Installing The Compost Bin

On Friday 15 February we took our newly acquired compost bin to the allotment, and dug it into the ground a little so that it doesn't blow away before it contains enough material to anchor it to the ground. As you can see from the first pic, our transport arrangements caused a certain degree of merriment amongst fellow pedestrians and passing drivers, but we got to our plot intact, having laughed all the way there.

We picked a spot then marked the edge of the composter before digging out a few inches of soil, placing the bin in the resulting hole, then replacing the soil and stamping it down firmly around the outside edge. A very successful operation! Will the rest of our allotment adventure be so easy? We made the acquaintance of a group of three gardeners who share a nearby plot, the unusual thing being that they were 13 years old and have been working their plot for ten years! Fantastic.

So, job done, we started for home, but then noticed a cockerel crowing like the clappers somewhere on the allotments. We went off to find him and located his shed, which he shares with at least one other Bloke Chicken, several hens, and some pigeons. Typically, the noisy bugger (named "Shouty The Cockerel" by Sam) wouldn't pose for a photo, but a couple of his lady-friends did, no doubt hoping that it would be their first step on the ladder to the London Fashion (For Chickens) Week.

p.s. the big fat ugly lump leaning on the compost bin is me, Sam's Daddy.