Anatevka

The Ukrainian Village looks somewhat deserted.
I think it resembles the forlorn  Anatevka at the end of " Fiddler On The Roof"
The once busy " roads" and " avenues" are quiet and empty.

The problem with buying in batches of hens is that they tend to stop laying and will die away more or less at the same time. A couple of years ago I took in forty chickens from a guy in nearby Llanasa, whose wife told him " It's either me or the hens" ..he chose his wife....(but only after an afternoons self debate), and the Ukrainian Village was suddenly bursting at the seams.
Over the last twelve months all these older hens have gently died away, as did old Bingley the turkey

And so there are only twelve animals on the field to face the winter.
Four hens. Four geese and Irene and Sylvia.
Of course, this hiatus will now allow me to dismantle and burn the flimsier hen houses and repair the good. Over the winter these all will be fumigated and cleaned in readiness for the new hens which will come in the spring.
" Bosoms" will need clearing too, with getting married in the spring, the allotment had been over looked this year.

I'm picking up Liv and Eve from school today and briefly thought that I would get them painting the first of the hen houses this afternoon but the weather isn't quite up to it.
I will teach them to prepare a curry for the Prof's tea instead...after they give Mary her first bath.
It should be an interesting bun fight