We all have ‘difficult garden areas‘ or spaces we want to revamp without re-designing the whole garden.
19.01.2024 - 14:58 / clairesallotment.com
It’s been a busy couple of weekends in the garden.
Since the summer I’ve been meaning to sort out various things to do with the chicken run. The nylon netting has been getting more holes in it than a pair of fishnet stockings, and I’ve been patching it up every time I see one. Some are just down to general wear and tear, but others have been made but those naughty little buggers with tails that are still finding their way in my garden. That will be another job and another story for another weekend.
So with the help of the kids (Emily, Kai and George) we firstly put the girlies into one of the brassica cages (these also need the same doing to them, again another time). This wasn’t hard because they love having a scratch around in the soil, throw some mealworms in as well and they’re as happy as anything. I’m talking about the chickens and not the kids. And we then started on their run.
First the tarpaulin came off, although most of that had ripped the netting in the latest bout of strong winds we’d had, and then we proceeded to remove all the netting. While some were doing that, I needed to attached some more batons because the chickens were also getting a new roof and sides to their run to hopefully stop the rain from getting in and causing their run to get incredibly squidgy.
Emily helped me with the sawing and measuring of the wood and we wandering from the front to the back of the house with various pieces and attached them. George enjoyed the drilling and to be honest was actually very good at it. He’s 6 foot 1 and still growing, so having that extra height was very handy. I think it made him feel rather manly.
We stopped for lunch and then carried on after wards.
As the day was getting on, we were rocking. George was
We all have ‘difficult garden areas‘ or spaces we want to revamp without re-designing the whole garden.
Decorate your home with cool air plant ideas! Try putting them in wine glasses, or hang them in a geometric wall holder. Get creative with driftwood displays, tiny pots, and more. They're easy ways to make your space look awesome!
I am very prone to love at first sight. In fact, it happened just last week. I saw a tall southerner “across a crowded room”, as the song says. My heart stood still (as another song says). I was enraptured.
Frank Lee / Getty Images
I’m sure you can imagine that I go through secateurs like anything. Not because I loose them but because I use them all day, every day in all sorts of weather and they just stop working eventually and you can’t get them repaired. If I’m lucky they’ll last 6-9 months.
So another gardening year has begun and there is lots to do. I’m going to start making videos again this year, but only at the beginning of each month (while the growing season is upon us, not much really happens in December and January). I’ll be telling you what I’ll be doing that month and showing you various little bits.
I am pleased to report that Victoria our new chicken and Big Bird or BB as we now call her, are now getting along very well together. There’s the odd angry look, but BB isn’t scared of her new buddy anymore. They’re still in their separate areas, even in the big brassica cage, but when I’m out in the garden, I let them play on the grass together. The grass is like no man’s land so no one feels they have the upper hand, except me that is. I think next week end they’ll live quite happily in their shed and attached run, but baby steps for them both is needed.
Well the title says it all really, but I’ll go into a little more detail for you because I know you’ll want to hear it.
Now I’ll work in rain, but not heavy rain. We were woken up before the alarm goes off at 6.30am by rain hammering down on the Velux windows. Would it clear by the time I was due to leave at 8.45am? Well that was anyone’s guess. I watched the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast and apparently it was supposed to. However, the BBC app on my phone said otherwise. The rain did stop, but then started again, just out of spite as I was leaving home. I arrived at my clients house, and we had a little discussion about what to do. We all came to the sensible conclusion that I should call it quits and go home, so I did.
The record existed until 1976 when Bob Ford of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA exhibited a 451 pound specimen at the U.S. Pumpkin Contest in Churchville, PA. Yearly International Competition was revived again in 1979 when Canadian Howard Dill of Windsor, Nova Scotia won his first of four consecutive international pumpkinship titles at the Cornell Contest in Pennsylvania. Mr. Dill’s first world record of 459 pounds came in 1980 which he supassed in 1981 by harvesting a 493.5 pound pumpkin.
Last September my husband and I fulfilled a long-held dream of visiting Australia, when we decided to take a road trip from Brisbane to Sydney. When you look at the map, our trip marks only a tiny slice of this massive country, but we knew we wanted to take it slowly and really soak up the countryside and enjoy the places we did have time to see.