Allotment Hours: Me: 9hrs He:1.5hrs

All work so few photos.

This afternoon I spent my time up the allotment planting out my early potatoes

 Not many photos for all the work I did, I was too busy working!

First of all I made a line.

Then I filled up a wheel barrow full of well rotted manure - it was so heavy to push!

I dug out a deep row, layered newspaper all along the trench - it holds the moisture,

and the put a whole wheel barrow full of the manure along the trench.

 I snuggled the chitted potatoes in it and covered it up, then heaped up the row.

Then repeated the whole process for the next row, it was back breaking work for me on my hands and knees for most of the time.

A few allotments along from me, a man had a big rotorvator that cut a groove in the soil - his wife walked along  behind him throwing the potatoes into the trench -  like sowing grass seed - she didn't even bend down but did it from elbow height - hmmm I wish I could do that!

I was so exhausted and aching from all my digging, manure shovelling, and on my hands and knees planting the spuds that I didn't even have the energy to take any photos of the heaped up rows.  

It was all I could do to pack up, lock up the shed and drive home!

Resting my bones today - it's a cold windy day so a good excuse.

RIP Little Willow

My darling little Willow ( a rare breed white Barbu D'Uccle) bantam died peacefully on Friday morning.

She had suffered from a prolapsed vent for nine months - but I kept her clean and happy and healthy.  I didn't want to dispatch her at the time, and she wasn't in any pain, and full of the joys of spring.  She didn't get pecked by the other chickens as her rear end was covered with long feathers and her long wings which crossed over - and with frequent washing and 'attention' - you don't want the graphic details - she continued to have a happy and carefree life - chasing around the garden, flying  up onto the raised beds, arguing over scraps and worms, and generally living life to the full.

Then Saturday morning she got up, flew on to a perch, then sat there a while, then flew down for breakfast when the others had finished and come of the run.  She then had a drink, and just sat down watching.  So I went to see her and she looked tired - so I put her in a nice clean box, with straw, and she nestled down whilst I popped up to the shops to get a few bits.   When I came back she'd passed away peacefully.

 I'm glad that she got those extra months of the sun on her back, and got to fly, and run and play chase.

And even got to early and early strawberry this year!

Good bye Willow - it was a pleasure having you - even though you were too posh to lay and egg for two years!

Today we went up the allotment - I had sold my rotorvator and it was being collected this morning.

Whilst there the sun came out - and I just couldn't help myself - I had to make the most of the nice day, so we Spring Cleaned the shed (ex pig shed) - not it's as spotless as an old stye can be.  And we have bags of 'stuff' to dump!

Just for my records today's allotment hours tally

Allotment Hours: Me: 9hrs  He:3hrs

Allotment Hours: Me: 6.75hrs He:1.5hrs

 Today's the big day.

 The man is coming to rotorvate my plot

And make it look better than this

The middle fence is down - gone - it will  be easier for me to manage

Yesterday's full on rain all day and through the night has magically disappeared
And 'my man' was here bright and early and ready to go

 And what a difference it's made

He went over it so many times - it's perfect.

I was working in the fruit cage area - pruning the redcurrants and loganberries and tidying up

 

The climbing bean frame took so long to put up last year that I couldn't bear to take it down again.
But he managed to rotorvate around it fine.

At one time the rest of the plot as far as the eye can see was all mine - but it got too much,
now I have about 150ft x 33ft which keeps me busy

 So off he goes with his machine

 (I have to have a bonfire one day soon)

Voila - all finished.

I am going to cover up some of it with plastic sheeting to help prevent the weeds growing too quickly - then remove it/fold it back as and when I get planting

So that's the next job - covering it up again!

2013 - First allotment post of the year - I'm off - Me:4 hrs worked

I can't believe that it is April and that this is the first post of the year!   The winter here in East Anglia has been the worst in living memory.  Deep snow for weeks on end - floods - more snow - and more floods and freezing weather.

But hey - the rain stopped, the sun shone, and I managed to get some work done.  Not much though.

 The beds were not as bad as I had expected - the view from the front

 The bottom part of the allotment where the potatoes were needs a good dig

 The grassy paths needed mowing

 I had to go over them four times to get them looking decent

 The fruit cage needs some TLC and dock weeds are growing amongst the strawberry plants

 The second of the beds in the front section didn't look too bad as we covered it up for the winter

 But it took me half an hour of mowing to get the lawn at the front low and manageable again

 I have a plan - this is going to be all dug over and the fence on the left removed
 

 I had a go at rotorvating with my big machine - but I am an old lady and it was just too much

so I had to abandon it - but am hiring 'a man' to do it for me. Weather permitting it will be done on Saturday

Can spring really be on the way at last?

It's been a really tough winter here - both weather wise and health wise.  But today there was a glimpse of sunshine and the harsh winds had dried the lawns - so I found a way to break my 'stir crazy' mood.

 Whilst Mr Lottie was otherwise occupied reading

 I sneeked out under the pretence of taking out the wheelie bin

 Got the lawn mower out and gave the lawns a much needed hair cut

 I finished clearing up the dead stalks and wind blown bits of branches from the lawn and flower beds

 The snow didn't break the spirit of my flowering plants

the Hellebores are glorious this year

 New life is poking through the soil with the promise of great things to come

The chooks are confined to Peckingham Palace for a week much to their chagrin, as it's the time of year when they have their Flubenvent medication to prevent them getting intestinal worms and suchlike.

They complained bitterly the first day - but they are getting used to being confined to barracks - it's only for a week.  I keep reminding them how lucky they are and that some chooks are stuck inside all the time - and don't have a long run and things to play with!

No allotment news - it's too wet to get onto the ground up there.  This time last year the potaoes were all in and we were suffering a drought!

I haven't sowed any seeds - too cold for that too - so will wait patiently for warmer days and better weather.

Banana and walnut cake - scrumptious

Ingredients

• 125g (4oz) butter
• 180g (6oz) dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 1tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 4 medium bananas
• 250g (8oz) plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• ¾tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3tbsp warm milk
• 125g (4oz) walnuts

Method

Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.
Butter a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and then whisk in the mashed bananas.
Add the eggs. vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt and whisk well.
Sieve the flour and baking powder and add to the mix, and beat until smooth.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the milk and stir into the mix. Toss the walnuts in a little flour before adding to the mixture to prevent them from sinking.
Scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 minutes, until it is crusty on the top and a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin, and then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Add caption

When cool slice into 12, butter if you wish, and enjoy - it's delish!

Winter Wonderland Garden

Here in Norfolk we have been snowed in.

(click photos to enlarge)

We have had 22.5cms/9inches of snow

It does look beautiful - but I couldn't even get out into the village, to get a newspaper!

My studio looks like a Swiss chalet !

The temperature overnight we expected to be -9c but it actually was -12c

I am off indoors and will be taking the next photos sitting in my garden room which you can see in this photo above,

It's nice to be back in the warm.   The chooks are happy in Peckingham Palace which you can just see.  They've got fresh water - the drinker was frozen this morning so they had a replacement of slightly warm water.  Mixed corn and veggies today for them to keep them warm inside - and they were happily scratching about in the Hemcore bedding in the run searching for it!  Then when full they all flew up into the perches for a doze - so cute.

I checked for eggs and there were two - one must have been laid late afternoon yesterday and it was frozen solid and had cracked - the other was toasty warm.  Once indoors the frozen one thawed out and the crack closed up!

We are due more snow so Mr Lottie and I will be hibernating indoors - we have plenty of library  books, and with food in the freezers we'll not starve!

It's wonderful to be in the snug and warm whilst having this lovely view to look out on.

Peckingham Palace Clean

 After my early morning walk around the village in thick fog

I decided to clean out the chooks when it lifted

 What a difference a month makes to a garden!

 The lawn is saturated, frost hit foliage is dead or dying

 I'm glad that the chooks have a nice warm weather resistant Peckingham Palace to 

keep them dry and happy during the winter

A week ago there were still flowering plants in this bed - now bent and frost bitten

Seems like perfect weather for bug and insect hunt though - keeps the girls amused for hours!

Chicken chat

 After all the rain we had a couple of hours of sunshine today

 The chooks made the most of it sunbathing, whilst I did the monthly Peckingham Palace clean out.

 It took me an hour or so, then it rained again, so the chooks rushed back in and spent the rest of their day spreading the bedding around.

And of course, scratching for seeds and corn which I threw in to keep them occupied later.

I just love their covered run - it was worth every penny.  It means that right throughout the winter months, in rain, hail, and deep snow, they can keep nice and dry and clean, and most importantly happy, and warm. And have the best of both worlds running in and out to make the best of the weather.   And oh how happy they are when the sun shines in the winter, lying on their sides in their mini 'sauna' soaking up the sunshine and chilling out.

Busy day in the garden before the rains come.....

We are due wet weather this week, so I have made the most of a windy day to get as much as I could manage, done in the garden today.

 

 The fruit cage badly needed weeding. 

 The path has become smothered in nettles and chickweed

 Dandelions were establishing themselves in the beds

 I have never seen such a luscious 'crop' of chickweed!

 Even the strawberries have gone 'mad' so I had to get it sorted asap

I weeded the beds and in this one I planted winter cabbage.

Tiny I know, but they'll soon grow - fingers crossed

A few hours later I had weeded the paths

I dug out all the weeds from the beds too.

It was hard work digging it all by myself - but the end result is worth it.

Here it is finished.  I cleaned out the chickens and used the Hemcore for the paths.

Over the winter I will add more.  It 'disappears' over the winter as the worms seem to take it down into the ground.   This year I will add it to the beds as well as it really enriches the soil.

And here are the ladies who provide the enriched Hemcore for me.

They've spread the bedding out for me - and there is not a feather in sight.

How long for I wonder?