Tuesday, April 11, 2006

What shall I do?

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 369 Day:160

KoKKo 123 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 123 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 123 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 46 Day:27

Dilly 16 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 17 Personal best egg weight 37grms 28.03.2006
Pumpkin 13 Personal best egg weight 35 grms 01.04.06




I looked at the last two days little white bantam eggs on my worktop and thought they looked so sweet I took a photo.

Bit of a cloud hanging over me today both physically and metaphorically but I am sure that I can shake it off!

I was up and out early as usual seeing to the girls who were a bit quiet themselves today, even Pat remarked how quiet they were - maybe it is the really dull dark cold rain threatening day that is having an effect on them.

They seem to have sorted out any bickering amongst themselves now, and apart from when there is food about, no chasing either. Fingers crossed that they are totally at ease with each other.

I decided to clean both Eglus this morning before breakfast - must be mad! But it was nice directing energy into the work in hand, and when I took the cover off the green Eglu, Adelaide and Ginger had laid me two huge eggs, just a gram under their personal best to cheer me up.

It will be interesting where the London Ladies choose to lay theirs today.

I am in two minds whether to don my Worzel Gummidge outfit and go up the allotment or sow seeds.

Watch this space to find out later!

Update


Well I did go up the allotment after all, as the dark clouds loomed, but I took a gamble and it paid off - just.

I dug up dock weeds, rotorvated a huge part of the lottie, and it is looking good.

It took me two and a half hours - then rain stopped play! Since then it has been torrential - of storm proportions.

Still I am all showered and dry and nice and warm indoors with lunch of Somerset Apple sausages in onion gravy with all my home grown veg on the go - comfort food.

Guess what - I took my camera out but couldn't find it, so still no photos.

The tractor boys have ploughed their plots and there are long rows of potato ridges so all theirs are done - but mine are not yet!

Even K's next to me - he has been having fun ploughing and I expect his dad dropped the potatoes in the grooves - Scottish is says on the net bag blowing in the wind.

Lots of them too judging by the sticks marking the rows.

Mike and his wife have put their shed now and the door went on late yesterday.

I planted a few more raspberry canes, the autumn fruting ones, and the rest I will donate to Mike. The others he has put in a bed down the bottom end.

I ventured out in the rain to check on the chooks and Freckles had laid an egg yet again in the big girls Eglu in the nest with KoKKo's whilst I was out. Pumpkin and Dilly are yet to produce!

Off for lunch. Hope that you are having better weather than us!

Freezing cold rain has definitely stopped play for today - and the rest of the week if the forecast is anything to go by. In Maidstone in Kent yesterday they had thick snow. In Newcastle upon Tyne my son had his lunch on the Quays in a pub looking out onto the water. It was a gloriously sunny day there too. In Saham Toney in Norfolk, Pat was golfing and got hailstones!

Funny old little island we live in!

The rain hasn't let up, so no visits to see if the Dilly or Pumpkin have laid this afternoon. The banties have all been in their covered run out of the rain - don't want to spoil their fancy feathers. The tough Norfolk locals have been out in the rain all the time, scratching about and having fun! I might put my mac on and take a brolly and throw out a pot of apple and pear cores - that'll get them all running.

Typical isn't it. I clean out their houses, put fresh everything in and new bedding only for them to make muddy footprints all over it I bet!



Well I did just that. The chickens were soaked and their feathers almost stuck to their backs revealing a layer of pure white ones underneath.

The apple cores brought out the banties that were in the green eglu for some reason and it was such a mad scramble to grab a bit and run off with it for the little ones - the bigs ones were more chilled out and just stood and pecked. The London Ladies were so quick that I could't get a photo of them!

Dilly has a very grubby tummy where she has been digging, I have shut those three in the Eglu run to dry out and eat their supper.

The big girls are stil chasing around so no point in even attempting to get them inside. They have the big covered green dust bath which is like a house and is dry underneath, as well as their Eglu but they prefer being so have left them to it.

Looks like I have a busy weekend ahead, with both our families coming over Easter. G and H and Luke are coming Thursday. Gary's friend will be here for the day on Friday - they are bringing their racing bikes and trying them out and setting them up for a track day event that they are off to on Saturday.

My stepfamily are coming on Sunday or Monday - hope the weather is dry! They have not seen the chickens in 'the flesh' so it will be fun.

I have physio tomorrow and have to take my small rotorvator to be fixed and am out Thursday morning getting my hair done. I haven't had it done since early December, so I am looking forward to it!

So I shall be cramming a lot of preparations in - and cooking too. All those meals for all ages, and likes and dislikes. I will have to get my thinking cap on!

8 comments:

  1. Me Too!
    Must be the weather and it's full moon due any day, that always makes me feel a bit weirder than normal LOL! No wonder they say it makes the 'lunies' on their worse behaviour....It'll be an interesting night at work then!

    My first visitor to look at the house on saturday, went straight back to the est.agents and put an offer in for the full asking price, to include the range cooker and the shed, today they have withdrawn the offer, saying they won't be able to get their furniture in my house! SELL the furniture!

    So I am a bit down, but it gives me more time to do all the little jobs that still need doing.

    On a lighter note, if I could get my sister to move a bit nearer....I wouldn't have to move! LOL!
    The back gardens' looking the best it ever has since I moved here, even in the rain! I worked until it was too dark to see properly last night, but cleared the stepping stone path and re-defined the border on the right-hand side, it all loks so much bigger and attractive now.Took some cuttings of plants and shrubs in the hope that they take, if they all take, then I'll have some to share!

    All the extra activity has helped me loose 3lbs' in weight this week alone, or is it that I wasn't snacking???

    Got to sort out a new mortgage and see what I can really afford to buy, so seeing the financial advisor this afternoon.Maybe won't be able to move after all, or is it me getting cold feet?!

    Chat soon,

    Sandie

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  2. I have left answers to your comment here Sandie and although verified they get lost for some reason - so here goes again.

    My particular cloud has been caused by 'lunies' acting totally irresponsibly on a couple of Forums I have been reading and upsetting lots of people reading them - I know cos I got a number of emails. So the your moon comment explains it - some people really do need to get a life other than living in a fantasy cyber space land!

    I read your blog and to read that you had an offer then to have it retracted on your house was such a disappointment, but more offers will come just you wait and see.

    The ups and downs of moving can be quite traumatic - after living in about 20+ places that I know of since I was born I have experienced it first hand LOL.

    I so hope that it goes smoothly for you.

    You have the same phylosophy(sp?) as me.

    Throwing energy into physical work - does wonders!

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  3. Yes it is that sunny here, spring is here. I planted lettuce and more onions last night the soil was warm, just right. We will do ok if it rains. but I have water if I have to water but a natural soft rain does better. I moved my tomatoe plants on the porch. It is warm enought at night now.I hope you shed your blues or what ever you call it. Probably you need sunshine. the people who study such things say that we need the sun to lift our gloom and I think they are right. have a good day. love you. patsy

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  4. Yes it is close to where i live. there is a branch that has water in it when we get a lot of rain and and the land rises on both sides with bluffs. the one with the fence in the picture is looking across to the bluff and the branch runs along at the foot. at my back when i took the picture was the other bluff. where the picture showed all the brush and trees was one side and the other is across the fence and the green meadow. maybe you can understand me. the ozarks is all hills and hollows

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  5. Anonymous10:05 pm

    We live in Maidstone and yes it was thick snow:( right after I'd planted my potatoes too!
    Still it couldn't be a green and pleasant land if it never rained or snowed could it?
    It just rained most of today so the potatoes have had a good watering in.

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  6. Thanks Patsy for your lovely comments as usual - and yes Chris, I agree, I just love our green and pleasant land - and all the funny weather patterns.

    Great.

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  7. At work, we were blaming the moods on our spring time change last week, and now the full moon. Spring itches maybe? My, you do get a lot done though! You can come visit PG and see what use I made of those old windows last weekend. The weather forecast says we're above freezing, but I had frost on the grass & the windows this morning. I think I'm in one of those cold pockets in this area! Those chickens always have to make you smile, I think.

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  8. Lovely sunny morning - just off to the physio

    The chickens are my equivalent of dogs and cats I think - as what ever is going on, what ever the weather, you can't help but laugh at their antics.

    And being up the allotment, too, no matter how bleak the conditions, makes my spirit soar

    Off to see if you did make those cold frames

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