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

 

 

 



Cute furry friends, well, I think so!

Already I've mentioned how I love wildlife.  Now I know I'll be cursing certain creatures at a later date but I want to share which residents of Brambly Corner we've met already.

My first day on the plot back at the end of November I lifted up a sheet of old wood and a Wood mouse ran out.

Oh Wednesday I lifted some corrugated iron that had blown over and a family of Field Voles were all snuggled up together under there.  They were ever so sleepy and just looked up at me as if to ask what time it was, they were soooooo cute!  I could easily have scooped them up in my hands like pet hamsters.  But obviously I didn't and so they soon felt the chill and trotted off under something else together.

Mr Pheasant.

Now there are dozens of these noisy beggers! But one almost landed on Basil's head that first day I we were there...I don't know who was most shocked, him or the bird.  They're very beautiful and so unusual when you manage to get a good look at them close up.  Tasty too!

The 1st of December was our very first official day of the tenancy, and one of these waddled across the road as I parked my car on the lane near the gate. I had to come home and Google what it was but as it was only about 3 metres from me I got a good look and was thrilled to know it was a Grey Partridge.  Apt being December and the 1st day of opening our Advent calendars don't you think?  Shame that that was the day I arrived at the plot to find the previous tenant had rightfully come to claim all his bits and bobs off the plot, including a lovely pear tree. So I didn't get to see A Partridge in a pear tree either.  Not to worry.

Now then....I have to mention these little blighters!  I've not seen any of them on the plot, but I know they're there....hundreds of them apparently. The other plot holders all have their ways of keeping them off the veg and I'm obviously keen to learn how myself.

So there we are...

We hope to take this years Christmas tree down to the plot and have a little Winter bonfire with it, along with marshmallows and hot chocolate in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully a few more patches of weeding will get done and a plan of where to eventually put a shed and the compost bins.

Thank you for reading.

Claire. x