Busy day again up the lottie and at home.

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 342 Day:149

KoKKo 114 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 115 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 113 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 20 Day:18

Dilly 7 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 8 Personal best egg weight 37grms 28.03.2006
Pumpkin 5 Personal best egg weight 31 grms 27.03.06

Another four hours hard labour up the allotment in high winds but dry weather and even a some sunshine. Pat says that I have a red face from being in the sun. I have the typical fair skin English Rose complexion, so I will have to start using sun block to stop me getting burnt.

Firstly six eggs from the girls today, but for some reason the biggies have been chasing the little ones around and the little ones keep diving into the hedge. No plucked feathers or loss of blood or anything,just a lot of squawking. I went up the allotment and left them to it - I fret otherwise. Fast forward to late this afternoon. I cleaned out the Eglus, and decided to put the banties in the extended run meant for the big girls. I put in a log, a perch, a hide, food, water, a cage of greens and a ripe tomato, and put them in and shut the door. Came in for an ice cream and a rest, and you should have heard the commotion they kicked up. All three of them squawking at the tops of their voices - just because they were locked in. The run is almost half the size of the pen, and is meant for five or six big hens. After half an hour Pat said I ought to let them out, because of the racket - and not wanting to upset the neighbours. So I did. Another bit of argy bargy again, big ones chasing little ones, little ones diving into the hedge. Pat said that studying them it seems to be the food and hedge problem.

So after spending all that time sorting out the two runs, etc. it was back to square one.

I took out all the food containers, as they had eaten their quota for the day anyway. The cabbages and broccoli I left as they were almost finished. I removed the hedge completely and hidey hole which had a bantam egg in it, and left them to it.

Peace. Norfolk Lasses scratching the ground where the hedge had been, London Ladies scratching where the Norfolk Lasses had been. Peace. I threw in their evening's ration of corn mix, sprinkled all over and they ate side by side. And they are still out there peacefully scratching in their littel groups.

So tomorrow I am going to put their breakfasts in when I get up, not put in is ready overnight. So that they will all be pre-occupied with eating and drinking first thing. Then I will remove the food and let them out. Goodness knows why there was the kerfuffle today. Still, I probably would never had known if I was out at work.

So up the allotment - and again plans had to be changed.

I got out my big rotorvator 5.5hp and it started first time - yippee - so off I went to do go over the manured bed which I had double dug over winter. It looks a treat now, and I also did around the fruit bushes and raspberries but still need to take out some grass by fork near the bushes themselves.

Having done that I put it away, as didn't want to over do things and got out my little 4 stroke one - but the pull cord was stuck - I have only just got them all serviced too, so I was not best pleased, so I did not get to rotorvate down the end flower bed to move the remaining chrysanths.

Still undeterred, I did a bit of weeding, then shifted 12 barrow loads of pig muck to fill up to the top my four bean trenches, which have had kitchen waste added to them over the winter.

I was so weary by then, that I picked a sack full of broccolli plants and leaves for the chooks and headed off home - to do the cleaning out of the chickens as Pat was still not back from golf.

The girls had laid 3 big eggs - which I was counting on after freezing all the eggs last night bar one. So we had our weekly dose of eggs and home made wedges, and some rare breed slices of bacon - bliss.

Will upload the photos later on in the morning and the blog has been playing up.

Trip to the lottie is wild weather! Thursday - got to add the photos yet

Despite the iffy weather I decided to take a gamble and spend some time up the allotment this morning and early afternoon as it transpired. About four hours in all, after which I could just about drive home.

Funny how you get a plan in your brain on what you will do and then it all goes out of the window when you get there.

Firstly there were no dead/shot rabbits on my plot, so either T didn't pop any or else he took them away.

The first thing I noticed was the bad winds had played mischief with the plots and there were bits of cardboard, plastic, and other odds and ends littered about up the track.

Since we were up there yesterday, my plastic cloches had been almost blown out of the ground - a couple had actually taken flight and others were bent and buckled and just clinging on.

So my first job ended up being forced to taking off all the cloches at the beginning of my plot which were covering the chrysamthemums in a vain attempt to keep the rabbits from eating them again. These chrysanths I had to move - well some of them, as I did not end up with enough time to move more than 30.

I had to fill a wheel barrow with well rotted pig muck, gather all my tools, dig up the chrysanthemums and put them in a trug, and take them all down the end - well the bottom third where I have my flower beds.

The next job was to pick some sites to put them. I took up the membrane where the lavender cuttings, now bushes, had been, and dug in the barrow full of muck. As the first lot of chrysanths grow six feet tall I could only put eight in, as I needed to leave plenty of space between them. The next spot I chose was in front of the 8 feet tall rudbeckia against a fence, so once again I pulled up the membrane, went and got another barrow full of muck and dug that in. This time I planted Yellow Cricket, which should look nice in front of the rudbeckia. Mind you, I won't be a bit surprised if they are not yellow as I might have got some of them muddled up in the trug.

At this point I needed to create another flower bed for the remainder in the trug. I had a big long flower bed about 20 feet, with room, where the Sweet Williams had been last year, and some annuals, but I want to rotorvate that bit as it is a bit too much for me to dig. Actually I had done too much already, but I had to get the rest of them in.

So another 600 foot return walk to the pig muck and back. Then I intended to dig out a long bed by the fence to Mike's plot. But I got sidetracked. I realised that the fence that side at the end where the little meadow is, could be jumped by the rabbits, so did another long walk up to the top end to get a roll of chicken wire, then spent an hour or so attaching that to the top of the existing fence. This was not easy and took ages and involved a lot of bale string, sticks and improvisation. But I got there in the end. I broke every nail on my fingers except on the little fingers, and pick up a few scratches! I had planted willow cuttings with the intention to make a willow hedge but forgot that the fence was low as the willow was tied in in loops along it. I won't if any has taken until a bit longer, but if it has it will turn into a lovely living fence.

Anyhow, once that was done, I was ready to go home, but just had to finish what I started. So I dug in another barrow of muck, put down the membrane that I took up from the other beds and planted the chyrsanthemums. I do so hope that the fence keeps the rabbits out - I do not want the shoots eaten again.

A number of plants and cabbages had gone missing around the meadow, but I noticed that some roses, buddelia, and other cuttings are budding and/or coming into leaf.

I love it when little bits of stick that I have salvaged take root and grow. I still fing it amazing that you can cut off a bit of something, in this case the wasted bottom bits of stems from roses that I used in a flower arrangement, stick them in the ground in Autumn, and some of them take root, and grow leaves the next year, and the following year flower! Isn't nature magical?

It took me quite a while to clear up and pack up all my things after stopping work that bottom end of the plot. I stopped to take a few photos - which are not very interesting, but will give you an idea of the 'before' look in the spring and the 'after' look in the summer - if you hang around that long to see the summer ones that is!

Across each section is a piece of corrougated iron that I slide across to use as a gate. They are pretty awkward and heavy but the only guaranteed method that I know of to keep the rabbits out. Or if they get to one section they can't get to the next easily. Beneath the 'gates' I dug out a trench and sunk a piece of thick wood - 4x4 inches so that when they start to burrow they give up. I have four of these gates and it must be a bit like prison officers when I got through each one, slide it across, and wedge it with a piece of heavy wood, or metal to stop the wind from blowing down. The thought that it would be nice to have steel doors and just keys to keep them in place often occurs to me as I drag the things across!

The middle section had four big flower beds that will be a riot of colour and texture later in the year. The nibbles flag irises are recovering, but some of the early new leaves on a dainty yellow flower - which I do not know the name of - with spikey leaves like the iris, but they are soft and fleshy, have been burnt brown by the freezing conditions we have had.

There are lots of things poking through though.

More cloches here had taken flight and some bent over backwards - the power of the wind is fearsome in the open fields without any cover. I had to battle the wind for ownership of those cloches too, and it was a real struggle to keep hold of them and get them up to the pig shed at the top out of the wind.

There are leaves of rhubarb now poking through the ground and one that I was forcing is getting a little taller but does not really like the tall metal bucket over its head, but it is an experiment for an early crop for that Christmas present I want to make.

The gooseberry bushes are looking really fine decked out now in their bright green little crinkly leaves. The hours I spent mulching this area with horse manure looks like it is paying off.

The strawberries look at bit sad - even though they did have cloches on some of them. I think that I might have lost a few over winter, but some are making leaf. I have one or two spares here and there to fill some of the gaps.

The saga of the poor poor broad beans continues. They have been pecked to shreds by pheasants, nibbled by rabbits, burnt by frosts, but some of them have put on new growth. I will have to put in another row or fill in the gaps with more if I can get them.

I slid the gate on that section, and stopped to check out the summer raspberries and which are just showing bud. In front of them are my wonderful Jostaberries that I am so hopeful of getting my first crop of fruit. These were three inch cuttings taken three years ago, the same way that I did the ones earlier, and now I have three or four fine bushes and have given two away as presents. The early deep red buds have now burst revealing white buds, which will be the leaves. I am so excited about these fruit bushes, as I grew them when they were not available in the UK or if they were you could not find them. Now they are just being advertised in some places - but it is much more exciting growing my own. You feel a great sense of achievement and I can't wait to eat the first fruit.

I have autumn fruiting raspberries in this section too - taken from root cuttings from a friend. They fruited for the first time last year, so I am expecting big things of them this year. I have also got blackcurrant bushes, again from my own cuttings. I bought two currant bushes and planted the prunings, and now have quite a number. Enough I hope to get fruit for blackcurrant jams for presents.

Next there is a vacant area where I grew peas last year, I dug in lots of manure last season and this year it will have potatoes I think. The brassica cage is next, rather battered but holding on just - and still not sprouting bits of purple broccoli, I will be pretty fed up if they do not sprout after all my hours of saving them from pigeons, rabbits, cabbage white butterflies, and almost daily trips to pick off caterpillars - in heatwave temperatures and on my hands and knees.

Another large area covered with black plastic, awaiting the pig muck is next - The onion and carrot beds were here. I spotted a few feathery leaves which I recognised as carrots. Some wind blown seeds last year had set in the grass so I dug up quite a few lovely ones. What a nice surprise when you are so worn out - an unexpected gift from the ground to lift your spirits.

I dug up some more parsnips which have to come up anyway as it all will be rotorvated, and I pulled up three more January King cabbages too, as they are in the way. If I get time I will take soem photos of the root veggies as there are some funny shapes due to the high percentage of flints in the soil.

Adrian had been and topped up the bins, with fresh horse manure gently steaming in the cool air. Just one more gate to slide across and pushing a heavy wheel barrow laden with all my tools, cloches being tugged at by the wind, and now overflowing trug of root vegetables, weighting them down, and other bits and bobs.

I was so pleased to get to the top where my pig shed and car was. I had another pile of cloches to flatten that I had tucked under to car to save them from the wind, and lots of things to pack away pack away, before I could load up and drive wearily home!

Just a few shots of some of the fish in our pond

The fish came up for a feed this afternoon - it was overcast so made the pond look dark.


If you look to the right of this picture, there is a horizontal dark fish and just above that with food pellets around it you can just pick out one of the big black carp coming up vertically to get the pellets. He has just broken surface and is just about to eat a mouthful.



We had a really gusty rainstorm last night and there is flotsom and jetsom on the pond. And lots of leaves around the garden!




This is just one end of the pond, there are lots of fish up the other end. I just had to poke my camera in a hole in the netting and take pot luck.



If you look closely you can see the dark shadows of the three black carp.




They are not too keen on this blustery weather, but curiosity got the better of them and they soon gobbled up pellets. I love how they open their mouths and just suck them in as children suck and slurp spaggetti!

Pretty darn damp

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 339 Day:148

KoKKo 113 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 114 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 112 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 17 Day:17

Dilly 6 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 7 Personal best egg weight 37grms 28.03.2006
Pumpkin 4 Personal best egg weight 31 grms 27.03.06

Got up to a bit of disappointment today as we have had yet more torrential rain, and it was supposed to be a nice day. Still, on the positive side, if the sun comes out, I will still be going up my allotment and shovelling pig muck and horse manure and digging up the root veggies - if I have any energy left.

If it rains that I will be seed sowing.

I was out in my lean to at 7am transplanting lettuce seedlings. I let the chooks out and straight away they excitedly started sratching in the wood chips to reveal the earth beneath and the goodies that lie therein.

The banties will have dirty feet feathers no doubt - hardly worth washing them as they will do it all again.

I apent half an hour trying to get my computer working - and finally fixed it. The wretched thing loses my broadband link every time it automatically upgrades itself with the anti virus software - which is a number of times a day. I really must get my son to sort it out for me, it drives me crazy. Sometimes it is straight forward and I just have to reboot it - even though it has rebooted itself, but mostly I have to keep rebooting it and turning off the network box or whatever it is called, several times and in conjunction with the re-boot.

Off for breakfast - no eggs this early in the morning. The girls like a liesurely breakfast first and a serious play before they get down to doing any egg laying.

Update 4pm

To say that I am worn out is an understatment - been up the allotment over 3 hours - will do that in a seperate posting.

Four eggs so far today, Ginger, Adelaide, Dilly and Pumpkin. Off to let the big girls out again.

A restful sort of day

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 337 Day:147

KoKKo 113 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 113 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 111 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 15 Day:16

Dilly 5 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 7 Personal best egg weight 37grms 28.03.2006***
Pumpkin 3 Personal best egg weight 31 grms 27.03.06

Had a bit of a restful day today – just for a change.

First thing was the visit to physio, then whilst I was in town I got some plant labels – lots as I have lots of seed to sow, and need to prick some out. But I didn’t get around to doing that today.

Blustery day with sunshine and showers, so I popped up the allotment to pick some broccoli leaves for the chooks, and picked this romanesco head for out lunch either tomorrow or the next day.

Whilst up there just pottering – not doing anything to write about – T came past in his 4x4 and came over for a chat. Hadn’t seen him for a while, so it was nice to have a bit of chicken talk – he keeps his on the allotment up the end.

I was right about the pen of cockerels they did end up in the freezer but were a bit tough so he reckons he left them too long. He reckons a rat got 5 of his bantams – Seabrights – I wouldn’t have thought a rat could take batams, but there you go, he also thought that it had bitten a leg of one of his other chickens. He has quite a lot. They are not treated as pets like mine are – but I was very sad to hear about the banties as I had asked after them and where he got them.

The main reason that he stopped was to ask if he could come on my plot to shoot some rabbits. He has shot a lot this past week apparently – so I said that he could. I hope that he takes the corpses away – mind you they will compost o.k. right down the end next to the field in that big compost bin.

The chooks just loved the green stuff and have been eating it all afternoon on and off – anyone would think that they never get fed!


You have seen quite a few photos of KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger tearing a broccoli 'tree' to shreds, so I thought you might like to see the banties jumping up and down to reach the bits the girls left which they had a breather!


After lunch I went out and spent a deal of time watching them, messing about in their pen, raking the wood chips so that they could have a good scratch and a dig at the damp earth underneath which kept them and me entertained for a long time – so much so I had to leave them to it!

I potted up some lavender bushes in to tubs, and as the sun was shining again, I went out and about around my gardens and took a few photos – I hope that you like them.


The daffs literally opened as I was out there over a period of an hour.


The pink and I also have red and white hellebores opened too today for the first time.



This ornamental grass is the same colour as my hair in the sunshine! And those primroses - really gladden the heart in the sunshine.



Wonderful fresh pink growth that will turn a deep shiny maroon red in the summer.

I spent a few hours typing up a blog page for the Omlet web site – announcing belatedly the arrival of the bantams and their first day – which I will follow up with their progress on the coming weeks. Just one post a week as I have so much else going on.

Only three eggs today – 1 from Freckles, KoKKo and Adelaide – but as I have a glut that was fine by me. I took a box of 4 to my physio, I try and take her some every time that I go, and she does appreciate them. She had a look at my hip, bless her, and said that it was a problem with my muscle not the joint – brilliant – so I am going to have a go up the allotment tomorrow, if it is not raining – not too much to start with. I’ll probably spread some muck and manure around before it is rotorvated, and I have to dig up the rest of the parsnips, leeks, cabbages, but I will hang on longer as I still live in hope that the purple sprouting broccoli will actually sprout. If not it will make good chicken fodder.

Take a walk around my garden with me this afternoon

A clump of anenomes almost opening before my eyes


Red Cornus - I should have cleaned the stems to make them shine - but the green in a nice contrast.



The sun shining through the fresh new sword-like leaves of the Day Lily - please no more frost to burn them again.



Daffodils outside the patio door - the totally wrong place, but I will not move them.

Early morning routine - 6 eggs again today

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 335 Day:146

KoKKo 112 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 112 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 111 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 14 Day:15

Dilly 5 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 6 Personal best egg weight 37grms 28.03.2006***
Pumpkin 3 Personal best egg weight 31 grms 27.03.06

The early morning routine is never a chore and I can't wait to get out of bed and see what the weather is like and head off out into the garden to say hello to my little flock of chooks.

Firstly they breakfast on organic layers pellets and mash - a feed that I buy by the sackful, and contains all the nutients that they need if they are egg layers. Because their personal runs are covered closed at night, it enables me to put it out fresh when they are roosting ready for the morning, so now that we are having brighter days, they don't have to wait for me to feed them if they get up at 5am in the morning.

By the time I go out to them around 7am now that the clocks have gone forward - but it would have been 6am, it is bright and today, dry.

I let the banties out and fill up their caged feeder and hang it on the big girls run.


Today it is fresh cauliflower, and as you can see, it is the best if both worlds for all of them. The little ones feed from the pen side, and the big girls feed from their side - that way they all get first pick.

They all change places pushing over and under each other. As I watch them it reminds me of a jugglers hands with coloured balls - continually moving around ready to be up in the air again. The chooks are like the handful of balls. Sometimes they drop to the ground looking for dropped pieces, sometimes they reach up on tippy toes to get a bit at the top. Over and under, sideways and frontways. It also reminds me of plaiting.

Fascinating keeping chickens and learning their behaviour patterns.

I leave them to it for a hour or so depending on what I am doing indoors the later when I go to collect the eggs I let the KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger out, then they all run free in the pen.

I look for things for them to do, so often put in a flower pot that has weeds in the top and let them scrabble about in or on that. I'll hang up a cd on a piece of string attach it to a garden cane and they peck at that. Mostly they just like to scratch about and dig for England - making deep holes in the endevour to trip me up in the dark at night when I lock them in their respective runs.

No eggs early this morning - but that is because the clocks have gone forward for an hour - they all like to have a good breakfast inside them before they do any serious work - a bit like us really.

So I am off for mine. Updates will appear later

9.45am update eggs - Norfolk lasses 1 London Ladies 1 a new pb from Freckles wow

1.30pm another egg from KoKKo this time - I think that Adelaide might have laid an egg in the hedge hide as she has just appeared - off to look then lunch.

Chicken drum sticks really large organic ones covered in garlic powder and dried herbs to coat, home made potato wedges - and this is where I hang my head in shame, a tin of baked beans because Pat really fancied them. Tish junk food! Nice now and again though - but all that sugar and salt!

Well I have had another 6 eggs today - had better make some pasta again and dry it!

Just been out to give the girls their even winter warmer of corn and wheat mix. It is really blustery and windy and cold, but they don't seem to mind and are all tucking in together.

I am already daydreaming about more bantams - and maybe if my bantams turn broody I might get some fertilised eggs and let one of them sit on them.

If you read the comments - you will see that Patsy is tempting me beyond belief to do that.

I will have to look into that though as if it needs more housing and seperate living quarters I do not think that I will be able to do it!

A Rainy Windy Monday - and another 3 record breakers

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 332Day:145

KoKKo 111 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 111 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 110 Personal best egg weight 80grms 27.03.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 11 Day:14

Dilly 4 Personal best egg weight 36grm 27.03.2006
Freckles 5 Personal best egg weight 36grms 20.03.2006
Pumpkin 2 Personal best egg weight 31 grms 27.03.06

I am aching for England, but have had such a lovely weekend I really don't care. I intended to prick out all the seedlings in the window propagator to make room for some more and perhaps so some trays of seeds too. But I don't think that I am up to it today, so a resting day for me (if I can sit still for long enough!)

The flock have got into a happy routine and they all rub along nicely now. There is a always a bit of competition over extra food and especailly treats, but they all get them.

First thing in the morning I let Freckles, Dilly and Pumpkin out to have freerange of the run undisturbed. I put up the fresh greens on the side of the Norfolk Lasses run, so both groups get to eat it at the same time.

This morning there was a queue for the bantam babes nest box, Dilly had poll position and didn't even come out for fresh greens and a pot of newly grown parsley! Pumpkin was walking up and down looking rather worried and muttering to Dilly to get a move on. She went inside and muttered some more, so I felt under Dilly and there was not an egg laid, so left them to it. Freckles took advantage of the situation and stuffed her little self with lots and lots of the broccoli greens, a bit of chickweed I pulled on my walk around the garden and a nibble of parsley. They were all up before me and out in their respective runs so had aleady eaten breakfast.

Later I went out again, and Pumpkin and Dilly had laid eggs. Pumpkin 31grms and Dilly 36grms - Freckles has yet to produce but she is often later. I can only think that it must be because they eat their greens!

Three eggs from Adelaide, KoKKo and Ginger and Ginger managed a new personal best of 80grms too.

I let the Norfolk Lasses out on my egg collection visit, then leave them to it until later in the afternoon when I give them some extra corn or apple or similar.

Dilly is still pushing her luck by going into the 'Lions Den' and stealing their food, but she keeps getting caught and goes rushing back into the hedge and pops out again like a Jack in the Box. One day I let the banties out all day in the pen on their own, and they still liked staying in the hedge a great deal of the time, just scratching about and chattering - and there I was thinking that they were hiding out of fear!

I am glad that they are all settled and the fact that all of them are laying eggs mush surely mean that they are happy.

On the garden front, in the past couple of mild days, the plants have really got a spurt on - almost growing in front of my eyes. The daffodils ar enow tall and look as though they will bloom in the next few days. Lots more plants have pushed their way up through the ground and the crocus are looking wonderful.


I hope that I am not speaking too soon, but so far the birds have not eaten them as they often do.

I fed the fish for the first time yesterday as it was mild and they were up.....


They are a bit difficult to photograph. At last count I had about 50. I have just honed in on some of them. The pond is protected by a frame and net to keep the herons from stealing them! Which they do in these parts.

Please excuse any typing errors - I am feeling a bit jet lagged and too tired to proof read.

Have a good Monday

Update

Still torrential rain. As you can imagine, it is very hard for me to sit still - so I went into the village and got another animal box and a few things from the village shop.

Back home I have put some peppers on to dry - two trays, and three trays of white grapes. Aren't the pepper wonderfully colourful. Just imagine how it will be drying shades of red and yellow and green - and chillies too.

For lunch I cooked rainbow trout each, stuffed with thyme out of the garden, and with flaked almonds in slits in the sides. To go with it I fried in a littel oil chopped red tomatoes, a sliced green pepper, and lots of black pepper. When cooked I added a few tablespoonsful of home made yoghurt (I made quite a lot for the weekend and we never got through it) and warmed it through. I took up the colour of the tomatoes and was really tasty with a bit of a zing to it. Light and refreshing.

Off for chocolate orange cake and a mug of milk - I might get by book to read, that will keep me rooted to the seat for an hour with a bit of luck!

A snuggly, cuddly, grandmother Saturday and great new record a double hat trick

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 327 Day:143

KoKKo 109 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 109 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 109 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 8 Day:12

Dilly 3 Personal best egg weight 33grm 20.03.2006
Freckles 4 Personal best egg weight 36grms 20.03.2006
Pumpkin 1 Personal best egg weight 26 grms 25.03.06

I was up at 6am as my little family had to leave at 8am to go to Bedfordshire as they are house hunting. Mo my youngest son, has been looking at houses for them, ones that they have chosen that are sdvertised on the various agency sites on the web. A couple took their fancy so they are off viewing. Bedfordshire ia couple of hours from here - depending which part of the county you are looking at of course. So it was sensible to go there today rather than make 5 hour trips from Newcastle upon Tyne.

It has stopped raining when I went out to see to the chooks, but we had has so much overnight. KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger were up and eating breakfast, but Dilly, Pumpkin and Freckles were still in bed as they hadn't managed to push their door open - they were making an almighty racket - they are tiny birds but make a louder noise than the hybrids.



They came barging out - straight past the fresh food and water, and checked out what the day was like. They made a bee line for the broccoli basket that had one remaining leaf in left over from yesterday, so I took it down and restocked it and they spent at good half hour eating their greens.

Freckles went back to bed, she had the serious business of laying an egg - but she resurfaced an hour later. I was right about her eggs, they are slightly more pointed at one end and todays effort was a very commendable 36 grms. She is doing so well, and it is such a surprise.

It was surprisingly noisy this morning at that time. Apart from the dawn chorus from the birds which is wonderful to hear as there are lots of birds that visit around our garden as we have some tall trees. There were also many screeches from pheasants, which had been disturbed in the field just the other side of our neighbours garden. This was followed by the neighing of horses out of their early morning gallop which is on the perimeter of the field - it was obviously they who frightened the pheasants. I could hear a cacophony of ducks, they would be in the road behind us, and the chickens from the poultry farm further up the road. Wonderful sounds of nature, so much nicer than those of the cities.

I stayed outside about half an hour just soaking up any sounds I could hear, the lovely fresh smell after the rain, and walke around studying the new growth coming through on the flower beds. Some of which are very deep beds and in the summer are crammed with flowers, so much so you can't see the bare earth.

Day lily leaves are no six inches above ground, spathes of bright fleshly lime green, standing out against the dark mulch. There are a number of clumps of those dotted around. The bright red tightly curled new leaves bursting with energy, and anxious to get a move on, on the roses. The honeysuckle that climbs up the pergola is making tentative efforts to start, but on showing a few worried leaves, perhaps remembering that last May they got burnt from a late frost.

The bulbs I planted in pots all are now showing signs of confidence in the milder weather - hopefully - and even a lot of the fish were on the surface - their golden bodies looking like surfacing submarines slowly gliding from one end of the pond to the other.

I came in to see Haruko with Luke in the conservatory, so happily took over snuggly, cuddly, just awake smiley, granny duties whilst they got themselves ready.

They will be back abour 2pm so it gives me time to make a Mother's Day card from Luke, and to get their lamb shanks dinner slowly cooking in red wine and yummy things for when they come back.


Better get my skates on then hadn't I?

3.00pm

Whilst the family were out I made braised steak for Pat and me, in red wine, garlic, herbs from the garden and leeks. We fancied veggeis and mash to go with it - and it was melt in the mouth.

I messed about with the chickens and they had a spell on the lawn seperately. Dilly, Freckles and Pumpkin made such a racket - the only time they stopped was when they were eating, so after an hour or so I put them back in the pen and put the big girls in there - who didn't make a squeak.

I was thrilled to find that KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger had all laid lovely big eggs, and Freckles egg was 36grm, Dilly had laid one when I checked after putting them on the lawn, and then when I put the big girls back in after their time out I looked and Pumpkin had acutally laid an egg 26grs - just a tiny one - but 6 eggs in one day - what about that - isn't it brilliant. They must like the fresh broccoli every day perhaps, or the apple and pear cores. I am thrilled that Pumpkin is no longer too posh to push!

Just another day - with not enough hours in it.

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 321 Day:141

KoKKo 107 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 107 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 107 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 3 Day:10

Dilly 1 Personal best egg weight 31grm 20.03.2006
Freckles 3 Personal best egg weight 36grms 20.03.2006
Pumpkin 0 Still too posh to push

I was out with the chickens at six o'clock and they were up and out already. All running up and down in their respective runs when they saw me, excited at the prospect of breakfast.

The water was frozen as there was thick frost in the pen, but not in the shelter of their covered runs. First stop was warm water for them, and then breakfast. I let Freckles, Dilly and Pumpkin out and they had a lovely run and wing flapping session, then a drink, then a scratch about and a walk around their estate.

Ginger, Adelaide and KoKKo have their breakfast in their run, and are devouring that, so I will let them out later after I had mine.

The yoghurt is being strained as I speak, the food dryer is on the go again, I am just off to start the bread off then a batch of scones, or it might be the other way around. Then if I get time before Pat gets up for breakfast, I will run the duster over everywhere and prepare the spare bedroom.

I have to go to the ex-Lowestoft fisherman's farm to get some fish as I only have one trout left in the freezer. I just love that sea smell when I go into their cold store to see what is fresh in. On my list is salmon, tuna, rainbow trout - and I will see what else catches my eye.

Best get a move on - no early morning eggs yet.

Will be back later.

Before nine o'clock I had baked plain scones and cheese and mustard ones and used Freckles egg to baste them before they went into the oven.



Spot the difference - but not as much as you would imagine considering the one on the left weighed 31grms and the one on the right 76grms. I have enough left over from the bantam egg to baste the loaf of bread.


Dilly's out first hotly followed by Pumpkin having an early morning scratch about (6.30am). The flower pot was from one of their hides - three hides were too many as they never ventured out. it was full of straw but they all scratched it out.


See what I mean - the truth will out!

The bread is rising nicely in the ensuite, and I have strained the yoghurt and potted it up plain - ready to add the goodies later before serving.

I decided to try out the bargain yoghurt maker I got at the charity shop the other week. A Morphy Richards one complete with individual glass jars. It was tested and works perfectly - but lacking in instructions. I sterilised all the jars and caps, and I made up a jug of milk and a couple of tablespoonsful of yoghurt from the batch that I just made to start it off then poured some in each jar. It should not take as long as doing it in one big pot - I will let you now how I get on.



For £2.95 is was a bargain, but then to be told that it was half price day and to get it for £1.45 was amazing. A large carton of organic yoghurt costs almost as much.

I am going to do all different flavours. Fresh fruit, semi-dried grapes, honey, apricots, strawberries and raspberries out of the freezer, meusli - all sorts.

Two nice warm eggs from Adelaide and Ginger when I went out there just now. I should be able to give G & H a dozen to take home with them at this rate.

Off to give the bread it's second bash then into the tins a for prove whilst I am out getting the fish.

The sun is now shining too - just wonderful to be alive and kicking and to live where we do. I count my blessings every day.



I just had to show you this. I big pointy egg from probably Freckles - anyway I am going to allocate it to her as she spent longer indoors than the other two this morning. I weighs in at a 'massive' 36grms LOL what a big increase!

I have just been out to give them some pear pips, chopped up tomato and the seeds that fell off the loaves I have just taken out of the oven - you just can't beat that smell can you. Dilly, Freckles and Pumpkin were sunbathing in the hedge and KoKKo Adeliade and Ginger were sunbathing up the other end behind the banties house.

In the hedge hidey hole nest, KoKKo had a laid a big brown speckledy egg. I thought it was the banties at first as I hadn't checked their nest in the Eglu.

Been to the farm and bought some gorgeous whole salmon, which I got Dickie to cut into portions for me. I have bagged them up and sealed them in 2 portion packs. I got some amazing quality Atlantic cod - haven't had cod for a couple of years, which have had the same treatment and are in the freezer, also a couple of sea bream, and some bass. Yummy. I am going to do salmon for lunch tomorrow for the four of us.

Off for a quite sit down before I make lunch - chicken breasts - don't know what I will do with them - waiting for inspiration.

Food and Flowers Page

I have been really busy (just for a change) and apart from the usual chores, I have spent the afternoon baking.

Chocolate chip cookies ready to go in the oven - made with pieces of broken plain chocolate, chopped mixed nuts and dessicated coconut.



Here are some of them when they came out of the oven



I also made a double batch of flapjacks - ready for cooking



15 minutes later they looked like this - ready for cutting before they cooled



I added flaked almonds, raisins, and some chopped up apricots to these - and they taste rather good - so too the cookies - even if I do say so myself - and Pat did of course.

And lastly for today - an Orange and Chocolate Cake - the size of a bread loaf!



This is a variation of my famous banana chocolate cake. This one has my whisky marmalade added and a few drops of pure orange oil, and one and a half bars on plain dark continental chocolate. If you could smell what I can hmmmmmm chocolate oranges.

I have also got some yoghurt on the go - will have to go and strain it in a minute, and also four trays of grapes (courtesy of the animal box - they were perfect so I washed them thoroughly and they are drying. The chooks got the ones that caught the cold) and one tray of orange slices - again courtesy of the animal box. It is criminal to waste perfect food. The chooks have got a bag or perfect brussels sprouts and there is an onion loaf of bread, but I think the wild birds will get that. I don't want fat unhealthy chickens and there will be salt in the bread too which is not good for them.

Lastly a photo of the flower arrangement that I won - in situ in my lounge.


I think that's all tonight folks - I have to finish the yoghurt, keep checking the food dryer, and I reckon I deserve a sit down - don't you?

By george they've got it!

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 318 Day:140

KoKKo 106 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 106 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 106 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 3 Day:10

Dilly 1 Personal best egg weight 31grm 20.03.2006
Freckles 2 Personal best egg weight 32grms 20.03.2006
Pumpkin 0 Still too posh to push

Just before 7am the sun was shining with a lovely white frost on the ground when I went to see the chooks and clean them out.

I got a nice surprise as the London Ladies were in their run - they had let themselves out too. I never expected for one minute that when I closed their Eglu door (but didn't lock it) that they would have either the sense or strength to push it open, but they did. Clever little things.

When you have tiny bantams and huge hybrids, you tend to think that the little ones are babies - when of course they are not! And I should have known that city chicks would be as bright as a button shouldn't I?



Out for their early morning stroll, whilst the big girls are in their run eating.

It was a pleasure cleaning them out when it wasn't either snowing or raining on me. It only takes a few minutes, and now that I keep the big girls locked in whilst I do it, it is so much easier and quicker than chasing them about, off, and out, of the way.

And with a flock of six it was better that they were not under my feet, or it would be mayhem I should imagine.

There were lovely warm eggs from Ginger and Adelaide which was nice, as I am going to use a lot today baking, as baby Luke and his entourage are coming tomorrow for a long weekend and I am so excited. They are a joy to have visit.

Best be off and make a start - back later

* I forgot to mention that I have added a link to John's Poultry site - a plethera of information if you are thinking about getting chickens.

Evening Update

The flock has had a brilliant day today - they finally seem to have clicked. They stay in their respective groups, and so long as the food is right away from each group they happily eat in peace. No squawks or much chasing today. Just a bit of wing flapping here and there.



Dilly acts so 'not bovvered' now, and if the big girls do flap their wings at her for being cheeky, she just trots away without a sound, goes around the back of whichever Eglu is nearest and comes back again. Or else she goes through one end of the covered dust bath and out the other. She has me in hysterics.



Lovely little Freckles - bottom of the pecking order.

Dilly has been a bit naughty though as she has been harassing poor lovely Freckles and pecked her comb even though Freckles crouched. I don't know if she was like that before. I picked Freckles up and snuggled her into my cardigan and made a big fuss of her. She seems to be the noisiest and flightiest and the most submissive of them all. Pumpkin does her own thing - she is really swanky.

Over all the London Lassies and Norfolk Girls have mixed side by side in their groups - but not at the feeding stations. When I went in with the dried corn mix tonight I made sure to throw it first up one end for the Norfolk Girls, then the other for the London Lasses then in the middle for them both.


Old mother hen delivers a takeaway - washed tinned sweetcorn away from the biggies

They were roosting in their respective Eglus when I went to lock them in a few minutes ago. The three little banties do look a bit lost in the big Eglu, I have to admit. Maybe they could do with a couple more friends in there to keep them warm - but not yet, they need to settle in properly first.

Nearly forgot to mention, another bantam egg today 30grms and so pale it was almost white - I don't have a clue who laid it but I suspect it was Freckles as she spent the most time in the Eglu.

I don't think that Pumpkin is into laying, her comb is not as dark as the other two. She just acts like a girl about town, who can't be doing with any responsibility . Settling down and laying eggs is so NOT her thing at the moment!

At last a bit of allotment speak and photos

You thought I would never mention it again didn't you. Well I just have not been able to get on the land.

I spent almost all day working in my garden, of which there is quite a bit. I have mostly raised beds. 2 x 3 railway sleepers long, 1 x one railway sleeper long, 1x one and a half sleepers long and one triangluar one made of sleepers. They take quite a bit of time to do but at last they are shipshape.

Whilst out in the garden I was working in bitterly cold conditions, with a number of snow flurries, and a wind that made the wind chill factor almost unbearable. All this work culmulated in an estate car full of dead and pruned foliage to get rid of up the allotment, so I managed to persuade Pat to help out with the heavy lifting.

After a lunch of red snapper and half of the last garage stored pumpkin (the rest are in the freezer) we loaded up the car and set off.

If I thought here was cold - then I was in for a shock up in the open fields. Rather ususually the tractor boys were up there today - I have never seen so many people up there - well there are not many of us, but you know what I mean. There were two sets of old fathers and their grown up sons, mainly all talking and another couple of men - talking.

I took some photos so you can see how it is going - or not as the case may be. But it looks so neat up there for a change. The first time I have ever seen it looking like that. Mainly because the plots up my end have now been ploughed. Nothing in them, but they look neat. You can follow their progress over the year with me!

Here is the view from near the bottom end of my allotment across to those next to mine.


As I mentioned the men often go up there for a just a yarn and that's it, or to twiddle with their various machines. We just went up there to dump the compost and foliage, but we didn't hang around to long!


My broad beans that survived an assault by rabbits, then once I had managed to keep those out, the pheasants had a go at them, then once I put up scarers and kept the pheasants away - look - the freezing temperatures, snow, thick frost, and minus 8 degrees at night have burnt some of the leaves, and turned them brown. This time last year it was so mild that the daffs were out, all my potatoes and peas were planted too.

Look at the soil - now frozen hard again and dry. Crazy weather indeed.


Some bulbs that I planted last year are making a brave entrance. See how stony the ground is - Norfolk is well known for its flints. They are a nightmare!


A sedum just forcing its way through the soil - bet it wished it hadn't in this weather.


A flag iris putting on growth albeit slowly, and that is despite a rabbit taking a bite out of it. You have to be tough to survive on my allotment I can tell you.


Surprisingly this Phormium from tropical climes, has grown from a small cutting I took last year and survived the winter! Amazing - so why can't the broad beans!


I went to pick some broccoli leaves for the chooks and found that the wind had knocked down one of the inner netting supports and the pesky pigeons have stripped the leaves off a whole row of broccoli - it makes you want to scream. The hours I spent on my hands and knees in the summer each day picking off caterpillars! Still they only got the ones on either side, there are some in the middle they couldn't reach - yet!


And lastly - I have been forcing some rhubarb to make Schnapps for Christmas presents - but even that has refused to be forced in this weather.

Ah well - that is the fun and challenge of living in our wonderful country and what makes us hardy huh?

Night out at the Flower Club

After an hour of persevering, logging on and off, the blogger finally would let me add photos.

It was a really freezing cold, and wet night last night and the temperatures were below freezing when I set out to collect my friend to go to Flower Club. It would be the easiest thing to stay snuggled up indoors in the warm - but I resisted.

Pat's football team were playing and it was being televised to I left him watching the Commonwealth Games and knew that he would not spare a thought at my absence being totally focussd on sport.

The little village hall was freezing, but we eventaully warmed up. We take cushions to sit on and for our backs and the chairs are the most uncomfortable that you can ever imagine.

The lady demonstrating came from Cromer, for those reading this over the water, it is a seaside town on the Norfolk Coast - you can look it up on the internet for a read.

The day before she had come back from Spain on a working holiday of demonstrations to ex-pats and evenings spent with friends over there.

So her theme was holidays - and her interpretation in flowers.



This first one, with blue delphiniums, and some sprigs of white heather and chrysanthemums and foliage at the base is her interpretation of a sailing ship. The tall canes made like crosses are the masts. The arrangements are raffle prizes but you only get the flowers not the containers or accessories, and in this case you just got a bunch of delphiniums.



This nice simple arrangement used bamboo canes, and a few roses, with tiny spray chrysanthemum heads to disguise the Oasis foam, and a bit of lime green sisal. I have done this arrangement in all sorts of guises, and it really is nice and simple to do and makes a lovely Christmas arrangement, you can really glitz it up.



This pink triangular design was very elegant, with the pink roses, purple lysanthus, and perimwinkle foliage trailing down. This one was chosen first in the raffle.



The red hot one, is a horizontal arrangement with Fatsia Japonica leaves - I just love those, red roses and chrysanthemums, and red tulips with a yellow stripe.
She added a couple of cane golden spheres so that you could use it as a Christmas arrangement, which I thought did not do it justice. The big bowl flower vase came from John Lewis and has been popular for many years - I keep meaning to get myself one, but on the rare occassions that we go into the city we are usually getting so many other things that I forget!



Flowers this week are extremely expensive as it is Mothering Sunday at the weekend, so this is a nice early present to me.

I have not done much flower arranging lately, I tend to do more in the summer using seasonal flowers, and of course do lots at Christmas for friends, neighbours, and family. I love doing those but and normally whacked out and with sore fingers after all the holly, I have used in the wreaths as table decorations.

This is the arrangement I chose when my ticket was pulled out. An extremely rare thing to happen for me to win a prize. Yellow ticket 39 - I think that I might frame it. LOL It was the third ticket, so I was thrilled that no-one had chosen this one already.

And here is the arrangement in my lounge in one of my containers that I painted.
There is a problem with the blog 'and engineer has been called out to investigate' So I can't add the photos

Happy Chickens

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 316 Day:139

KoKKo 106 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 105 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 105 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 2 Day:9

Dilly 1 Personal best egg weight 31grm 20.03.2006
Freckles 1 Personal best egg weight 32grms 20.03.2006
Pumpkin 0 Still too posh to push



The rain has stopped and it is drying out a bit, and no quite a cold as yesterday.

KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger had let themselves out as usual and were quietly eating and drinking in their run and when I unlocked that they came out to seem them, and then got on with the serious business of digging holes.

There was squeaking coming from the Dilly, Pumpkin and Freckles house, and they were a bit indignant at having to wait for me. I locked the door last night as it was bitterly cold and also as it was their first time in there I didn't want them to come out and stay out all night. Tonight I will leave their door ajar and see what they do in the morning.

They dashed out and had a long long drink at the water peanut, then a scratch around for a bit, then they started eating too.

I stood there and watched my little flock for five minutes or so - I never tire of observing them, they are so entertaining, the things they do.

Dilly is the upfront of all the bantams at the moment. She is the most inquisitive, and although not necessarily the bravest, as is quick to race off when feeling threatened, she is always the one to be into things. Today she came out and raced off you the end of the pen for a good scratching and excavating exercise.

I left them all happily playing and feeding. One egg from Ginger this morning, and none from the banties so far.

I had wanted to put all the photos I took on here, but whilst it says it is downloading them the 'done' never appears so I can't. Hopefully later.

I don't have a clue what I am going to do today - so you will have to wait and see - just like me.

All I know is that we have lovely fresh Red Snapper for lunch.

As you will read, I spent hours gardening, but managed to pop in and out to 'play'with my flock"



Who, but me, would be daft enough to give their chickens an hanging basket that had sprounted some weeds over winter to play with and eat - the banties were so excited you should have heard them.


And who, but me, would be daft enough to stand in bitter winds with flurries of snow, trying to get a decent shot of them all together? The big girls had a big tub with more weeds - three times the height of the London Ladies, so I couldn't leave the little ones out could I?




I might have to try again with the photos there are problems tonight.

Spot the difference.................

Norfolk Lasses Eggs Total to Date: 314 Day:138

KoKKo 105 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 105 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 104 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006
London Ladies Bantam Eggs Total to date: 2 Day:8
Dilly 1 Personal best egg weight 31grm 20.03.2006
Freckles 1 Personal best egg weight 32grms 20.03.2006

Notice anything different above?

I just can not contain my excitement, the London Ladies must be feeling a bit more settled.




On the left is Ginger's egg weighing in at 78 grms which is two and threequarter ounces. On the right is one of the bantie eggs laid in the hide in the hedge, weighing in at 31 grms which is one ounce.

Silly - but I am overjoyed. Worth getting soaked in torrential rain early this morning to see to them! Especially as I had said on the Omlet Forum that they were too posh to push

Back this afternoon with todays update.

Saturday Evening Update

Eggs Total to Date: 309 Day:136

KoKKo 103 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 103 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 103 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

Two eggs today - Ginger had a day off.


Photos won't load so will have to add them another time.

5.45pm and it is still nice and light, and the girls are all out and about so I have time to catch up with my blog.

Today I let the girls out before 7am and decided to leave KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger in the run, now that I have the extension there is so much room for them. Dilly Dilly, Freckles and Pumpkin were still in bed when I looked – they let the big girls get up first and stay out of the way, so I lifted them out of the egg port and let them explore as you can see from the photos below.

They have spent all day exploring the big pen and I let the others out about 4pm when I got back from town.



I got some grapes on the way back so threw some in for them all. They were too big for the banties – or else they were just not bothered having spent all day digging holes, and having a whale of a time.



But the big girls soon cleaned them up.
Before breakfast in the biting winds, I did yet more work on the pen – pulling up a lot of the hedge as the London Ladies just disappeared for the day. They seem to prefer the gap in the middle and the dust bath in the bowl, although when I looked this afternoon Freckles was in the huge one – camouflaged as she is so dark.

I did a not of gardening and finished off the build a ball netting frame. I went into town 8+ miles away this afternoon to collect the netting, having phoned first of course. When I got there it hadn’t come in, the youngster that took the call just said it had because they happen to sell netting – but I had a special order for a very large piece. It was so annoying. Still, not the end of the world.

On the way back I called into the village shop for a couple of bits and got some reduced in price fruit which is now in my food drier. These grapefruits, and oranges are destined for Christmas decoration, maybe some soap recipes, and for pot puree – presents of course.



If you could smell my conservatory now – the smell of them gently drying is amazing.
I have four trays of mixed grapefruit and oranges and I also got some grapes in perfect condition apart from a couple on the top that caught cold – so I have share half and half with the chooks and us – ours are in the drier too.



I have just checked the fruit and they are at the crystalizing stage. All glittery and twinkling.

I am eating my wholemeal bread and home made butter with Norfolk honey from the village beekeeper whilst typing this. Naughty but nice.

It was my intention to go up the allotment in the morning if the weather let us – but instead early morning I will be off to Huntingdon with Pat to collect another Eglu – a green one this time. Quite a trip but worth it. The person selling it did have two chickens that came with it, but I can’t introduce any more – that is too many – at the moment!

More of that later.

Cooking tonight – I still have half a dozen eggs despite freezing a dozen yesterday. I still haven’t made those scones, and I want to make a couple of cakes.

Best go put the girls to bed.

London Ladies Early Morning Stroll

As the London Ladies were out and about today first thing, I dashed in and got my camera and stood in the biting wind in my dressing gown and mac to take these photos for you.



Pumpkin awaiting her turn whilst Dilly is having a drink. Freckles at the back eating


Eating breakfast al fresco - they found some corn in the straw, and queuing up for a drink. They had a peanut feeder of food hanging up and fresh water too, but the preferred their emergency rations where the middle hedge was.



Just out of bed at 6.30am and up the top end, having a look and then a bath in the big dust bath whilst the Norfolk Lasses are having breakfast.


Inspecting the changes. They were spending all day in the hedge so I never got to see them, so I have removed the middle section. They stil have two hides but I have added a covered mini dust bath for them next to one of the hide



Checking by their personal dustbath shelter to make sure that their favourite hide was still there. It is a dust bowl as they are so tiny!

All quiet on the home front

Eggs Total to Date: 307 Day:135

KoKKo 102 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 102 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 103 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006

No eggs laid as at 7am today. Talking of which, I noticed a typing error yesterday and had to go back through all my pages from 22 February to change the date from 22.2.2005 to 22.2.2006 for Gingers personal best! I suppose I could have left it but it really irritated me once I had seen it.

Day 5 of my 'getting to know you' strategy with the Norfolk Lasses and the London Ladies. I decided to leave the Eglu door ajar last night after I had gathered the roosting banties and put them in with the big girls. They are all happy to snuggle up together in the Eglu, so the next stage was to see if they minded getting up themselves and hanging around in the locked up run for a while before I let them out.

And they didn't mind. As I suspected the big girls were out and about in the run, and the little ones know to have a lie in until the home owners are out in the 'garden pen'.

So I let them out and put up their feeders outside and then Dilly, Pumpkin and Freckles came out, doing that wonderful little dancy walk. I put in their warm water and food and Ginger came around to go in and feed from it - out of curiousity - but I did not want to risk her getting stroppy over the food, especially as hers was outside. So I locked the run again, and left the little ones playing. I will open it after breakfast.

Snow again today, just an icing sugar covering but more threatening in the sky. So indoor things to day. Just of to start on my loaves of bread. I am going to treat myself kindly for a couple of days, if I can sit still long enough, so today we are having a lazy lunch, home made Somerset Apple sausages that I made and froze, two large eggs each, and a doorstep of my wholemeal bread with toasted sesame and sunflower seeds. Not too good for the waste, but wonderful for the soul.

Better get a move on!

10.28am

The bread is in the tins and on its second prove, so will be ready in time for lunch.

I have just made two tubs of butter and am off to make some scones with the butter milk. I will have to freeze some of them and ration them out though!

The postman delivered the builda balls that I ordered off the net - I did phone around the nearest downs to see if I could find a shop that sold them first - but no luck.

So whilst Pat is out bowling this afternoon and if it stops raining, I might make a start on the framework for the netting for the chicken run to keep the wild birds off. See how the weather goes and how I feel.

Off to bake some scones now.



The bread was still warm when we had lunch, and the freshly made butter just melted onto it. I can't describe how good that tasted.

The apple and pork sausages were the absolute bizz - moist and tasty and appley - made a change from the spicy and herby ones I do.

KoKKo Adelaide and Ginger did us proud, and the egg yolks were huge and tasty, and thick. I am full to bursting now!

The girls have laid three more eggs today, and I have frozen a dozen for when they moult and go off lay. There is no way that I am going to buy eggs again.

Will be back this evening with updates

Guilt ridden at 7am

Eggs Total to Date: 304 Day:134

KoKKo 101 Personal best egg weight 86grms 29.11.2005
Adelaide 101 Personal best egg weight 80grms 26.02.2006
Ginger 102 Personal best egg weight 78grms 22.02.2006


I was awake at 2am and again at 4am, then at 5.45am, then awoke again at 6.55am.

You have never seen my aching bones move so quickly. I sprang out of bed like a 16 year on a love struck date!

And the reason? I slept through the alarm - an all time first for me. I have been so exhausted these past few days, mainly from mithering over my new additions.

You would have laughed if you had seen me. Racing through the bungalow sliding into flip flops as I went, grabbing keys, jug of warm water and mac as I dashed out the back door, pausing only for a moment to see if I could hear mayhem coming from the Eglu.

None, that was it then, I was too late. I went in and filled up their water containers and still no sound. By now I felt sick to the stomach. KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger would usually be going crazy by now cooped up in daylight with the door closed - they are used to getting up and going out when they want to and not as late as 7am!

I returned with the feeders and hung them up and heard the 'open this door will you' clucking start.

I opened it quickly and there were a burst of bodies all rushing out the door at once, with their morning shriek! They all piled our together except Freckles.

Dilly and Pumpkin ran straight into the hedge squawking to avoid the crush! The big girls dashed straight out into the pen to run and stretch and flap and drink and eat.

There was an anxious wait whilst I plucked up the courage to go and look for the remains of Freckles little broken body - or even devoured body.

I was frozen to the spot - when out swaggered Freckles, without a care in the world. She did her slipper shuffle, stretched her wings and walked down and stood at the entrance to the run, looking like a lady standing at her back door and see what the day's weather was like. I laughed with relief and joy at the sight!

She did her funny little chook chook chook noise talking to herself or maybe she was calling Pumpkin and Dilly to see where they were!

Getting no immediate response, you could almost hear her thinking as she gave one little warble which sounded like the equivalent of 'suit yourself then' and went back in and got stuck into the serious task of having her breakfast and warm drink.

Dilly and Pumpkin came out of the hedge and did a bit of stretching and scratching at the ground and preening. And that is how I left them all.

I did check out the Eglu for signs of feathers or blood - but there was not a single feather or a tiny drop of blood - and no eggs either yet.

Phew. Well at least I know that they get on with each other in a small confined spaced without any fighting. I think that I will leave the Eglu and run doors open tonight to see if they all go to bed together. The worse case scenario would be that I have to search the hides for the banties, but my guess would be that they would roost on the broom handle as usual so I could peel them gently off there.

I think that I can tentively say that the girls are now used to each other. The keep to their own 'patches' at the moment, in their trios, and eat out of their 'own' feeders - and there hasn't been any fights - thank goodness for that.

Back later with an update.

If it doesn't rain or snow, I think that I deserve a trip up the allotment this morning to do some muck spreading. - What a glamorous life I lead!

Update
I never did get up to the allotment - freezing drizzle and sleet put paid to that. Pat told me not to go and to take it easy today. So reluctantly I did - and I feel a lot better for doing so.

Nice surprises in the post, a parcel from Omlet with some new roosting bars which I had ordered. I thought that I would get some so that I can change them over every week - one to wash and one to wear. They can be pressure washed and can dry out naturally then I also treated myself to a chef's type apron, I have always wanted one, it is black with a very tasteful chicken logo on it in white.

A letter from the hospital to confirm at long last my MRI scan next month - so pleased about that and a packet of seeds.

I left the chickens to their own devices all day, and there were no scenes whatsoever. Adelaide, KoKKo, and Ginger spent almost all day outside the run, using the feeders and water that I had hung outside. They did have a peek through the hedge, but just quietly and gently with curiosity, rather than with any malice, and they didn't interfere with Dilly, Freckles or Pumpkin at all.

I went back at dusk hoping that they might have gone in to either roost in the run or even gone in to the Eglu - no such luck - I have made them far to comfy. The Nofolk Lasses has of course, but the London Ladies were snuggled up in the flower pots in the straw - well Pumpkin was, and the other two were snuggled together in a pile of straw that they had made into a little nest.

When I talked to them they answered me so that I could find them, in the dark and I lifted them out and put them into the Eglu where they snuggled up to the others.

I have left the door ajar, but the run locked, so they can all let themselves out into the run first thing. No food or water in there for them to argue about - just in case - and I will be up early to let them out of the run to feed and drink. It was bitterly cold and starting to snow when I came in.

Today I made some body cream - well you can use it for your face as well as all over - as lip balm - even as hair wax.

I was pleasantly surprised how it turned out. I used shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, in equal proportions, some aromatherapy oils, geranium, clary sage, and lavender, and then I added a little bit of virgin olive oil.

It is wonderful - I used it on my face and poor hardworking hands and they are as soft as silk. Really impressive - and no chemicals. I am going to make some as presents, and I have found some other nice recipes to try too.

I made a rissotto for lunch, nice and easy, and amongst other things I used my dried mushrooms -yummy.

It is amazing how quickly the day has flown by. Pat made me sit down and relax after lunch to watch Jimmy's Farm - he recorded it as it was on the same time as West Ham's match last night. I don't think that I have ever sat down and watched something in the afternoon.

Three more eggs today - all in the right place - from KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger, but none from Freckles, Dilly or Pumpkin, but I do not expect many, if any.

For Science Week, Omlet have issued forms to do a study to see how many eggs are laid by each chicken a week in an Eglu - so I am doing my bit and filling it out.

Till tomorrow then.

Forgotten Allotment news?

I have not forgotten that I started this to record my work on my allotment - but at the moment the weather is too bad, the soil had been either waterlogged, or frozen, so I can' t do much on there.

I am itching to get going on it, and have so much to do as do all you gardening people. So just so you don't get too many withdrawal symptoms here are just two of the things I pulled up when I went to get the chickens their rations. Two January King Cabbages - and they tasted absolutely delicious gently steamed. We had one of them with Bunny Burgers yesterday, mange tout, pumpkin mash, green beans, white roasted beetroot, and parsnips! Yummy.

Bedtime Banties and the Dawn Patrol

Eggs - Total to date: 301 - Day 133

KoKKo 100 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 100 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 101 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

Just after 7pm when it was pitch black dark here in Norfolk, tipping it down with cold torrential rain, I went out with my torch to put the lovely London Ladies to bed.

Dilly and Freckles were roosting on the perch and looked just about ready for bed. They looked quite happy where they were chatting away to each other, but at this stage in their integration it is best to tuck them up in bed with the Norfolk Carrot Crunchers.

For some reason Pumpkin was stil up and about, shuffling, and scratching about in the run.

I quietly chatted to them, and Pumpkin came to me and let me pick her up. I was rather pleased about that for two reasons.

(a) I could never ever get through the run door, and now that it is 3 metres long, if I could there was no way that I would want to slither along on my tummy like a sidewinder snake trying to catch a chicken that decided not to go to bed. And more so because I was soaking wet and cold and very tired after being awake since 2am.

(b) Pumpkin, the Buff Bantam, was the one that didn't let me pick her up on the first afternoon - although I have picked her up quite a bit since and we have had some heart to heart conversations. But to come to me willingly to be picked up and put to bed gave me an enormous feeling of achievement and pleasure.

I did as promised and cuddled her and gave her a kiss from her family in London. When I put her in with Adelaide, KoKKo and Ginger, there were no complaints at all.



I then went and had a little chat to Dilly before lifting hwe off the perch - you can see that she was actually interested in what I had to say, but Freckles, just wanted the lights out and to get some sleep.

So three times I walked the walk, getting wetter and wetter, with a bantam tucked in my mack to keep it dry, and put it to bed with the others. Then I did one more trip with the torch to see how they were in the Eglu and they were all snuggled up with the others - not a cluck of protest.

Just the locking up and putting away of food and water containers to do, and back in the warm for me.

Patrick said that he had never seen me looking so tired and shattered before. -I am sure that he must have!

Today I didn't let them out until dawn, at 5.45am. Another wet day, but it had stopped raining although everything is dripping wet. I could hear the usual morning noises coming from the Eglu so they were all awake and ready to get up. Adelaide and the other two are used to being able to get up when they want and do not like the bedroom door closed - in case they need to do a comfort stop I guess, so I let them out, and hung up three feeders.

Out they came in a lazy walk again, instead of their usual rush - it seems that they are taking up some of the habits of the London Ladies. Off out of the run for their dawn Patrol - another new habit, they used to mob me and dive on their breakfast - looks like they have learned a bit of decorum too from Dilly, Freckles and Pumpkin.

They walked around the pen, having that wonderful first stretch of the day - nice doing that isn't it, and you can see they enjoy it too.

They pecked some raindrops running down the plastic run covers and scratched about looking for worms.

I stood there waiting with bated breath again for the fashion models to make an apprearence. They certainly know how to make an entrance. It seemed like a long time, but it must have only been a couple of minutes before they did their ususal sashay down the run, as though they were walking down a catwalk. Not a feather out of place. Pumpkin characteristically did her usual little Ginger Rogers happy soft shoe shuffle. And they all just scratched casually around for a bit, before having a drink of warm water, and sauntering over for breakfast.

They looked for all the world that they have lived here all their lives and were not the slightest bit nervous or worried about anything. I stood there for 10 minutes watching them all, and they were two happy sets of triplets doing their own thing. So that is how I left them. All eating breakfast from their respective feeders, and very happy and contented without any animosity to each other- just doing what chickens do without a care in the world.

Freckles was standing in the doorway of the run discussing with the other two whether or not to go fot a constitutional walk in their 'woods' which is what the hedge must look like in their little eyes.

Still early days yet, but I couldn't have wished for a better introduction so far. Just six little feathers yesterday on the floor from Dilly - where it looked like she pushed her luck and ate from a feeder that belonged to the triplets. When I picked her up to see if she was alright, I gave her a thorough examination but couldn't for the life of me find where those feathers had been plucked from!

And as Pat said, I am assuming that one of the big girls was to blame, it might have been one of the other banties. After all, they must have had a pecking order, and we don't know what that was.

I might leave them all morning before checking up on the egg situation. I ended up spending most of the day yesterday, in and out their pen, making additional hides and improving the two I had made the night before. Adding hidden feeding and water stations, and generally keeping an eye on things.

I need a bit of a rest before physio anyway - I think I will be in for a bit of a lecture - but it will be worth it.

10am Update

All quiet and happy on the Chicken Run front. The London Ladies are in the woods, at the moment all chatting away in one corner - I can see this becoming their favourite and all the effort I put into building the rest a total waste of a few hours! freckles has taken up residence in the big flower pot on it's side with straw it. It is so big the others might be in there too. I moved a branch to peek and she made me jump and went a my hand like a hammer drill - didn't hurt me, but it would scare Norfolk Lasses to bits.

No stray feathers, shrieks or squawks so they seem to have settled into their own routines.

I am very pround of Adelaide, KoKKo and Ginger today, they have now laid 100 eggs each!

4.30pm Update

When I came back from physio and we sat having lunch looking out onto the chicken pen, it was lovely to see that the London Ladies were out and about by the hedge scratching about looking for worms - mirroring the Norfolk Lasses doing the same thing but on a bigger scale by the pen gate. They all looked really happy scratching away in the sunshine. I couldn't rush out and take a photo as Adelaide & Co usually stop what they are doing and rush to see what I might have in my hand - so we just ate lunch watching them.

A little later I saw the London girls scoot into the hedge as Ginger went down there. I thought that she was after them as she was rummaging around near where they disappeared - but later I was to find that I had totally misjudged her - she was searching for a way into the wooden house to lay an egg.

Dilly, Freckles and Pumpkin have a favourite hide - the flower pot turned on its side, so I have bought two more pots - bigger green ones and plastic too. So I have spent the entire afternoon dismantling the whole hedge, getting rid of the wooden box hutch type house, and installing the new green hides, and re-planting the whole hedge again.

There are now three hides hidden away each with straw linings and water and food. All at different angles, so they will be nice and dry. The hedge will be virtually inpenetrable by the Norfolk lasses, but a warren of alleys for the bantams. I also dismantled the covered dust bath and removed one of the roof panels, which now covers their favourite corner and hide from back to front so it will be totally dry, windproof, and snow proof, and the big girls will not even be able to peek in - and that includes me!

I know that I probably sound mad, doing all this, but I think it is worth it to provide the very living conditions possible for happy healthy hens.

Up the other end I have got rid of the hide altogether as the little ones didn't use it, so there is lots more space.

I am beginning to feel a tab bit sorry for the Ginger, KoKKo and Adelaide, as it was clear this afternoon, and especially this time of night that they want to go into the run, ready for roosting - but the London Ladies are swanning around in there, scratching about, eating supper and pecking the greens as if they own the place. The other three have all the same facilities outside, but they look a bit upset at being locked out. They will go around the back and get in the Eglu through the side port to roost, but it is not the same.

By the weekend they will be able to go in and out through the run I am sure.

4.45am

The window cleaner came yesterday – what is interesting in that you might wonder. Well actually he is a very interesting and knowledgeable man.

He rears pheasants, geese and also keeps partridges. He is a Norfolk man, and knows so much about country ways.

He asked me how I was getting on with the chickens, and we had a long conversation about things. Apparently I am doing everything right, but he made a few suggestions. – Similar things I had in mind, but slightly different.

I intended coppicing some of my trees and using them in the corners for the chickens to perch on. The window cleaner suggested that I cut down some of the tops of my conifer hedges instead, and made shelters in a couple of corner for the chooks. I had put up a windbreak as you can see in the photos – the green material – but the conifer provides shelter and cover.

So that is what I did yesterday afternoon. I made two ‘hides’, by cutting down some branches and pushing them into the ground and bending them over. They are nice little hidey holes and the bantams will love them. I am going to see if I can get some mini tyres to tuck inside and fill them with straw, as apparently fowl love snuggling down inside them – he uses car tyres for his pheasants.

I have got a few lavender bushes, a honeysuckle and a couple of rose bushes already on the inside borders of the run, and along the outside there are shrubs, climbers and perennial flowers all around, but I think that I might plant some more hedge type plants inside along the fence to give them permanent cover – I will have to do some research into that.

An idea has just sprung to mind. – A couple of years ago I made myself a willow arch – which is growing, and a couple of obelisks for clematis and climbing roses. So I could get some more willow this year, and made some out of that! They would look attractive too wouldn’t they?

The pen is next to the pergola and above it is a grape vine, so they will get shade and grapes from that in the summer. When the perimeter garden fence is repaired, ( a couple of the wooden panels have fallen down) and if the bird flu scare blows over, they will be able to free range all around the garden and snuggle up underneath the hedges like the pheasants used too.

I found out from the window cleaner why we no longer get pheasants in the garden. The reason that Cocky and Phyllis disappeared a couple of years ago apparently is because the farmer sold some land to a horse trainer – which we knew about, and there are now gallops in the field the other side of my neighbours garden – so the
farmer stopped rearing pheasants and having pheasant shoots. Mystery solved.

4.45pm

I can hardly move and I can hardly keep my eyes open. I spent most of the day making hides for the London Ladies. Just so that they have a natural habitat to hide in and some food and water – worst case scenario catered for!

One in the far corner made out of conifer hedge, pushed into the damp earth and made like an igloo, barley straw nest inside and peanut feeder and a tin of water.

Down the front end I started off by making a hide in each corner – then I thought it would be good if I gave them cover for the whole width – so if needs be, they could run and hide quickly all along the ‘hedge’ and escape the Carrot Crunchers.


So I added a rabbit hutch affair that I had made for temporary accommodation for the girls. This I covered in plastic, and camouflaged, added Aubiose bedding and straw around the modesty part just in case they get inspired to lay. You can just get a glimpse of it in the middle



If you click on the photos it enlarges them - you can see Freckles, Dilly,and Pumpkins head!

The hedge then continues to the corner and a big flower pot that had a chunk broken out of the side (I knew it would come in handy one day), turned upside down to make a little house, with straw bedding. Another igloo of conifer and evergreen laurel, and a tin of layers mash and water with more hedges pieces to make a protective barrier.



Oh goodey, no one can see us now!

The London Ladies loved it, and soon snuggled down dust bathing and chatting. When I let out the other three they searched but couldn’t find them – so the girls felt nice and safe. Even when the Carrot Crunching trio were locked in the run the little ‘uns were happy to just wander around the hedge.



Adelaide, Ginger, and KoKKo, the Carrot Crunchers, trying to see where the London Ladies are - they never found them!

The new run extension arrived this afternoon, and Pat helped me add it. The London Ladies were put back in the run and they looked lost in such a huge space. They revelled in being in there on their own, kicked up the Aubiose again, did the soft shoe shuffle, rolled in it, dusted in it, ate and chatted. They are there now. Adelaide, KoKKo and Ginger, are outside the run and having a field day digging their way to Australia as I had raked the run so they just have to scratch it all up again to explore.

The egg port is open for them to roost and Pumpkin, Dilly and Freckles will no doubt roost on the broom handle perch high up in the run. I will very gently peel them off when it is pitch black outside and put them in the Eglu with the other trio.

Phew what a day. Tomorrow I will be up early again, but not feeling so anxious. It is such a huge responsibility when you have been entrusted with, and adopted three tiny little bantams, to ensure that their transition to our little flock goes as smoothly as possible.

Eccentric Englishwoman ? 100th Egg for Ginger

Eggs - Total to date: 298 - Day 132

KoKKo 99 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 99 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 100 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

*****100th egg for Ginger*****

My visitors to this site from overseas, will probably think that I am the epitome of an eccentric Englishwoman - and at 5.15am on a bitterly cold March morning, dressed in my PJ's, long fluffy pink dressing gown, pink fleece, and long beige mackintosh that reaches almost to the floor, outside filling up breakfast containers for my little flock of chickens - I might have been inclined to agree with you!

But it was an act of love. I have been awake since 2.16am - (I have a digital clock beside my bed so I know the time to the second! ) I've been lying awake wondering how they all got on overnight, and what scene might await me this morning. Bald bums, bare necks or just a blood bath of feathers and flesh. It is that time of night and in the following wee small hours of the morning that one's imagination runs riot! -Together with a penchant for murder and mystery books as stimulating bed time reading!

So there I was up and out with torch and a churning stomach to make the necessary preparations and to face the scene.

I filled up all four 'peanut' feeders (so named for their shape rather than their purpose), with layers mash, organic pellets, poultry spice, garlic powder and Diatom. Just a smidgeon of each of the last three.

I then filled up three water containers with warm water and a dash of citricidal, and made the trips to and fro to the pen.

You can picture the scene I am sure - tiptoeing quietly, torch tucked under the crook of my arm, and feeders in each hand, unlocking the pen, and then the run. Trying not to make a noise to wake the hopefully, still sleeping, flock.

I hooked a feeder on either side of the run inside, one on the outside, and another on the chicken wire perimeter fencing. Then I placed the stainless steel bowl with the warm water outside the run and two smaller containers of water near the other outside feeding stations.

I then waited until just before dawn, and opened their door, and quietly made a quick exit stage left - literally - to observe from a distance as Adelaide, Ginger and KoKKo would be bound to come running to me for their early morning chat and stroke, and if the banties did so too, it might cause some jealousy.

First out, quietly and dignified was Adelaide, followed by KoKKo then Ginger. Just walking sedately to see what the day had brought. They inspected the run. It was not what I expected.

What I did expect was an enormous explosion of birds and feathers and noise, followed by a lot of screeching and flapping of wings, and hysterical chasing about!

All was quiet, and no banties. The wait was nerve-wracking, my stomach was churning and I felt slightly nauseous. I had been entrusted to care for the beautiful bantam babes, oh my goodness what if..........

Then about 30 seconds later, Freckles appeared and just walked out and about amongst the first three as though she had been doing it every day. About 10 seconds later, out came Pumpkin, shuffling away with splayed legs as she always does, kicking up the hemp as she walked like a child kicking up the autumn leaves. And last out of bed was Dilly - again, showing no signs of apprehension or fear. Perhaps they were all half asleep.

The big girls walked out into the run and did the morning patrol.

Adelaide leading,

"Attention, come along girls look lively, something's been going on out here and I want to know what it is! Off to do the perimeter inspection then, by the double."

And so Adelaide set off down the bottom end and had a close look at something I had been working on - more of that in the next post. Ginger went the other way, and KoKKO inspected the dust bath. It was rather unusual as they didn't rush to feed or drink, which I thought they would.

Meanwhile the London Ladies took a more leisurely stroll - obviously used to late nights and late risings, had a peck first at feeder inside and then at the other, and casually came out and took a long drink from the water dish. Went back in for another spot of breakfast, and back out for a drink.

Pumpkin decided to push her luck and walked up to one of the outside feeders where Adelaide was, and got told off, but no pecking just a short shriek and a flapping of wings to send her shuffling back to the others. She didn't even rush, and swaggered off with a nonchelant, 'Not bovvered' air - so the language couldn't have been that bad!

By this time, my feet were like blocks of ice - so I have left my little flock as the dawn chorus was starting up.

The Carrot Crunchers at one end of the pen doing their morning exercises, and three rather confident and fashionable London Ladies swanning about at the other end, inspecting the new playground.

Check back later when I will have checked for eggs and seen them all in daylight!

7.40am Update

All was quiet when I went out there just now, but there has been a little bit of a kafuffle as a few of Dilly's feathers were in front of one of the feeders so I went in to check them out. Dilly was in the run, and looked alright, Freckles was in the nest box, and Pumpkin was in one of the shelters.

Then all three came out when I went in there, and then ran for it down the other end of the pen - but the Carrot Crunchers were not chasing them, just eating - so something has gone on.

I think that I will totally stay away from even going near the pen to have a look until after lunch when I take in their greens.

Best to leave them too it. No signs of anything serious happening. When I left the London Ladies were still up the other end and moaning, but were not being harassed.

London Girls versus the Carrot Crunchers

Eggs - Total to date: 295 - Day 131

KoKKo 98 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 98 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 99 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

Two eggs today from the girls - I am quite surprised to get them from KoKKo and Ginger, as they have been a bit upset about their living arrangements. Never mind, they'll get over it.

11.30am

My fingers are tingling as they come back to life from being almost frozen picking broccoli leaves for my ‘flock’. Soon they will start to burn, so I any typing errors you can put down to that.

Phew where do I start?

Last night when I put the London girls to bed – after gently peeling them off where they had roosted, snuggled up on the broom stick in the run, I was not sure whether to close the Eglu door or not.

A bit like when you have someone else’s children to stay – or in my case our grandchildren. Do they like the door open or closed, what time do they like to get up in the morning, do they have any special preferences for breakfast?

So I left the door ajar – I figured that if they thought roosting up under the plastic covered run, was fine by them, then in the Eglu with the door open was better.

So when I went out this morning they were already up, coiffured and dressed up to the nines, tucking daintily into layers mash with a few pellets for breakfast. I gave them fresh warm water, and offered them some pear cores with pips in which they dived on – very unladylike – which was a good sign, and Dilly–Dilly, who’s name I will shorten to just one Dilly to save on the typing was happy to eat from my hand. They will just have to grow accustomed to my different accent I guess. I was singing to her quietly as she pecked, ‘Lavender’s blue, dilly dilly, Lavender’s green……….




She didn’t mind in the slightest! Then Freckles the black and white bantam and Pumpkin the Buff one just tucked in giving me a cursory glance – but I know what they were thinking. You can see how pink my fingers are with the cold!




I went and got Ginger, Adelaide and KoKKo out of their open prison, and brought them into the pen, and you could almost feel their glee as they inspected everything to make sure it was just as they left it.



I hung their feeder up on this side of the run near the banties so they get used to eating together, and scattered corn mix along both sides of the run too so they all were pecking away at it.

There is a bit of ‘name ‘ calling between the two groups. The carrot crunchers on one side in their plain but practical outfit, and the IT girls on the other dressed in the latest fashion, and totally unsuitable for trudging around in mud – but nowadays you can have the best of both worlds – live in the country, but have the mod cons – as my girls do.



I went up the allotment and picked lovely purple broccoli leaves for them all – then remembered that I had better pick the dainty tasty little ones from off the top of the plants for the babes.



These were tied in their respective bunches on the run, inside and out, and they all pecked away.



Can you see Dilly Dilly the Lavender pekin looking all nonchalent. Just after I took this photo she rushed and pecked Ginger through the wire to stop her eating their greens!

Ginger went off to lay an egg for about 15 minutes whilst I decided to wait until she had finished so that I could collect it.



She sat there clucking all the while and eventually stood up and made the most amazing and noisiest almost crowing noise imaginable. She stretched herself as tall as she could and would not stop. I picked her up and gave her a cuddle and tried to shush her but still she shrieked. She hadn’t even laid and egg when I looked either!

Then the other two started complaining bitterly to me, and kept walking from their green to the corner where I usually hang them in their little cage. So I picked off the big bunch and stripped all the leaves off and put them in the cage and hung it up.

They still had a moan, but fed from my hand. The London ladies just lay on the floor sunbathing, looking on bemused.



I decided at that point it was best to leave them too it. They seemed to make more fuss when I was there, mobbing me and moaning, than when I wasn’t.

Update

I spent a couple of hours with them again this afternoon - but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I am all typed out - and I will off out to see them again for a few more times as the Carrot Crunchers and London Ladies will be spending they first sleepover together - which has to be choreographed very carefully - they all have to be asleep when I do it! I hope it is not going to be a long cold night for me!

Off to give them a bit of wheat and sweetcorn dried mix to keep them warm tonight.

Will be back bleary eyed tomorrow.

The big day dawns and the newbies arrive.

Eggs - Total to date: 293 - Day 130

KoKKo 97 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 98 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 98 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

I was up really early and got the bread going and it was in the cupboard rising before 8.30am.

It was so cold and frosty this morning that the girl’s drinking water was frozen inside their house!

They were fine when I went in there to see them, Adelaide and KoKKo had laid eggs, and they tucked into their breakfast when I took it in.

It looks like they had roosted on one of the shelves in there by the look of the row of poo! And I went to all that trouble to make a house for them too! At least they laid their egg in the right place.

I felt sorry for them being in there so I moved them back into the pen, and left the Eglu door open for Ginger in case she felt the urge to lay an egg. After much huffing and puffing and making a big song and dance about having to walk around the back of the Eglu now that I had moved it, she went in and happily clucked away – I gave up waiting after 10 minutes of watching and waiting.

The girls trooped around the pen inspecting everything, and making a bit of a fuss when they could not get into the run to inspect they new white stuff inside. They were soon happily tucking into their food and drink and greens, and scratching away in the new wood chip, to get down to the soil for worms!

And there I left them happily playing whilst I got on with rest of the jobs for today.

I had a lovely email from the lady whose bantams I have adopted and she was heartbroken at having to part with them, which made me feel so very sad – almost guilty at having them. But at least she and her family can log on any time and see them regularly posted on here.

At last they arrived – we had just finished lunch – when the door bell went.

It was love at first sight – three tiny weeny little fluff balls. I just wanted to cuddle them for ever, but I gently lifted the first two out and had a little cuddle and stroked and talked to them, and the third, the buff (ginger) one, who was at the back, decided she would walk in on her own – which she did.

I was amazed at how they just snuggled up and dust bathed in the sunshine, as happy as anything. They squeezed their little eyes closed and fluffed up their feathers and rolled on their sides, and over onto their other side – like fluffy little dogs rolling around. The peanut feeders were ready and waiting for them with layers pellets and water, and I put them both lower down for them.



Adelaide took exception to them eating I think, despite the fact that I had given them a new tin of sweet corn in a dish to eat. As I walked back indoors she started shouting, and when I went back into the pen and spoke to her she stopped, and then when I walked back out she shouted. And so in the end I put the triplets back into their accommodation with some treats, and they are settled down and quiet again now.

First thing I will put them back into the pen and she can shout as much as she likes until she gets used to the new girls. But as it was a wonderfully sunny Sunday, I thought it best not to leave her making a fuss.

I am just off to check on all of the girls, and relax, before going back later at dusk to make sure that they are all tucked up in bed.

6pm and all is quiet on the chicken front. The banties had roosted on the new broom handle that I had installed, and were snuggled up and happy dozing - and it looked so natural.

I was tempted to leave them there as they looked so comfortable - but I lifted them up and gently put them into the eglu house and they all squished in together in the nest box.

Whilst I am so happy to have adopted them, I feel so very much for the lovely family who have had to give them up. By posting regularly on my blog about them, as well as all the other things I type about, I hope that they can log on and see them happy and settled 'on holiday' in Norfolk.

As I live in a farming area with poultry farms, arable farm, and pig farms, keeping chickens in a garden is no big deal - compared to the thousands of all the chickens, ducks, turkeys etc around here.

So happy dust bathing

Lets roll about in the sunshine

They are finally here - and so beautiful and tiny!

They went straight in without any fuss.

Guess what secret I have been keeping? Read on!

Eggs - Total to date: 287 - Day 128

KoKKo 95 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 96 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 96 (78grms) 22.2.2005 Personal best weight

I am taking a bit of a breather and giving my back a rest before I start cooking this afternoon.

From where I am sitting in the lounge, I can see through my patio doors to the pond beyond, and the surface is bouncing and rippling where the raindrop are hammering down on it. The fish don’t see to mind though and I can see some of the goldfish, and Hoover the huge black carp near the surface. It is still too cold to start feeding them, and all winter I marvel at they fact they survive without food. Nature is such a wonderful thing.

Another wonderful thing I can see which makes me really laugh out loud, are two tiny wrens. I have a raised flower bed running at right angles to the bungalow. It is made up of four railway sleepers and it is wonderful to see what is going on at eye level when you are sitting down. What is, and has been entertaining me these past few days are the wrens. They are running around and around a willow obelisk I made a couple of years ago, and put in the bed to give it height. It is planted with clematis, and in the centre is a plant – I know not the name – with grassy leaves, that I bought from a stall somewhere by the side of the road, and now fills the entire centre.

For days now, the wrens have been running around and around one way, and then the next – looking like they are playing a game of hide and seek – or catch me if you can. They seem full of the joys of Spring and probably are, as my guess is, that it is a mating dance. Such tiny birds, but they race around at top speed for about an hour at a time!

Despite the rain, I spent this morning doing more in the chicken pen. I moved their Eglu and run, and raked all the wood chippings out of it, ready to put fresh down, but the girls were and still are, having such a fine time of scratching around and finding little worms, that I have decided to leave it until tomorrow or Sunday morning.

All day the rain has not stopped, but the chooks seem to be positively relishing it. There must be rich pickings now that the layer of wood chippings have been removed.


The other thing I have been doing is clearing out and tidying up my lean-to. This was a structure that the previous owner had had built onto the rear of the garages. Just a wooden framework with plastic corrugated roofing sheets. We had half of it enclosed and turned into a potting shed for me, and the other half enclosed up to window height but left open and I now have clothes lines under it so can leave washing out whatever the weather and throughout winter. Sorry – boring stuff you don’t need to know.

My main reason for the spring clean of the potting shed is because I want to use it to house my three chooks over night for a few days as I am adopting three more!

Someone advertised a home wanted for three bantams, which are located in London. I thought that they would be snapped up straight away, but they were not. So I said that I would adopt them as a last resort, but that I lived in Norfolk – miles away. A week or so ago I got a reply and when I asked if they could meet me, as it was too far for me to drive there and back, I waited for a reply. Then I received some photos, and then this week I got an email to ask if Sunday would be O.K.

So I have been bursting with excitement to talk about it – but have had to stay cool as Pat doesn’t know!

I want to go and collect them whilst he is watching the rugby final on television on Sunday and I will be gone a couple of hours at least – so I don’t now how to broach the subject at the moment! LOL

Anyway, today I have cleared out almost the entire lean to, except for a fitted bench along one wall. Everything is now neatly stacked and on shelves and protected so that the girls can’t hurt themselves on anything or knock any piles of pots over. Luckily they do not fly much – only Adelaide and that is only on top of the Eglu and dust bath to see what I am up too.

I have made them a temporary ‘bedroom’ complete with nesting box and privacy screen (a woven wicker lid off a picnic basket, which just happened to be the perfect size, so is now nailed on to the solid wooden box that resided in my garden shed and had my flower arranging containers in it! Their new night time hotel is ready for occupation and stood on bricks. The floor of the potting shed is paving slabs but with a narrow strip of soil down one side – so the girls will have great fun spreading that all around. I have put long wide tray of gravel in for them too, and it is nice and bright and dry and draught proof and the area is about 12ft by 4ft that they can actually use.

It would make a good chicken house actually, as to one side there is a raised flower bed, and sliding windows.

My plan is to clear out the Eglu house on Sunday morning, and put all fresh wood chips in the run and pen, and bedding in the nest box (after the girls have laid their eggs of course.) I will leave KoKKo, Adelaide and Ginger in the big pen, but excluded from the run – unless it is raining, then I will put them in the potting shed when I go to collect the newbies. They can, and do, shelter in their covered dust bath, so I might let them do that if they are happy, until roosting time, when I will move them.

The three newbies will have the Eglu and run overnight, then just the run during the day, leaving access to the Eglu via the egg port so the triplets can lay their eggs as usual (if they haven’t laid them already in their other temporary accommodation).
I hope to set up feeding stations on the inside and outside of the run, so that they get to feed in close proximity to each other, then after a couple of days will introduce them all together. Fingers crossed that it all goes to plan and well.

I had hoped that I would have had the netting in place and some outdoor perches up before the new girls arrived but with short notice I have had to improvise – hence keeping them apart for a bit. With the outdoor perches the bantams would have somewhere they could perch if they needed to escape attention!

I am now off to bake some goodies to make up a hamper for the lady who is giving me the bantams. Homemade lemon and lime curd, some home made cakes and biscuits and marmalade and some eggs too of course – and anything else I can think of as I am doing it.



And here are the cause of all my hard work and subterfuge - do you think they are worth it? I do!

My mate Cocky two years ago this week.

Just a couple of photos for you to look at until I have time to type up today’s blog. I will be a busy as usual today,

Here are a couple of photos of Cocky the pheasant that used to visit out garden on a daily basis with Phyllis one of his many girlfriends.



He was a bit of a character and had a harem of girl that just swooned. He had eight in our garden one spring.

Phyllis got very tame and used to feed out of my hand and lay eggs in the garden. She would sunbathe lying on her side by the fish pond, legs crossed, on the stones, like a little old lady. She would come into the conservatory demanding food with menaces and used to unnerve Pat but I thought it funny.

One day he was dozing off on the sun lounger and Phyllis pecked at his toes and he jumped out of his skin. Funnily enough he has gone off sunbathing outside since then!



Sadly either old age or by some other deed they haven’t visited the past couple of years and when they stopped coming we put in raised flower beds to make it easier for me to garden.

Yet more rain, but some bargains to be had

Eggs - Total to date: 284 - Day 127

KoKKo 94 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 95 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 95 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

I am a bit late posting today – been here, there and everywhere and pretty busy indoors too.

Up and out early to see to the chickens – three eggs today bless them. We have torrential rain all day today, every where is water logged. Really dreadful.

We went into Attleborough today, but I couldn’t get any of the things that I wanted, so had a browse in a charity shop and actually found some bargains.

I wanted to start a stash of material for a new hobby – patchwork and also appliqué. In the charity shop I found a box with material samples – those from interior design shops. The lady emptied them all out of the counter and we had a good old sort through. I probably haven’t picked the right sort of designs, but I went for coordinating colour schemes and just pieces that I liked. The swatches were all different prices, but the lady just put the ones I chose into a bag and charged me £1.50. When I got home and cut all the prices off they added up to £7.20. I also found a pressure cooker – I have wanted one for ages, and it was nice and shiny and hardly used – it even came complete with a recipe book. That was £9.50 and I also saw an electric yoghurt maker. I have one – a different sort, like an electric flask. The one I bought is rather posh one with about 8 or 10 individual glass pots with lids on a base. I haven’t got that out of the box yet to, but it has been checked out physically and the electricity has been checked and verified. I was amazed that it was only £2.20! I also go a hand made book which is hard to describe, if I get time tomorrow I will post some photos if anyone is interested. That was £2.20 too.

When I went to pay, the lady told me that there was a half price sale on, so I paid a total of a little over £8. Not often I get a real bargain like that! It made up for not getting the other things.

Did lots of jobs about the home, then this afternoon I made a birthday card for a little friend of mine. I should have taken a photo of it for here, but it took me a couple of hours to do and I had to get to the post office to catch the collection.

Caught up with a few forums, and am about to relax the rest of the evening.

Plans for tomorrow? None at the moment – but as terrible weather is forecast then probably indoor stuff.

Wetter Wednesday so time for taking it easy - ish

Eggs - Total to date: 281 - Day 123

KoKKo 93 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 94 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 94 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

Back from the hospital and feeling a lot brighter – despite the torrential rain. Lots of lovely comments on the blog for which I thank you. I was beginning to think that this was getting a bit boring.

The usual routine of up and out early for my cheerful chicken hit – what a good way to start off any day. They don’t care about the rain, the sun, the snow, the frost, they are so happy to be alive. Their usual breakfast of layers mash but some leftover pear cores and sweet corn to keep them occupied whilst was out. And a clean warm egg for me.

Pat was out bowling last night, and I was in here typing when there was a bang bang bang on the window. I opened the blinds to see face with glasses and flat cap soaking wet standing in torrential rain out side from front window.

When I went into the porch he was spotlighted with rain streaming off him. I unlocked the door to find one of Pat’s bowling friends with a box of fresh mushrooms for me. Poor man had been ringing the door bell and hammering on the letter box but I had not heard him! I don’t expect anyone to come to the door at that time of night in such bad weather.

So early this morning I was slicing up button mushrooms and putting them into my food dryer.



All five layers are full and I have about a quarter of the box to go yet. The curved side ends I have kept to make something out of them – tomorrow – when I might get a flash of inspiration.



Going into the conservatory just now, the most wonderful smell of mushrooms made me feel rather hungry. The bottom layer was almost done, so I took off the trays and layered them in the opposite way. They have dried quicker than I had expected. Have you ever smelt warm dry cooked mushrooms – they have just the most amazing aroma.

The mushroom farm is in another village not too far from here, so I think that I will be paying them some trips over the next few months. It is nice to have a store of them in the cupboard. So quick and easy to use – I will never have to buy a tin of them again. Buying that machine was money well spent, and it will have paid for itself by the end of the summer if now sooner!

As I have a little while before I need to make lunch, I have taken some photos of the little propagator with the seeds in. Pat says that as it such a rotten day, he will take me to the garden centre – quite a way from here – and stock up on bags of compost for me. They are doing 5 bags for £10, and the cheapest I have seen the same weight and quality for were 3 bags for £10. I think that he is trying to cheer me up a bit – or to ensure that I don’t do too much today!

He does not like garden centres, but once in a while I just like to have a mooch around just to see what is in store this year.

The seedling photos came out a bit blurry so I with have to have a rethink and perhaps photograph them with a background.

Well we went to the garden centre via Attleborough, New Buckenham, Old Buckenham, and lots of other little villages to Pulham. It was a 30 mile round trip but even after the fuel costs we still saved £10. They were 75 ltr bags - enough to keep me supplied all the summer. He suggested that I nipped in there and paid for the compost and he would drive down to the pick up point to collect them. Which is what happened so we were in and out and on our way in 20 minutes.

When we got home I sliced up the rest of the mushrooms and filled up four more trays which are now dried and packed. Definitely will do those again.

I am making some plans, which I hope to put in place at the weekend. But I need the rain to slow down or stop. More of that though if it all works out.





I

Not much fun today!

Eggs - Total to date: 279 - Day 122

KoKKo 93 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 93 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 93 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

I have been out of action today, and it has been pouring down with rain – and still is – I haven’t missed much have I?

The girls laid three eggs again and the heaviest was 77grms and they were all in the 70’s grms. I took my physio a couple of slices of both of the cakes I made and she was delighted. She is so petite and slim, I thought that she might not eat cake – but she loves cakes, but rarely cooks them, as she is single.

In hindsight I think that I should have given them or not after my treatment as it was the most painful yet! In her defence she did say that my muscles had seized up, for some reason. I asked her what sort of thing could have caused that – and she said lifting heavy things. You wouldn’t have thought that lifting things would effect your neck would you? I owned up to digging up the row of parsnips – but not to the clearing out the chicken pen!

Still – are forecast lots of rain, so indoor jobs will be the order of the day for this week.



The Woodland border.



Talking of clearing out the chicken run – here are some photos that I took of the wood chips from there which I have now used as mulch.



This is another bed which was mulched a week ago and nothing was showing then - now look at the new beginnings. Wait until you see it in early summer it is a picture.

The vegetable seeds sowed in the little propagators on the windowsill have started to grow already.

I'll take some photos tomorrow, and post those. It won't be until the afternoon though - I have to pop into Norwich for a hospital visit.

Sorry its a bit short today.

Up the allotments today

Mike doing his shed base





Up the allotment today - one of the 'tractor boys' with some serious kit! This rotorvator cost £2.5k about 5 or 6 years ago. They keep it at home and bring it up on the back of a four wheel drive truck. They grow broad beans, and potatoes - and not much else! Wish Father Christmas would by me a rotorvator like that - and a man to do the work with it!

Cleaning out the pen

Frozen slabs of wood chips


Ginger came to say hello as I go in with my spade



Adelaide - always in the way


Scratching around once I cleared an area. KoKKo pre-occupied in the corner - on a mission. Ginger trying to see what Adelaide has found.

Such a sunny Sunday.

Eggs - Total to date: 273 - Day 120

KoKKo 91 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 91 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 91 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

It is 2.30pm and we have just finished Sunday lunch, so I am going to have a rest this afternoon – if I can sit still for long enough.

Up early to glorious sunshine and hard thick frost again. The water in the bird bath was frozen solid, and so too some water that had accumulated in the wheel barrow under the pergola.

The chickens didn’t seem to mind and were their usual chirpy selves – although slower than usual to come out of their run.

After breakfast (a late one) I managed to persuade Pat to help me take some things up the allotment. The dismantled compost bin, the contents of which were emptied on the flower beds last weekend. I also had some composting things to go in my bean trenches, and wanted to dig up some parsnips and get some broccoli and have a look around of course.

Whilst Pat was reading his Sunday paper basking in the sunshine pouring through the windows of the conservatory, I was cleaning out the chickens. I took them some tomatoes to distract them whilst I got on with the job as I wanted to do a spring clean on it. Three eggs were waiting for me, bless them, and nice and warm too, so had only been laid minutes before.

We eventually got up the allotment at 11 am, and Mike my allotment neighbour was busying himself with some paving slabs making the base for his shed. It was nice to see someone for a change. His ‘posh’ compost bin, that I thought was made out of the headboard and bottom of an oak bed, as it looks so nice and had those lovely wooden ball finials on the corners – happens to have been a council flower container. One of those posh ones you find in town centres filled with colourful summer bedding. He told me that it had been damaged by vandals, so was able to salvage it. How can anyone vandalise a flower bed, is beyond me. Still with three sides it is just the job as a compost bin and looks very grand.

As was bitterly cold and windy – as usual – up there, being open to the fields the wind whips across.

I did my usual inspection tour, and got Pat to hold up the planks and netting so that I could get some broccoli leaves for the chickens – still no purple spears yet, they seem to be taking so long. But there was a lovely head of lime Romanesco broccoli which I picked for lunch.

The soil really was rock hard, and I had a real job of hacking into it to dig up the parsnips. They were really big, as big and bigger of you hands touching fingertips and thumbs to form a big O. I gave some to Mike as they like parsnips, and a carrier bag full to my neighbour, and we have some – and there are still plenty up there. I have left a pile for my friend who brings the horse manure. I don’t know if horses eat parsnip – I will find out soon when I phone him. I grew far too many. I bought three packets, because everywhere tells you that they are slow to grow, difficult to germinate etc. But all of mine flourished! This year I shall grow just one row – I hope I have the same success.

I pottered about doing some other jobs, and as Pat didn’t want lunch until 2pm I made the most of the sunshine and did some work in the back garden.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a start on removing the wood chip from the chicken pen. I carried 100 very large buckets full and spread them as a mulch on the gardens by the pergola, and it looked really lovely - like dark brown chocolate chips. And because I put garlic in their food, there is no smell at all. Understandably it was pretty hard work doing it that way and I ached for days, so we brought the wheel barrow back after that – but I have not had the opportunity to finish it off until this morning.

The woodchip was frozen solid and I had to hack into it and lift if off in slabs – like paving slabs. Underneath it was dark and wet and the chickens went mad and scratched about picking at the worms! I dumped the barrow loads on my woodland flower bed. About 10 barrow loads, and that too now looks really neat and tidy, I took a few photos to remind me what I liked – as is the summer the flower beds will be bursting with plants and colours and textures.

Pat was remarking that he doesn’t remember the garden or allotment looking so good this time of year and being so well organised! Nice that he noticed I thought. From my neighbour’s garden, came the sound of a lawn mower – yes he was mowing his back lawn. I am not sure that it does it any good in this weather. He brushed the frost off it first! Pat looked at me and rolled his eyes – and looked relieved when I said that ours did not need doing. (Nor did my neighbour’s, whose lawn was shorter than ours before he started!)

As usual, I worked myself to a standstill, before putting everything away and coming in to make lunch (after a quick shower or course, I don’t want you thinking that after all that I cook in the gardening clothes).

Today we had some of the organic lamb that I bought a few weeks ago – a neck fillet.
We had steamed veggies that I dug up and picked today as well as wonderful broccoli leaves from the tops of the plants. Lovely purple frilly little leaves that not only looked pretty on the plate against the lime green of the Romanesco, but were also so tender with a lovely flavour. The lamb took the same amount of time to cook as the steamed veggies. I chopped up some red baron onions into tiny pieces, (home grown of course), and added sun dried tomatoes diced in tiny pieces and a squirt of tomato puree. Once the onions has softened I added the neck of lamb fillet which I had sliced into medallions, these soon browned either side and I then added some red wine, and left it to simmer, finishing off thickening the sauce with arrowroot just before serving.

It all looked so colourful, reds, lime, cream, green, and purple, and the sun dried tomato sauce was a reminder of the summer to come.

I am sitting here with the sun streaming through the window onto my back, in my little study room. It is 3.30pm and still glorious sunshine, if it wasn’t for the fact that it was freezing outside, and the lack of flowering plants you would almost think it was sunny when you look out of the window.

Just off off to put some photos on the computer so I can post them here.

At 10.00 am today I had 10,000 hits - wow thanks everybody - weird huh at 10 am.

Eggs - Total to date: 270 - Day 119

KoKKo 90 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 90 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 90 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

Today we have frost on frost on frost. Each day I think that the ground is as hard as I have known it - but we might even have permafrost (joking, it just feels that way)

Very slippery and dodgy going out to feed the chooks. I haven't been able to rake their enclosure for a few days now as it has been frozen - so it is pitted with deep frozen craters and balancing a large bowl of warm water and a big double heavy feeder of warm layers mash whilst negotiating the holes was rather fun!

My pork order from the rare breed farmer came last night, some had gone off to be frozen, and half a pig gone to be smoked, so I will have more to come in a couple of weeks time or so. But I did get 4kg of minced pork for sausages amongst the other things.

So last night I made pork burgers - instead of sausages. I made 38 burgers, 9 different seasoning and spice mixes.

In hindsight, in fact I wish I had foresight some times, as I make things difficult for myself. What I really should have done was make just a couple of batches using only 2 spice mixes. Then I could have whizzed through them in no time. Ditto when I did the sausages the other day.. But you learn your back aches don't you!

My tiny kitchen looked like a production line. Pat wrote on all the bags, kept me supplied with the bowls I had the mixed mince pork in so that I could add the spices etc and then weigh and make and pack them. Then he added the bag twists and did all the washing up.

It only took us an hour (plus washing up time), and I was extremely well organised, but having spent most of the day on my feet baking it seemed like a lot longer.

I left them overnight in the cold conservatory to bloom, and when I opened the door this morning they smelt divine. Even though they were packed 2 to a bag, and tied up with a twist tie, they still smelt wonderful.

Popped in the freezer now, but they might have frozen quicker on our lawn! (Joke)

So next time - I will have to judge it better and just do one or two mixes.

It was nice to meet the farmer when he delivered them, and he explained all about his farm and his animals etc. and I am looking forward to trying his beef in a month or so’s time when it is ready. It was great to hear how they live, how his two little children go with him to feed the bulls, and the pigs and chickens, The time that he spends with them, and all his plans.

We are having a couple of burgers today for lunch – the taste test! I know that the spices mixtures are lovely as I have used them in sausage making.

Pat is still snuggled up asleep in bed, despite falling asleep before me - men always can sleep for England can't they, I am so jealous!

Not sure what today has in store - will just see how it pans out. No outside work that's for sure. Except if the pen defrosts then I will be out with a rake - but the chooks soon put it back to how they want it in a short while!

Will be back later to update.

One egg so far this morning – newly laid and warm – just what I needed in my cold hands.

I am off to the beekeeper today to get some more beeswax. I mentioned it on a forum I am a member of, and it is something you can't often get easily or at a reasonable price.

When I got some for me, is was a fraction of the price that you can buy it off the internet - so thought I would share my good fortune by letting some of the 'girls' that make soap and creams and lotions and polish benefit from it.

So if it is not too slippery out and about I will take a stroll around part of the village and maybe up to my allotment.

Well it is 4.30pm and I never did get to the allotment! As usual I got side tracked.

I made a couple of loaves, one large and one small, with a new recipe which is rather tasty, and I threw in a couple of big handfuls of sesame and sunflower seeds - not in the recipe, but just because I fancied doing it.

I have a surplus of eggs, so as we finished up the lemon curd, I made some lime and lemon curd - recipe in the RC Cookbook - now there's a surprise. It is the same as the lemon curd recipe I used before but you just use one lemon and two limes instead of all lemons.

I actually like the zing that the limes give it - makes is taste sort of - well hard to explain. Not so sweet? Just different. Refreshing, tangy. Why not make some and see for yourself.

The Gloucestshire Old Spot pork that we got - well, you should have tasted it. We had a couple of those pork burgers for lunch. The texture was great, and so too the flavour. Nothing greasy or fatty about them, although there was fat in the mincemeat - which you need, but was not runny or anything - not of that splattering about then you cook them.

I can highly recommend them.

I had fun and games trying to cut up a block of bees wax to share with some forum friends. (This is where Sandie or someone leaves me a comment telling how to do it for next time!). I broke my cheese cutter, used three knives and they got stuck so Pat had to pull them out of the block, and they had beeswax all over them, and he had a real job trying to get it off.

I spent ages surfing the net looking up how to do it, and you are supposed to melt it in a double boiler!! it was about the length of a brick so couldn't get it in a bowl the longest way melt it - it would have taken from here to next week! Still it was a good exercise, and a learning curve.

I am feeling pretty worn out, as I have yet again spent most of the day on my feet. Fine if you are walking in proper boots, but not so good otherwise.

The girls spent so much sun bathing in their polytunnel of a run this morning that they didn't even come out when I closed the garage door.

They were laying stretched out, lying on their sides, legs crossed over eyes closed, half closed or lazily half and half - looking like a picture of sheer bliss soaking up the rays in happy dozy state and nothing or no one was going to move them. So I tiptoed out and left them too it. I think that is the first time they have been like that - they usually rush up to see what I am doing or what I have got.

After our lunch and their siesta, they were full of energy so I gave them their treat of the cabbage cage of leaves. I want to go up the allotment - hopefully tomorrow to see if the purple sprouting broccoli is ready for picking, and to get them some new leaves and some chick weed if any is growing.

I gave their run a rake over, but just below the surface it was a frozen tundra of ice crytals, frost or snow. But they jumped at the rake as usual putting their lives at risk in an attempt to be the first at any insects of titbits the raked turned up.

Snow flurries this afternoon, but I think that it will not settle.

Off for a sit down and a read - looking to something different for Sunday lunch so will have a browse in my new cookbook and see if anything inspires me.

At the minute the only thing that will do that is a doze in front of the fire, but I'll not sleep tonight if I do.

Bit of a baking day today-too cold for outside work

Eggs - Total to date: 267 - Day 118

KoKKo 89 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 89 (80grms) 26.02.2006 Personal best weight
Ginger 89 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

I was up and out and feeding the chooks at 6.30am I just couldn’t sleep, so might as well be up and out.

We have such thick hard frost - that is lying on yesterday's frost, so it is concrete hard.

In the chicken pen it was like walking across a frozen moon surface pitted with solid deep holes - no flat bits anywhere! It never really thawed out yesterday so I couldn't rake it as I would usually do. They still manage to scratch it about though.

As usual they were already up and in their enclosed run, waiting for breakfast and a warm drink. Layers mash first, then pear cores – you should see them chase about with them in their mouths.

A bit of a baking day today, as we need some more bread, I have a hankering for flapjacks again too – as we have eaten all those Dove biscuits that Haruko’s parents brought us from Japan.

Yesterday my books arrived in the post, and HFW River Cottage Family Cookbook. It had such rave reviews and I really wanted it before Christmas – but decided to wait a while and got it for less than half price.

Today we have fresh salmon for lunch so I am off to find something different to do with it in the cookbook. I cook it lots of ways, but nice to have a change......Back later.

I found a nice recipe for fish cakes so have been preparing them.

I have just got back in from giving the girls some more broccoli leaves - I am so glad that I have a fresh supply from my lottie and they last for ages in the cold garage.

They just dive on them as soon as they see me with the cabbage cage - they jump up and down trying to get bits as I walk to the corner to hang it up. I bounces tantalisingly on the bungee and one of them usually manages to pull a bit out then they scrabble amongst themselves and chase each other about trying to pinch it – and I get to hang up the bungee in peace. Daft as a brush sometimes.

I only went out to get some parsley and a bay leaf - they were sun bathing in their personal poly-tunnel the covered run, but as usual as soon as they heard the crunch, crunch of my feet on the path they rushed to the gate – knowing that I could not resist them.

I came back in took my coat and boots off, went into the kitchen, then realised that yet again I had got side tracked with the chooks and had to tog up and go out for the bay leaf and parsley!

I have just sneaked away from the kitchen to start typing this up.

The recipe is very simple and smells lovely.

I called for some black pepper corns – so I decided to use some mountain pepper berries. My son bought me these when you went to Australia. Exotic spices from the Aussie desert and rain forest, there are recipes enclosed which I will try in the summer season, but am experimenting with them for now. There are packets of Lemon myrtle, Bush tomato, Mountain pepper leaf, Wattle seed, as well as the Mountain pepper berries. I expect some of my visitors that live in Australia and the US might be familiar with these – but they are all interesting to me – and I am really looking forward to experimenting with them.

Just off to dunk the fishcakes into the mixtures and will be back this evening.

Got things to do this afternoon.

The girls laid three eggs for me again which I collected when I gave them their greens. - Forgot to mention it earlier.

2.30pm update
This fish cakes were lovely - will post some photos later if I can. Just had a phone call and I have a delivery of pork coming a little later this afternoon. So I will be working like crazy making things with it.

I might just make lots of sausage burgers for quickness with all different flavourings. Will keep you posted on that one.

This particular pig was a Gloucestershire Old Spot - which has been looked after in the traditional and had a good and happy life on a local farm that specialises in rare breeds, with Tamworths too, and different rare breeds of chicken. They also have some Herefordshire cattle - so that so something else to look forward too later on in the year - it is nice to know exactly where and who your meat is coming from and that the animals have been looked after and have had a good life.

I had time to finish my baking and clear up - cooked the girls the peelings we had left from the potatoes, and they got mixed with the lovely fishy flavoured milk and a few wholemeal breadcrumbs - that was their warming supper.

Too tired to type any more tonight - so will do so tomorrow

A Smiley Day Today

Eggs - Total to date: 264 - Day 117

KoKKo 88 (86grms) 29.11.2005 Personal best weight
Adelaide 88 (80grms) 26.02.2006 *New Personal best weight*
Ginger 88 (78grms) 22.2.2006 Personal best weight

Eighty eight eggs each - I can't believe it! So many in such a short space of time.

Boy oh boy oh boy was it cold this morning.- it still is – but at least the sun came out.

The ground was frozen solid – hard as rock – the girls didn’t seem to mind though – as usual. They are still scratching around in the wood chips and a blackbird is sitting on the pergola watching them. If he thinks that he is in with a chance of a morsel he is mistaken.

We went into town early-ish this morning to get some things for the garden – trying to grab a bargain before they were sold out. I managed to get most of what I wanted. Two cold frames – they called them mini greenhouses but you would have to be 18 inches tall for it to be so. I got a couple of hats to keep the rain off – Pat laughed when I modelled them – and so did quite a few customers – well, its good to bring a smile to some of the stern winter faces isn’t it? I got two as I need one up the allotment – and tools etc always seem to be in the place that I am not when I want them. I.e. here when I need them up the lottie and there when I need something when I am gardening! I bought a couple of those polythene cloches – which will probably drive me demented trying to assemble them, a new fork and a new rake. It will be a real treat to use something brand new never been used before, and not rusted up or rotted or held together with gutta tape! I shall christen them both just as soon as the soil is soft enough to dig! Pat was off getting other things whilst I was browsing the gardening bargains for the day. He bought some fresh fruit and 10 bars of plain continental chocolate – our 4 squares a day – essential for a good heart! Mine sure feels good whilst I tuck in every night to them – so it must be working.

Talking of tucking in – here is what I had for lunch. It is our Thursday treat of eggs and wedges, and I decided to have a smiley face. Pat wanted a slice of organic bacon, so it has turned out more of a grimace with smudged lipstick.



The eggs are from KoKKo and Adelaide, the potatoes are Cara – my home grown – thanks Cara for giving up your life and your skin to make my wedges, and the organic pig was called Smokey – at least I think that was his name as it said ‘Smokey Bacon’ on the label!!!

It was really tasty - despite how I made it look!

I nominated today ‘Smiley Day’ some of us have been in the ‘glums’ now and again lately – weather and health giving us a touch of the blues.

Now that it is March though and spring should be on the way (sooner rather than later hopefully) I decided to buy a couple of bunches of tulips - those lovely bright droopy sort which I just love.



I scrunched up some chicken wire and put it into this very old vase I had, cut some conifer from the hedge and just placed them in it to flop about. I took this photo, then moved them to the low oval coffee table in front of the patio door where the sun is shining on them - and they are lighting up the room.

Pat just came in with a choc ice for me - and remarked how beautiful they look - for a man to notice such things they must be looking good!

The chooks have just had left over pancake from last night – just a wee bit and some ripened pears and are tucking into come broccoli leaves that I have just ripped off the stems and put into their cabbage cage. I have chopped up tiny little bits of bacon fat to give them just before roosting time – they’ll love that.

Three eggs again today – all lovely and brown, there is hardly any difference in their colours lately.

Our snow has thawed and gone now – I hope those of you that still have it are snuggled up nice and warm.

A short while ago, the opening bars from a Glenn Miller song (from my door bell) announced there was someone at my door. Another reason to smile. A book for Pat and another for me - which I ordered ages ago. Pat's is about West Ham - the football team he supports and mine is - yes a cookery book. The River Cottage Family Cookery book. I got it for a fraction of the price it was a Christmas - so I shall be trying out some recipes and letting you know how they turned out! Off to sit in the conservatory for a read.

Thank you for logging on to take a look at my daily ramblings - and for leaving all your comments - I really enjoy reading them.