18th September

Its been a long time since I wrote on our blog so I thought I'd better make a quick update! This has been a busy summer for us here, the car boot sales are going well with an averae of 20-30 sellers and Super plot on the field so we are hoping it will soon fill up.

Stuart has started a new hobby of breeding rare breed poultry so next spring we should have a nice selection of breeds available for your allotment or garden so far the breeds he has are;

Red Dorking, Silver Dorking, Light Sussex, Rhode Island Reds, Scots Dumpy, Marsh Daisy, Crested Legbar (layers of blue eggs!) Wyandottes, Barred Plynouth Rock, Bielefelder, Old English Game Bantam, Partridge Pekin Bantam, Lavender Frizzle Bantam, Citrus and Brown Sablepoot Bantams, Silkie Bantams, Columbian Pekin Bantam and also our own special hybrid laying bird the Carvannel Forager bred by us to be a good layer and ideally suited to free range life here in Cornwall!

 

3rd April

The weather was lovely this morning when I woke but now looks like rain yet again. I started a Facebook page for Cornwall Allotments this week, we already have a few friends, if you would like to join us send a friend request and I'll add you. On our forun here on the website there is the beginning of a discussion regarding loos for the allotments fields, please read and leave your thoughts on the matter so we can make a decision and hopefully start to build our loos this summer, I am keen on a 'woodbog' as this is environmentaly friendly and needs little maintainance however I'd like peoples opinions on what they would like too.

23rd March

All 5 kittens are growing well, ours have been named Lucifer and Marmalade! A busy day for enquiries today at least 5 people have rung or emailed wanting allotments, strange as its been a horrid day and usually I get more enquiries on sunny days, maybe everyone is dreaming about the sun.

12th March

What a day! I let Sally and Bruno our dogs out for their early morning run today and they decided to go for a hike which involved Stuart, Alice and I searching high and low for them, they were nowhere to be found on our land so we drove around and asked the neighbours, rang the dog warden etc all to no avail, at 3pm I had to go to pick up Jim from school, just as we were coming out of the school driveway Alice rang to say they were home, I would like to thank Annette from the allotments for finding them and sending them on their way home, its good to know we have such lovely people up here on the plots. Thanks Annette! Next week Stuart is putting a gate on the back yard to stop the little darlings escaping again!

10th March

I went out with Ed to measure the rest of the field today to see how many plots we have left, as over the last two days I have let out four plots, there are just twelve plots left before we have to decide if we will start another field of plots, I cant believe that in ten months we have let nearly seventy plots!

9th March

Exciting news! Sox has given us another litter of kittens! Five this time, one black, two ginger, grey and white and two grey, all are healthy and feeding well and Sox is a very proud mum, she had them on our bed at 3am last night so I am a bit sleepy still as I was up most of the night playing midwife! photos will be put on the website soon.

3rd March

I got back on monday from a college reunion in Strattford upon Avon, it was great to meet up with old friends.

Yesterday three students from the journalism course at Exeter University, Tremough came to have a look around the allotments and interview me for a magazine they are creating, it was great to show them around the plots though I did feel a little sorry for them as they got very cold as the wind was keen, however they soom warmed up with cups of tea and hot chocolate in the farmhouse kitchen in front of the rayburn! They talked to Jason who was up tending his plots and admired his chickens and Rocky the rooster who as usual was strutting around his 'ladies' before tape recording an interview with me. Lord Admiral Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton (our mille fleur bantams) who are currently residing in the front garden were calle upon for a photocall and happily obliged.

Sox the cat whom you may remember had kittens last year is now getting very large and we are hoping for at least 3 kittens thought I have to say she looks absolutely huge this time so maybe there will be more, Ive put an order in with her for a ginger tom kitten and have my fingers crossed as the dad is ginger!

Sunday 21st Feb

Today we welcome our first asscociate members of the allotment society, we hope many more people will join in this way to take advantage of our discounted seeds scheme and any other discounts I am able to persuade from other suppliers! There was snow up here yesterday morning when I woke but as we drove down the hill towards Truro we were able to see that it was very localised and indeed past Scorrier there was no more snow much to the disapointment of Wendy who really loves snowy weather!

Friday 12 Feb 2010

I have finally found time to restart our blog! (I am now putting the new posts at the top of the page to save you from having to scroll down to see if there is any news!)

The weather is lovely and sunny but very cold out of the sun, my poor little primroses I planted at the weekend are looking very sorry for themselves. Today I am out putting out the Dobies seed catalogues on the plots for our allotmenteers, Dobies give us 50% off their seeds and 10% off other products as we are a member of the NAGC UK this is a great scheme which makes it just the bit more affordable to try out new plants and ideas, I will collect in all the orders by the 7th March then send them of along with the money to Dobies and seeds will be delivered direct to you. (We make no money out of this) so Im hoping lots of people will want to order.

 

 

Saturday 9th may 2009

Finally decided which way to lay out the allotment field and measured it properly, I had to go to work for the morning so Stuart was left with the task of measuring the field on his own, a task which he accomplished with his usual vigour and determination!

Sunday 10th May

My neighbours vintage tractor run today, Alice and I went over to cook bacon butties and make tea for the drivers, 19 tractors turned up and a lot more spectators so we were kept busy cooking bacon and making drinks! Had a wander around the farm after and discovered a newborn foal, it was just taking its first steps, took a few pictures and have created a 'new foals' page.

Got my first definate booking for an allotment today!

Monday 11th May

I had to work this morning so left Stuart with the job of sorting out our water collection tanks in the barn, we are going to use this water for the allotments, it is collected off the barn roofs and stored in huge containers so will be ideal, we now need to decide exactly how to store it on the allotment field, but as usual Stuart is full of good ideas so I'm sure we will soon have decided what to use.

Tuesday 12th May

Got our next definate booking today, 6 chickens will be moving up here in a couple of weeks! we are so looking forward to our first chicks on the allotments!

Weds 13th May

As I type Alice my eldest daughter is acting as midwife to Sox the cat! Her waters broke whilst sitting on Alices lap by the rayburn in the kitchen this afternoon and she is now in strong labour! Sox was a boy untill we discovered 'he' was pregnant a few weeks ago, quite a surprise I can tell you!

I have shown 2 lovely couples around the allotment field tonight, Plot No 13 has been booked, the new tenant says 13 has always been her lucky number, seven plots are taken now so there are just 15 left, we cant believe how quickly this has taken off. Hopefully I'll have some photos of Sox's kittens to post tomorrow!

2 kittens born looks like shes finished! One grey and white and one tabby!

Thurs 14th May

Lovely surprise this morning another kitten, born last night at about midnight, midwife Alice in attendance! This one is a tiny tabby just like its Dad, Mum and babies all doing well, check the new page for some photos!

Sat 16th May

All kittens doing well now despite a bit of a fright yesterday when Sox lay on one, he was a bit quiet for a while but after some milk and a cuddle has come round and now is fighting fit again!

Sun 17th May

Unfortunately we lost the little tabby kitten last night, the others are now huge and fighting fit though so Mum is happily looking after them.

Due to the horrid weather we havnt been out on the allotment field much this weekend, but will be there tomorrow marking out the final row of plots along the right hand hedge, then putting in the stakes ready for Friday which is when our first allotmenteers are taking over their plots! So its all go here this week, the dogs are enjoying all the visitors looking at the plots, as anyone who has been will know Bruno our labrador does love to welcome people with a lick and a wag of his tail!

Tues 19th May

Stuart, Alice, Wendy and I spent the afternoon marking out all the plots with stakes, Wendy and I had a few 'lively discussions' about measurements and who was in charge but luckily she knows who cooks the food and so gave in quite readilly! all the plots are marked out now, just a few more stakes to bang in tomorrow and we shall be ready!

Stuar brought a ride on mower today he has called her Margot! She is going to be used to keep the paths and parking areas neat and tidy, he is off in a minute to give her a trial run in the field so no  doubt will be gone a while playing with his new toy!

Weds 20th May

Out marking out the plots again this evening, Ed and Jim joined us to help tonight so we managed to get quite a lot done, then came in for a slap up meal of sausages and chips with mushy peas!  Sausages have never tasted better I can tell you!

Thurs 21st May

Stuart and I got the last lot of fencing stakes on the school run today and spent the morning banging them in, we've started stringing out the plots so it looks like allotments now, we just need people to move in and start digging! Our first tenants are in the midst of putting up a chicken pen as I type for their 6 chicks which will be moving in tomorrow we hope!

Saturday 23rd May

Well today has been quite mad up here! lots of interest in the allotments, 14 have definately been taken now, several people have moved in and started digging and rotavating their plots we have one shed here although as yet it is still in bits on the ground! Today we brought a trailer for 'Margot' Stuarts garden tractor this will be used for transporting water from the barns to the site and also bringing up well rotted manure from the barns for people to use on their plots.

Thursday 28th May

New kitten pictures posted today have a look! They aer growing fast now and both have their eyes open.

Saturday 30th May

Today has been really busy! plenty of people hard at work on their plots and there are now some plants planted so things are really gowing here! Stuart, Ed, Jim and I set up the MUC-IN compost bags for everyone to use for their first mowings and turfs, we also sell these for use on plots for £5 each or £9 for 2. We came back in at about 6 pm and discovered Gypsy the ferret now has 5 kits! That was quite a surprise I can tell you we had no idea she was expecting! Poor old Clyde was being dragged round the outside run upside down and by the scruff of his neck by Gypsy as she dosent want him near the babies so we had to remove him and put him in a seperate cage, he's a bit comfused poor boy!

As I'm typing Wendy is baking cakes to take up tomorrow morning to everyone working hard on their plots to give them a proper welcome!

Monday 1st June

Today we finally picked up our water tank, it will be on site by tomorrow, then I shall be bringing up water from the huge storage tanks in our barn.

I had a phone call from a concerned Allotmenteer this evening, she had been told that neighbours were saying that we did not have planning permission for our allotments, I reasured her that planning permission is not needed to make allotments on agricultural, please see land see this link: 

http://www.nsalg.org.uk/uploads/article506/Creating%20an%20Allotment%20Site.pdf

We have certainly had nothing but encouragment from our neighbours as you can see from our guest book, and have received a letter from the Lanner Parish Council expressing interest in our plans, we hope to invite them up to have a look around in the very near future.

On a brighter note, lots of people were up enjoying the sunshine this evening, several plots now have crops in and they seem to be coming along well, and our first chickens moved in yesterday, they seem to be settling in well!

Monday 8th June

We have been so busy out on the allotment field that I havnt had time to blog for a few days! We now have only 3  1/2 plots left, everyone is getting on well and things are starting to look good! There are 3 sheds on the field now and I think I need one of my own, the idea of a shed with a kettle so I can make myself a cup of tea is very appealing when I see Malcolm and his family sipping away at their cups of tea and coffee, so this week I think the hunt is on to find myself a shed! Several people have had BBQ's on their plots and the smell of sausages cooking is very tempting! I am about to start planning a BBQ for everyone in a few week time so we can all get together and get to know each other better, there is a great community spirit up on the field which is great.

 Tuesday 9th June

Well who would have guessed we have been 'live' online for one month! our website has had over 1000 visitors so far which has surpassed our expectations, we now have 2 1/2 plots left out of a total of 32, we have had to split a couple more plots in half to cater for the demand in smaller plots, we certainly never expected it to take off quite so quickly!

Saturday 13th June

Another lovely day I hope the sun stays out all day so we can get on with some mowing of plots for people, the field has been really busy this week with everyone getting plants in the ground, everything seems to be growing really well so hopefully it wont be too long before there are a few lettuces to be harvested! There is a great community feeling up on the field, everyone is so friendly and theres plenty of sharing of tools and helping of other plot holders going on which is great as its helping everyine get settled in and on with their ideas.

Friday 19th June

Another sunny morning here in Penstruthal! Unfortunately Margot our lawnmower broke down the other day and needs a replacement head gasket and the head skmimming which is going to take a few days, Stuart is now strimming the plots instead so please bear with us whilst we get Margot mended! Now for some good news, we jave just one plot left on the present field so will be starting another field the week after next so there will be plenty of plots available again. It is really starting to look lovely now with plenty of vegetables and seeds growing and several sheds, Malcolms 'Tardis' is bright blue and he is busy constructing a greenhouse next to it, Jason has made a chicken shed out of his old store shed and an old wardrobe for the nest boxes, it looks so nice we are teasing him about moving into it himself!

Saturday 20th June

First I have to say congratulations to Martin Mc Donald from plot no 16 for winning the Award for Excellence in marine engineering from Falmouth Marine College last week, Well done Martin from all of us at Cornwall Allotments and thanks for your help with the water trailer the other evening. Today we have only one half plot on the first field available and have now 2 1/2 plots on the new field taken! The new field will be ready for next weekend! So Stuart and I (not to mention the kids!) have a busy week ahead of us planning and marking out the new plots 

Sunday 21st June

This morning Ive added a members page to the website, for allotment members only to access, I will post any changes to the lock code etc on this page, Please ask me for the password either by phone, email or when you see Stuart or myself on the allotment field 

Monday 29th June

On saturday we welcomed the arrival of some important new occupants........22 chickens! they belong to Jason and Jeanette, and Malcolm. Malcolms are at present residing in Jasons luxury penthouse chicken appartment with the others till Malcolm gets his chicken house ready! The girls seem happy to have been freed from their life in a barn and were  usy pecking around on the grass, however bed time was not quite so straightforward! The little darlings were so happy with their newfound freedom that the refused to go to bed till nearly 10.30pm, Jannette and Jason had to catch the last few reluctant ladies and put them to bed amid great protest and squawking! Yesterday the were enjoying being the centre of attention and received treats with joyfull clucking!

We also must welcome the first new allotmenteers in the new field, we will be advertising again next week so there will soon  be a hive of activity up there too I'm sure.

Sunday 5th July

What a week! We have six plots gone on the new field already, I have been in contact with Stithians School who we are delighted to  be working with to re-launch thir Healthy Schools programme, this is particularly exciting for us as we both believe that educating children into growing and eating fresh food is very important.

Thursday 9th July

Second allotment field is now getting busy there is half a row of plots already taken, we have yet more lovely people on there, we are so lucky to have such great allotmenteers! Stuart had to smash the padlock on the gate the other day as it had got stuck and wouldnt open for anyone! new one will be put on today with the same code! We are hoping to finish the gateway to the second field by next week so people will be able to drive in and park to tend their plots. Margot is going down to Falmouth today to have some TLC at the hands of our friend Pete so we are hoping she wil be back on the plots by next week and we can commence the mowing, thanks everyone for being patient with us whilst Margot has been poorly!