally here. There has been quite tense build up and everyone was a little on edge as we gathered near The Don's shed. The turnout was brilliant with a good representation from across the site, something that has been lacking in previous years. Once the new... Continue Reading →
I ambled down late morning to the allotment armed with supplies for lunch. Before I started any jobs, I sat with Geoff, Darren, The Plod and Cliff about the AGM tomorrow morning. It could be quite an interesting meeting as we haven't had a committee meeting in over two years. Hopefully it will be a... Continue Reading →
So once it was quite dark, I set off back to the allotment for one last desperate search for my missing diamond. The black light I had ordered had arrived earlier in the day and I was interested to see how the allotment would look in the torch. I quickly discovered that whilst the black... Continue Reading →
Up and out early, I got to the allotment ready to help Cliff take some builder's bags of rubbish to the tip. I opened up the shed and fed some kale to the Weed Destroyers. Between us, we lugged the horrendously heavy red builder's bag from the Community Garden up to the back path. Cliff... Continue Reading →
It was meant to be just a quick visit to the allotment this morning to check on the chickens before having family arrive. I stopped to say hello to the Weed Destroyers and bundled them a large handful of kale to keep them happy whilst I refilled their food and water bowls. Down in the... Continue Reading →
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 →
I rolled up to the allotment this afternoon to find Cliff sitting on the main path enjoying the sunshine. Grabbing a drink, I joined him as we discussed what has been happening on site over the last few days. It's always fun to sit and chat with the guys at the allotment as we put... 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 →
One universally acknowledged trait of the British is their obsession with the weather. After greeting a fellow Brit, the conversation always turns to the weather. It's an inexhaustible subject which can be used in any conversation. When I worked in Italy several years ago, I completely baffled my colleague by cheerfully chatting about the weather... Continue Reading →
After a sociable morning, I ambled back through town to the allotment. No one was on site, so I opened up the shed and turned on the radio. A shrill yell made me jump and I turned to find Trixy angrily pecking at the run door. Rolling my eyes, I opened up the coop door... Continue Reading →
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 →
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