"Eliza where the Devil are My Slippers?"

At the end of Gone With The Wind, Miss Scarlett chirped "After all tomorrow is another day" and she was right
This morning the field population looks pretty much unchanged

Carol and Polenta, the  beautiful full grown Aylesbury ducks have now teamed up with the hysterical runners and have left their temporary hen house for more exciting ( and no doubt noisier) times in the large duck house. I suspect that they are somewhat bemused by the runners' "let's scream and run for the hills" kind of mentality... but they'll get over it
The old, bald and knackered  female turkey Theresa now only has the American stag Bingley to bother about now, and he, with the demise of Boris has already calmed down amazingly. It is strange just how much testosterone can be tempered when a rival is out of the way.
Five new healthy wellsummers lead the positive march towards a better egg production this year ( the weather has buggered up egg numbers quite considerably) and Felicity Shagwell and the mini mees have moved hen houses yet again and have started to lay themselves....so at least we have bantam eggs to eat at home.
The Geese group , sombre and thoughtful, remain the backbone of the field community and as I type this, can be heard honking at passing dog walkers from the gate, as can the blind cockerel Cogburn who is bellowing lustily from his safe haven run.
This year has not only been a year of losses Mabel,Boris,Alf the guinea fowl, two runners, Gloria the old female turkey and a whole aged population of OAP hens have left us, while another nine animals have arrived.
Swings and roundabouts.... swings and roundabouts!

The inflatable "sculptures" against the back drop of Tatton's Japanese gardens

After an enjoyable visit to Tatton Park in Knutsford yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that that Britain does "do" the whole Stately home thing very well indeed! 
Green lawns, formal hedged gardens and some Downton Abbey interiors are often  the favourite areas of choice of the great British public desperate for an Upstairs/Downstairs experience.
But for me, it is the Kitchen Gardens and the Edwardian hothouses that really give me a bit of a thrill.
The ones at Tatton Hall are truly magnificent

The Kitchen Garden

Flower boarders in the walled kitchen garden

The stunning fern hothouse

 Nigel said something interesting to me when I was over in Manchester. He said I often write as though I was much older than my 50 years.....
He didn't just mean this in "you're turning into an old fart" sort of way but I must admit that
after re reading this blog  perhaps I have to agree with him!...mind you.....
at least I didn't add that Tatton Park's toilets were very impressively accessible and that all I wanted to do after a long day's Stately Home visiting was to put my feet into Mrs Hopkins infamous slippers  

which I did btw!



oh and finallyWhat's all this kerfuffle about Ginger Harry ,a bit of white flesh and a set of pubes like a nest of blind mice?
He's been a bit of silly sausage 
That's all....
The Great British public love him as much as they do Stately Homes
So he'll be fine! Just Fine