Pecking order blues

I bought four large ham bones today and furnished the dogs with them as I got on with planting out artichokes, Chinese cabbage and the last of the broccoli.
Meg, William and Maddie got on with the job in hand whereas George had a less than fortunate time with his bone and one particularly assertive amber rock.
The pecking order between hens is a well known phenomenon, but between hens and dogs I doubt there has been much research done.......By some innate ability the hens all seem to know that George is a non assertive, bullied individual who can be taken advantage of, and if he turns up on the field with food they press their advantage quite mercilessly.

This afternoon over an hour period they harried and intimidated poor George in an effort to steal his bone, so much so that I finally had to put him and his bone in the back of the Berlingo where he could chew in peace.
One white amber rock , who had pecked the gristle from George's bone in several concerted "attacks" made the drastic mistake of approaching look-a-like Maddie as she was sucking out the marrow from her prize . The hen was flattened instantly and within a split second, got swiftly de feathered for her trouble


The back garden arch that my brother-in-law made for us has finally taken on the typical cottage "look" that I had originally planned for . The clematis and honeysuckle have now joined together quite nicely.

My gardening bible is Carol Klein's "Grow your own veg" and this well thumbed copy is kept in the shed. Those are artichokes which I "bartered" from a guy in the village for a dozen eggs

Kate Winslet is still sitting on her clutch of eggs in the prefab hen house. (above). Her nest is now secure from the crow threat BUT this week I have decided to construct a scarecrow to maintain egg safety! The problem is, what shall I dress it in? All the crap clothes that I own...I actually wear.
The weather has been quite beautiful again...if not a little too hot. The pond already is drying up just a little,,,, and it's only May!!!