Adventures in the life of an English allotment
Two years ago, my husband bought me a beautiful bonsai tree as a wedding anniversary gift. It was stunning and all through the summer and the winter, it remained green, full of life despite regularly being blown over by the wind or knocked over by a marauding feline. But last spring, it suddenly dropped its... Continue Reading →
After a frantic day trying to sort out everything for a trip, I ran down to the allotment. I filled the food bowls up to the top and refreshed the water in all the coops. Nursing a minor scratch to the face courtesy of the littlest bantam in the new coop, I threw out the... Continue Reading →
Today, the sun was out and the sky was blue so I headed out to the allotment armed with a huge list of things to do. As I arrived and walked towards the plot, I heard a loud buzzing ahead. As I passed Phil's plot, I discovered the source of the noise - one of... Continue Reading →
Everyone was on site today - another sign that it's definitely spring! I chatted with everyone as I walked across to my plot. Cliff was down with his beautiful dog, Dolly. She's nearly a year old and despite being much much bigger than when I last saw her, Dolly remains an energetic ball of fur... Continue Reading →
I pottered down to the allotment this evening for a quick visit, just to collect eggs and check on the chickens. I was totally unprepared for the carnage that greeted me on my arrival. As I walked down the back path, I pondered the loveliness of the weather, despite being windy, the sun was out... Continue Reading →
After work, I pottered down to the plot to feed the chickens. As usual, as I approached the shed, Roxy's loud shout went up, quickly followed by Trixie and Foxy. You really don't need a guard dog to alert you, just have chickens! They refused to quieten until their beaks were buried in their refilled... Continue Reading →
I ambled down to the allotment this morning, not really sure what I planned to do. For good measure, I brought down one of the trays of potatoes to plant and of course, the chickens needed cleaning and feeding. The sun was out and although there were some dark clouds, there was enough blue to... Continue Reading →
After lunch, I pottered down to the allotment, determined to finish planting in the greenhouse and to clear some of the weeds from Geoff's raised beds. Last year Geoff kindly let us grow some vegetables on his plot and I have been meaning to clear the beds for him so they were ready for him... Continue Reading →
This afternoon, we dashed down to the allotment to drop off supplies for the chickens and compost bags for the greenhouse. My husband dumped the food outside the main coop and got busy digging over the beds. Periodically, he threw some weeds into the Omlet for the Little Weed Destroyers. The lack of Trixie caught... Continue Reading →
Today was a very exciting day. A day that for us chicken keepers means the end of months of lugging gallons of water down to the site. On days when the coops needed cleaning out, I would occasionally have to do two trips, one for the chickens drinking water and another to collect enough water... Continue Reading →
I sprung out of bed this morning, threw on my wellies and headed out the door before breakfast to feed the chickens. The sun was out, the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue and although it was still a bit nippy, it definitely felt warmer than a few weeks ago! In the Omlet, I... 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 →
After a busy morning at home, I arrived at the allotment armed with a bag full of equipment and supplies for lunch. Liz wanted to give her new stove a try and I offered to bring hot chocolate to wash down her homemade minestrone soup. Knowing I would get entirely distracted by lunch, I made... Continue Reading →
While I was attending a committee meeting this morning, I left my husband in charge of clearing out our garden shed and, if he had time, dismantle it. How the shed has survived eight years considering it had a rather drunken tilt to it when we moved in, is utterly beyond me. It has survived... Continue Reading →
The weather was amazing today - bright, clear and with glorious winter sunshine. When I arrived on site, I found Cliff and Michael had moved their chairs to sit in the sunshine as they enjoyed a cuppa. We had arranged yesterday that we would do a tip run with Cliffs trailer to remove some rubbish... Continue Reading →
Whilst you read this, please have the tune of the Great Escape playing in your head... The sun was out, the sky was blue and cheerfully I headed out to the allotment. When I arrived, I discovered Geoff, Cliff and Michael busy putting the world to rights. I joined them for a quick chat before... Continue Reading →
Early this morning I pottered down to the allotment to check on the chickens. It was a beautiful warm autumn day. Almost no clouds and the sun shining bright was enough to entice most of the plot holders down to the site. Opening up the shed, I greeted the Weed Destroyers and headed off to... Continue Reading →
As things get more and more stressful at work, the escape outdoors becomes essential. After spending hours wrestling with a mountain of paperwork, I snuck out for an hour to the allotment. It's amazing what an hour surrounded by green space can do to your mood. I left feeding the chickens until later in the... Continue Reading →
Up and out early this morning after making a few phone calls. The sun was out again although the temperature was distinctly cooler than yesterday morning. On site I found Derek busy clearing Plot 8. It's in a dreadful mess after a couple of years of flooding and minimal cultivation. I joined him but didn't... 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 →
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