About a year ago I had a post entitled ' Time to build an ark' so I can't use that one again, but it would be apt today when I really have trouble believing the sky can actually hold that much water. So, based on a comment one of my allotment neighbours made the other day, I'll use a Noah's ark reference instead.
Luckily, the garden is located on a hill and not too near a river, so a boat is not needed to get there yet, but the ground is so sodden I can't do anything other than look at it and sigh, hoping that the spuds beneath are not gasping for air, drowning and then turning to mush.
The chickens are also looking miserable, missing their lovely dust baths in the sunshine. David built Ethel a new nesting box and I cleaned them out, giving them a new floor covering of fresh sawdust, shredded paper and a bit of straw, so that went some way towards cheering them up a little. I've also put eucalyptus leaves (above) and some lavender in as I read that this helps to deter bugs, so they're probably the most spoilt chickens for miles around.
Due to the inclement weather, the polytunnel is now much tidier - I've stripped all the tomato plants in a vain attempt to get them to put all their energy into turning those very green tomatoes red. A little sun would help a lot at this point.
I saw Ethel hadn't laid an egg for a few days and I thought she might be moulting, but no, she'd decided the rhubarb patch, with its soft grass cuttings under the plants, was a pretty good spot for an alternative nest.
I've been busy propogating herbs and also the runners off the strawberry patch, which always makes me happy as I love making plants for free....
