Where or where has she gone?

Zola did a disappearing act again. It's not possible to keep your 'eye' on all eleven bantams all at once and they disappear in all directions around the garden,

First thing in the morning they all charge out - and last thing at night they all congregate ready for their evening meal - and we see them during the day too of course.

Zola stopped turning up in the evening for her night time meal - but would appear in the morning before we got up. The egg count went down - so it meant that she had 'gone native' again and was hiding someone laying her eggs and sitting on them.

I hunted in all the usual places but couldn't find her. Under the hedges, and pots, in sneaky hideaway places like behind the compost bins - without any luck.

Then yesterday, after spying on her having her breakfast - she sneakily looked around to see if anyone was looking, then jumped up on the wall and disappeared!

I kept meaning to clear out this corner - and now was the time to do it!

I pulled away all the compost sacks and weeding bags

Then I got down to the stacked garden tools (we are awaiting help to put up a shed). Nothing could possibly get into this corner - there's a tray and an empty cage.

Or could it?

She was hard to see with the naked eye - but by enlarging the photo I could just make her out underneathe the cage!

How she managed to get through all those bags and sacks and squeeze herself under there I do not know!

Once I had carefully removed gardening shears, spades, forks, brooms, bags, sacks, and finally the cage she was exposed - and not best pleased I can tell you. She pecked me like a demon - but as she is so little her pecks did not hurt in the slightest!

She was sitting on 9 eggs!

I did the float test - they all sank, so were all fresh - the result of going awol for ten days!

We had them for lunch with potato wedges - yes we are still eating the spuds I grew last year - and they were delicious!

I had a really good sort out under there and found another egg behind the big metal chest - it had been there for so long that is was as light as a feather! So it was composted.

Zola has decided not to bother going broody now that I have found her hiding place, bless her, and she is much happier for it too!

Oh, talking about composting, I must make the time to tell you about my new pets