I called in at Vicky's today to do the round with the chooks which was good fun as usual. We are gradually inching them over towards the veg plots so the coops and runs can go over the planting areas to clean, scarify, and fertilise the plots ready for the new season's crops. The greenhouse …
Bird Flu: why shutting hens in is NOT the answer
There is a still a "very high risk" of avian influenza here in the UK, and we are required to keep our poultry separate from wild birds. Although I understand and respect the reasoning for the reduced freedom of our poultry, I suspect a greater part of the high transmission is caused by the loss …
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Poultry, Bees, and Gardening
Way back in 2019, I used to run a great sourdough course with my friend and fellow fermenting enthusiast, Vicky, in her fabulous kitchen at Starnash Farmhouse. Fast-forward to now, and the philosophy behind our baking - to bring the wild levain process to anyone who wants to make their own bread - has been …
The Henclosure
I have always allowed my chickens to free-range, but the bird flu shenanigans last year made me reconsider how I could continue to let the have their outdoor space but in a more manageable way. In addition, the covid shenanigans have encouraged me to think more holistically about the garden and how to make it …
The Fluff of Dreams
Willowherb. One of my favourite plants, and at the moment it's exploding with great swathes of candy floss seedheads, although most of them have been harnessed with gossamer like the willow twig and agrimony here: I heard the twittering of Goldfinches as I walked along, so they are presumably enjoying the seeds. The Cuckoo Trail …
High Summer at Shawpits
It's taken a while, but it's lovely to have some proper summer weather. There haven't been many swarm calls which has meant I've been able to focus on some other garden projects which I didn't get round to last year despite going literally nowhere for 15 months...anyone else in that situation? My friend helped my …
Comfrey
Bees on comfrey. There are lots of big stands of this robust perennial growing in many places near me - right outside my front door for one! - and the bumblebees absolutely love it. They often chew a hole in the top of the flower to access the nectaries and I do find that these …
Goodbye, Ginger Jason
The chickens are still shut in securely under avian flu restrictions, but it gets dark at about 4pm and I sometimes don't get round to closing the popholes to the coops but it does mean the hens can let themselves down in to the run when they wake up. Yesterday morning, as I was drinking …
Ways to be Wayward this Christmas
In January last year, I attended a conference on landscape use and sustainability at Sussex University, and I took away a strong, galvanising feeling of implementing necessary change. Then - bam - the pandemic hit which actually obliged me to pursue the avenues I had pledged to consider. I thought about putting my Introduction to …
Bird Flu III
On Monday 14th December, our domestic poultry have to be confined to barracks and restricted from accessing areas also used by wild birds. As stated in my previous posts, this is to prevent the spread of avian flu which is currently circulating in Europe and has the potential to be a serious health issue for …
Wayward Bee 