We got an allotment!

I can't believe how fast it's all going. Less than a year ago we got our first 8 quail and now we're living with almost 100 quail, 6 chickens, a dog and now an allotment. It's all very, very exciting.

We have some really big plans for next year and to prepare ourselves we decided to start the hunt for an allotment to get practising growing vegetables, composting, working without electricity and water and seeing if we really can hack being outside doing work come rain or shine! Farm life can be pretty brutal so we need some practise before we throw ourselves whole heartedly into it (though to be honest, with this many animals trashing my back garden I already feel like we're pretty dedicated to the cause).

One of Lee's work colleagues mentioned that he had an allotment not too far from work so we went to have a look and basically signed up on the spot! We even got the thing for free because it was left such a mess from the previous owner - sticking to no spend you see! There is a lot of work to be done, and we'll probably spend the first 2 weeks just clearing the land of weeds and seeing what has been left but already we've discovered strawberry plants, 3 apple trees, potatoes and carrots! I think there are even raspberry bushes hidden amongst all the bind weed (which is an absolute pain to get up so that's going to be fun).

I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this process. This all began as a little project for Lee. He fancied the idea of being self sufficient and thought getting a handful of quail in the back garden would be a fun hobby for him to learn some things, yet as we've prayed together and discussed opportunities we've realised that this goes beyond our own dream of having a bit of land in the country. Suddenly we have the ability to create something really worthwhile that would hugely benefit future workers and their families. 

I'm trying to remind myself to be patient with it because, after all, we are only right at the beginning, but the excitement is driving me forward and already we've seen God's hand move in it. We've dedicated ourselves to at least 3 years of seriously hard work before we see much fruit, but it's so worth it and we're not afraid of a bit of graft. Already we've seen more momentum than we expected so in a year who knows where we could be!

For now, we're going to create a dreamy plot filled with all kinds of fruits and vegetables and I'm looking forward to making jams and chutneys, and homemade pies. We're super old school and already I feel like a Granny but let's roll with it and see where it takes us - if I start wearing pleated skirts and rolling my hair then please give me a shake and make sure I'm alright! 

I'll try to keep you all up to date on our progress!

Until next time...