Allotment Days

The April showers have certainly come in with April.  This weekend, the weather has been on and off showery and warm, perfect for the allotment!  Not so much for me, the more my hair gets wet and dries, and gets wet and dries, the more I start to look like Simba off The Lion King!

I went shopping this week to the garden centre I picked up a load of seeds and things, and before I got to the till did a quick Carol Voderman style add up, then swiftly went back and returned them to the places I got them from.  This happened about 3 times until I got to an amount of money that I could justify spending, but I came away with propogators, seeds, compost, a couple of tomato plants and a kitchen herb garden pack. I have this  'miniature allotment' on my windowsill in the kitchen that grows coriander, basil and oregano.

And though my main growing area is at the allotment I've decided to make a small herb garden in the front yard at home, so that mr husband has fresh herbs on hand for when he's cooking, plus the added bonus is that the yard will smell divine!

I've never been very good at growing Coriander it just wouldn't grow and then a Sikh Lady on the allotment told me her secret.  She and her husband always have loads of it on their plot and they kindly let me go and pick it as and when I need it, but she told me if you 'bash' the corianders seeds in a pestel and mortar first, just a rough bash to open the shell of the seed up then plant them, they grow - and indeed they do!!

Yesterday on the plot I decided to plant some onions.  So armed with manure, mini fork thingy, dibber and my fabulous wooden ruler that I found in grandads garage I set to work.  I got a '50 sets' of onions (5 varieties) , I still have no idea what this means, but on the packet it said plant onion in rows 1 inch deep 5 inches apart.  It also said something about plant all one variety in one row and all another in another row, thus suggesting by the end you would have 5 rows of different onions.  Great if all the onions weren't mixed together! I could tell apart red, white little, white shallot and I have no idea about the other two it'll be pot luck as to what comes out!

And another thing, I tell you what those chickens should be counting their lucky feathers that I don't eat meat, they nearly ended up in the pot.  No sooner had I planted the onions, they were digging them up!

Saturday evening I decided to plant the new seeds up in the propogators and I had the pleasure of MR B's company helping me.

He planted, Beetroots, spring onions, peas, broccoli, cauliflowers and some courgettes.

Today (being Sunday) we've had a seed swap on the allotment.  Our allotment community is so lovely, we have get togethers a few times a year, to maybe swap seeds or produce and sometimes we might have a bbq in the summer.  This was our first get together after the winter months, so it's nice to chat to everyone and swap ideas.

This one decided to come and join too - thankfully the other side of the fence (it hates me and relishes in chasing me!)

I took my remainder seeds that I wasn't going to be using anymore and put them in the pile.

And came away with a purple sprouting broccoli plant, some Kale seeds and some Fenugreek and Coriander seeds.  As well as some rhubarb off my own plot.

And finally this afternoon, after being out in the not so warm wet weather all morning I took the opportunity to cozy up with a brew and do some crocheting:

Happy Days!!

Bye for now & happy planting! xx

A Very Productive Weekend..

..which frankly would not have been as productive if I hadn't had the help of my wonderful family!! On Saturday Papa O and Tracy finished putting the new chicken pen for me, I'd like to say with me - but I actually didn't do much other than making brews and trying to straighten out the weather vane on the top of the shed with about 10 roofing nails!   For the record its now straight!

Saturday afternoon, Duck (AKA mum) helped me go get some new hens!! I drove over to Lucky Hens in Wigan for the first time with ducks direction (I have an aversion to Motorways, so the A roads it was!)

So here's Saturdays round up in Pictures:

The new Pen has added another 6x6x6 foot onto the existing chicken run.  There are now three seperate pens that have access pop holes that can either be open or closed depending if some hens need segregating.
Spot two of the newbies?  Im getting to them in a minute!

And here we have four new hens (now when you look at the picture, don't think they live in an old kitchen cupboard, because they dont!):

Here we have Flora, Freida, Frankie and Fern.  It's not their best picture, but they wouldn't stand still!  They are currently living out in the back in the secure walk in rabbit run, just until I can get their strength up a bit and then they will go down to the allotment.

This little lady below (Fern) is turning out to be a right character!  Last night I was having a little snooze on the couch (before the kids sleepover started - thats another story!) and I could here knocking.  I looked out the window and there she was knocking on the window to come in!! I have no idea how she'd got out the run!  After a good 5-10 minutes of chasing her around the decking I caught her and put her back in! 

As I said I got them from Lucky Hens in Wigan, you can find them here: Lucky Hens If you're thinking of getting hens, then honestly rescue hens are undoubtedly the way forward.  The difference that a free range home can make is unbelievable.  I'm going to blog more about Lucky Hens in this next week when I can get dedicate a full post to them and I'm going to add a link to their page on here.

Last night was finished off with a well deserved glass of wine (or three) and staying up until 2 to make sure the clocks changed.

And so to today,  I got up checked the girls, we had two eggs.  One a complete softie and the other a hard but thin shell, so I'll add shell to their diet to see if we can get those shells a bit harder.  I had intended to take all four to the allotment today for a mooch in their new pen, but  I couldn't catch two of them and rather than causing them any distress they stayed at home whilst two came with me.  So here are Fern and Flora in their new pen:

Babs, one of the other ex-batts that I got last year decided that she'd try and have a go at Fern through the bars, and failed not only miserably but quite warily.  I don't think she realised just what she'd taken on!

I also had the pleasure of Miss Boo's company today, a rarity in itself.  She happily enjoyed colouring in the shed:

As well as planting pumpkins (trying to explain to a defiant 7 year old that its a bit too early to plant out pumpkins was useless, so we planted two in the soil and brought two home in pots, if need be I'll have to replace the outdoor pumpkins with the potted ones):

And now, even though I'm overjoyed at all of the above, the main progress is coming up!  As you may know I've been in the process of trying to move the raised beds to be able to get a mower in between them.  I managed two beds in about three hours about 7 weeks ago and was on my walking stick for a good week after!

Anyway, today I had help from my wonderful, wonderful cousin Marc, who moved all the beds for me!! I'd love to tell you I helped but I'd be lying!  And so the beds are moved and re-filled ready for the new planting season:

I honestly couldnt have managed without him!!

So there we have it!  A jam packed, very sunny, very productive weekend.

bye for now xx

New Look Blog!

Honestly, I hate technology.  Tonight at 6 pm I thought about finally having a go at updating the blog - I've just finished!!

I've never quite got round to telling you that Mr Husband is a computery geek, that's his job.  And he loves nothing more than computery talk, which I have no understanding of but try and look like I do anyway.  He also loves a computer game or 10!

He has his own PC and I usually blog on my little netbook, which frankly you have to treat it as you would an old hippy.  You know that it'll eventually get there but in its own good time.  Even as it's loading up you can almost here it telling you to 'slow down and chill out man, what's the rush?'

So as Mr husband was late back from work, I thought I'd use his computer....at one point I nearly threw the mouse across the room!  He came home and spent 15 minutes doing something that I'd been trying to do for an hour and he threw in a few computer nerd jokes on the way  - apparently, it turns out there is an 'any' key on the keyboard (he let me look for that for a good 30 seconds!)

So here it is 'New look' blog!  I hope you like it?

Bye for now xx

A March Monthly Round Up

I've resided myself to the fact that I'm a terrible blogger!! My ability to keep it upto date is shocking! Anyway,  I have started a new job, and so 5 weeks in, that's my reason why I've not blogged, much apologies my avid reader!

Now firstly, I have something to tell you all, last month I was contacted by Woman and Home Magazine.  ME! They wanted some more information about my allotment and about me to possibly do an article on women and there allotments.  As it turned out I didn't fit the criteria, they wanted to focus more on someone who made jams.  But I was so proud they'd even read my blog and said it was fabulous!

So here we are nearly at the end of March, the plot is looking, well...

I'm currently in the process of moving all the raised beds further apart it drove my mad last year constantly strimming around them and would have been a lot easier if I could have gotten a lawnmower down there.

There's not much growing either than rhubarb and that's because I've not had to do anything with it, I know I'll regret not seeding anything yet, but I just have to find the time!

The hens have now stopped moulting and they have all their new fabulous feathers in and have started laying again, its amazes me the progress of the battery hens:

This is Babs hen when I got here last year and this is her now:

Amazing isn't she?

The hen pen is currently being extended to accommodate some new ex battery hens, Papa O and my step mum came to help me this weekend, he's got over the mouse and the hat incident, thankfully.

I'm so looking forward to the clocks changing and having the nights a bit lighter, so much more can be achieved on the plot in the summer.  Having said that with life so busy at the moment on somedays I'm just enjoying going to the plot taking my book, having a brew and chatting to the hens, its amazing how much calmer I can feel when I've been there for an hour or two.

This weekend will be all about planting seeds, getting new hens, making new hen houses oh and a good couple of lie ins!! 

I think that's about it.

Bye for now xx

A mouse 'tail'

Last night, I had to give Papa O some devastating news, I knew it would shock and upset him in equal measure but it had to be done.  I phoned him (because I was too much of a baby to tell him to his face) asked him if he was sat down (he wasnt, he was in fact, getting ready to go out for a curry) and broke it to him as gently as I could:

"Look right, there's no easy way to say this, and it turns out you were indeed right, but Wayne (aptly named by Boo) the shed mouse has eaten your Guinness hat"

To add further insult to injury, he has also used it as a bed....... Dad has two loves in life Guinness and North End (I'm sure his wife and kids rank somewhere too!)

Now, the 'Wayne Saga' started maybe a month or two ago, I went to dads all excited about our resident mouse, after all, I'd never had one in the shed and it had made a little bed in the bureau, and dad started on about how it has to go, how it'll eat everything blah, blah, blah....  

I started on about, as far as I'm (was) concerned it wasn't going anywhere it wasn't doing any harm, and besides it was freezing whether outside and you wouldn't expect a dog to live out in it, how can you expect a tiny creature like a mouse.

Dad then started on about how he would lay mouse traps.....

Me:  ER NO!!!!!! Its a poor tiny creature and besides if you kill it, then god wont be happy (he's irish catholic, the god card often wins)

I pulled out the old animal rights card too and I think at one point he just got sick of listening to me and so, 

Wayne stayed...........until now.

Amongst some 'feckin eejits' I distinctly heard a few threats that have now been placed on the mouses head, threats of cheese and traps, so Wayne mate, you might be wise to keep your head down and find a new landlord.....

Of all the things to eat.......

Storm damage

I have to say there's nothing worse than that feeling getting up the day after the storms and hoping your chicken house hasn't been turned into match sticks!!

Well actually, to be fair there's probably a lot worse! I'm so very thankful I don't live where the worst of the flooding and storms are at the moment.

I've been thinking about what I can do to help being so far away and really there isn't a lot.

Thankfully, everything was still standing on thursday when I got to the allotment, the devil clearly looked after his own that night ;-). My small summerhouse however, that someone had given me had taken a good hit.  It was on its roof half hanging over the fencing. but to be honest I half expected that to go, there was nothing in it weighing it down.  I'm going to go tomorrow (if the weather is ok) and hopefully see what (if anything) can be salvaged from it.

On another note, I need to get into the habit of taking my camera where ever I go! As I'm sat here typing this, I realise yet again I have no pictures to show you - how rubbish is that! See what tends to happen in the winter months is, I park my car up, get my wellies and waterproofs on and take my keys, leaving my worldly possessions on the car including my phone, go do what I need to do then come home,because its absolutely freezing!

Anyway, I hope everyone is safe as they can be, 'til next time.

xx

impromptu allotment days

I love impromptu days on the plot. Yesterday, I decided that I would go to the plot and check for any storm damage. Though the storms haven't been bad here, I was sat at home getting more and more anxious about whether the chicken house was still standing (for the record it was!).

Once I got there I decided to do some digging, but that soon went out the window when common sense got the better off me. After a recent bout of M.E I'm learning when to listen to my body and my body did not want to dig!! Instead I dug up the sprout plants that got eaten by caterpillars over the summer and to be honest the last few weeks I was convinced because of the caterpillars they wouldn't be any use. How wrong could I be???

So I was sat there on the plot picking sprouts and eating my lunch with the chooks happily mulling round me:

When I got home I sorted then out ready for blanching and freezing, keeping the leaves for Arthur dragon and the ends for the rabbits:

Happy allotment days xx