3 years in June

It is a lovely day ( so far) this morning. And keeping the slight "Bird" theme going, I noticed the pair of blackbirds, beaks full of nesting materials, swooping back and forth from the old nest by the cottage's front door.
Every year the couple have raised their chicks just feet away from our lounge, and this year seems to be no different. It got me thinking that in June we have been over in Wales THREE years. God, how time passes.
The one thing I do notice with living at a quieter pace is that you notice the little things. The arrival of the blackbirds,like the green sprouting on the allotment and the increased egg production of the hens, mean longer, warmer and comfortable days outside, and hopefully a bit of space from the wet damp winter we have just experienced

Stop Larking about......and lists.....

Up early this morning.......started hen jobs then sat down and made a list of "to do's" for the next three weeks.....
AS I AM OFF ON HOLIDAY! Great stuff...
Having said that I have a load of things planned:- so with my trusty cup of coffee on hand, here is my list.
Plant remainder of the potato crop
Set up the new incubator (Chris has bought me one for my birthday)
Set up the runner bean and sweat pea canes,
Plant the cornflower flower boarders,
(pot up) Sweetcorn,Runner beans,Butternut squash and pumpkins
Hoe the small plat and manure it,
plant Broad beans,
Set up new compost bins,
titty-vate the whole allotment so it looks neat and tidy,(to keep the neighbours happy)
Edge and weed all the plots,
plant out under cover my other salad crops,
Succession plant radish,leeks,,start my french beans,peas,and beetroot.
look for a small poly tunnel,
Then I can start on the garden, and all the boring home jobs such as window washing,patio cleaning,outhouse clearing and painting.....

It's not going to be all veg orientated as I have arranged to catch up with Kathryn in Dronfield ( and staying over so we can catch up properly) then off to Sheffield the next day for a spot of window shopping, lunch with some old work mates then off to All Bar One for wine and a chat with Mike and hopefully Jane. Chris is kindly working from home so I can spend two nights away from the farm.

Went to the Beach this morning with Jess ( Janet and Ned in tow too) great to have Ned (aka James 'Grizzly' Adams) along as he could point out the wildlife amongst the sand dunes.He pointed out a lark (ascending) high above the grass, and I never knew that it is the only bird to sing so long and strong "on the wing"

Chris is taking me out for lunch to Prestatyn's Bistro which is a treat.....

One Fine Day

I know it is lazy blogging but One fine day was on re run tonight when I got home after work. The light touch of Mr Clooney was just what I needed after a crappy shift.
Loved this scene as George is sat at a table we have sat at ( well as near as) in the Oyster Bar at Grand Central.

Mayor Of London

It may sound strange, but I have been following the London Mayoral debate with interest recently. The three major candidates Boris "dePfeffel" Johnson, Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick, went head to head on the London's talk radio on Thursday morning with a rather irritating Nick Farrari as chair, and I found the arguments fascinating listening. I found the most impressive speeches came from the Northern sounding Livingstone, even though as a personality he can come over as rather smarmy.Calm, sensible Brian Paddick produced the best impression of the three, and I have a sense that he may do rather well against "Have I got News for you" fans-Johnson, who comes over as the affable buffoon we are used to seeing on tv.

The clash of personalities, celebrity and policy in this case has been accessible to me, which is surprising as generally I am very much an apolitical animal. I will continue to listen to the debate with interest until polling on May 1st.

Pictures for Janet

Jess and Meg- the hostility between the two bitches seems to have settled down somewhat, when all 5 dogs crowded into the back of the belingo. Janet and Ned seem to be training Jess very well, so a free for all with our "bash street kids" is her opportunity to act like an idiot

I love this photo. Jess is watching a squirrel, while William seems to be hamming it up for the camera. the Scotties are galloping into the distance

The treat for the day was for William and Jess to sit in the front seat and on the dashboard when were on egg delivery

Learning curves

The worst thing about learning a new skill is the mistakes you make along the way. Incubating ducklings seems to be much more complicated than some of the literature indicates (especially literature that accompanies the do-it-simply incubators), and although we had one hatching this morning, the poor little chap died after a few hours. I don't want to learn this new skill at the expense of little lives, however I do feel a bit better after discussing the "issues" with the knowledgeable amateurs on various "poultry forums" on the Internet.
So a humidity thermometer has been ordered, some more duck eggs have been purchased too, and supported with some pragmatic and friendly advice, I am venturing into the breach once more

No body does it better......

Blanche has sat like this for 23.45 hours. I have had to bodily lift her free of the duck eggs and literally throw her out of the house for a ten minute feed, water and poo, before she angrily stalked back to her eggs.
Hopefully a broody hen will be the answer to the the convalutto incubator disaster we are experiencing.. Still no peeping or hatching at the moment and its almost Friday, so things again don't look good.Poor little buggers.

Managed to ring Mike tonight in between duckling watch. Having a hard time with his poorly mum, it was good to catch up but sometimes I feel pretty impotent with friends' problems when I am so far away.Sometimes you just need to be there with a pint of star and a sympathetic shoulder.

arrrhhhhhhhh!

I have made myself go out for most of the day as I have been watching the incubator far too much for signs of life. No "pipping" at the moment, but the ever informative "Practical poultry forum" says that they can start just hours before a hatch. The forum also slags off my type of incubator ( saying that humidity levels are all wrong) so what do I do? I have chanced a quick candle of one egg and thought I saw some movement, but my nerves are all over the place. I have decided not to mist the eggs ( yet again) and leave well alone....so am off out to do some shopping and walk to the dogs...........
How do expectant parents cope?.I am wrung out