A wild life for wildlife?

Don't all die of shock!!

I'm here again...just like buses as the saying goes.

 

Right, well as the title suggests this post is along the lines of wildlife and the wild life they may lead if they come to live on our patch.

 

Well, I say may...if I show you something secret I hope you'll keep it under your hat.

Mind you, I believe it's not allowed...to keep it under your hat!  Even to touch I do believe.

But we can look...

 

 

Any guesses?  Oh OK you Facebook friends, you already know.

I found a Great Crested Newt on my plot this week.

A protected species and you need a licence to handle them, but if you're lucky to come across one you're obviously welcome to watch.

I'm as happy as a pig in muck!

(or should that be happy as a newt in a squelchy part of the plot?)

 

Well, as planned we cracked on with our wildlife area seeing as we already had an important guest.

 

 

Only made on the cheap as with the rest of the plot.

We were given the liner and after making the pond at home we had plenty

left to make one here too.

In the first photo above you can see the stack of pallets, this will become

a 'Bug hotel' completed in the next few weeks so any more visitors can make reservations

for the coming Winter.

Oh, and yes, I took my wellies off and hopped into the pond to get the liner straight.

The rain will soon fill it up.

(to think I even worried about water on the plot when I took it on!  I live in Macclesfield for goodness sakes...it RAINS!)

 

A trip to B&Q for some eye hooks (another planned project) and I spied

the plant hospital.  The boys laugh how

we call it that and it's the first place I stop at.  That place is so MEAN to little plants :o( They have a week, like a sell by date, on them and if they're still there after that week  then they have to go...and cheap!  I often ask the chap in the garden bit to make them even cheaper...and he does!  So I got 3 Coreopsis Sunray for only £1.50. Butterflies like them apparently.

 

I also had a rescued Angelica (from a local garden centre) that needed planting so that went in too.

 

 

Hope the pond and plants survive this monster...

 

 

He's always checking I've got things right.

 

Well after all that hard work it was brew time. 

Tidying up the shed was the best idea I'd had that day...

 

 

(It's vintage darling! The stove.)

 

I've hardly seen a soul this weekend and I've LOVED it!

Life sometimes deals you tricky moments to live with and the last few weeks

have been a huge strain.

Who needs therapy when you have an allotment eh?

 

Right...well that's it for now.

 

Lets hope I can get down there again soon.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Love Claire. x

 

 

 



Long time no see...!

Well I'm not going to fib,

but the allotment has been way down

at the bottom of the list this Summer.

Not the usual way things should be for families

that have an allotment but that's how it was this year.

 

Saying that...things have picked up again over the last month and we've been busy tackling the jungle that has covered most of it. Unfortunately for you guys there are no photos of said jungle, nor is there any of it now after I've tried to bring it back into shape.  But I do have this...

 

 

Does it remind you of anywhere?

Yep, it's my shed!  Due to the lack of Veg to enter into the village show I looked at the other categories and entered them instead.

Not only is this ink drawing hung in my home it got me a 3rd!  I was thrilled.

 

I also won a 2nd for my rhubarb and vanilla jam against a huge class full of the local W.I.

 

Fruit scones are things my Mum is a champion at knocking out. So I asked her for a recipe and advice and although I made 2 batches at midnight the night before both couldn't be more different in taste and looks...same recipe, same technique but anyhow, I chose the ones I liked best and they got a commendable 3rd. Again, against the formidable W.I. ladies :o)

 

A plate of 8 plums, stalks intact!!  Well, it's been a bad year for fruit trees apparently and my normally laden plum tree was a bit thin on the ground for fruits but I picked what I had and chose the best and guess what?  I got a 1st!  Oh OK, so what if I was the only entry, hee hee.

 

My big win of the day was a photograph I'd taken of the canal bridge near my house. A strong class with many entries but guess who won?  ME!

 

 

 

Right, well I've been a busy bee on the plot today (ouch!)

Finally, the terrible paths have got the better of me and although I'd hoped for lush grass all I've got are horrid stumpy weeds that make you trip and twist and hurt yourself... (remember the poorly hip a few months back? Grrrr!) and MUD, oh crumbs the mud!!  To visit my plot without coming home looking like a mud monster from the deep would be luxury. So I've splashed out and bought heavy duty membrane and pegs and have been busy playing working on putting that down today in hope that the local tree surgeon will drop me some wood chippings off to lay over it.

 

I've also made a list of all the things I'd like to change before next year. So as we near the end of this season, my first on this plot I feel happy and confident that although I haven't had much of a harvest I still love my little life on the plot.

(just a shame I don't live in the village...soooooo far away!)

 

Right, well I'm sorry I have rambled on for too long and not shown enough pictures..

Here's a couple of the plot looking better than it does now...early Summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and again.

 

Right, I will be back.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Love Claire. x