Keeping busy

Rows of seedlings are carpeting the allotment. Beetroot,parsnips,potatoes,beans,and all of the wild flowers and gladiolis are all showing now in a sudden burst of growth, no doubt just before the late frosts which will occur in May.

"Courage Camille!"

I would never make a farmer. I get too emotionally involved with my animals. This morning is a case in point. Ducklings are due tomorrow, and this morning three have chipped their way through the shells and are pipping away to themselves. As you can tell from the snatched photo, you can hardly see the tiny "breath holes", but they are there, and underneath there seems to be healthy and very much alive babies.

The journey out of the shell can take another 24 hours, and sods law means that I am working tonight.......can the old nerves take the strain? can the ducklings survive their ordeal? will Blanche cope with webbed feet?

watch this space

39....going on.....................................

No, not overtly depressed as he leaves his thirties, just reading his Birthday books when I got busy planting courgettes,the sweet pea wall and more radish.
We are off for a meal later.
No news from Blanche's eggs as yet, still tap tap tapping away to themselves..........

Tapping............

Blanche's eggs are tapping away to themselves, when I checked them at teatime. That means that some of the ducklings have started their "internal pip", where they chip through a membrane into the airsac in the fat end of the egg.

Up to 2 days later, the ducklings can start their "external pip", which is the start of the hatching into the real world, which sounds an extremely long time to me for such a delicate creature.

My nerves are still jangling at the thought of it all

Friends

Sheffield from the top of Coles (John Lewis)



A few days off in Dronfield and Sheffield has been a real tonic. Wednesday night I caught up with Kathryn. We cooked a meal, drank spritzers and chatted all night,which was about bloody time.
Thursday morning I drove to Sheffield and had breakfast in Waitrose down Ecclesall Road ( A real treat). I love Waitrose, can't afford to shop there, but love it,love it,love it, and there was something quite attractive about a store with everything razor straight and in obsessonal order.

Bought Chris some last minute Birthday gifts at Coles, then went to the Millennium Gallery and Winter Gardens for a mooch around. There was a continental market along Fargate which was well worth a stroll around and just had time to buy some cheap garden plants before driving to the Northern General Hospital to catch up with friend Sarah.who is the matron there.

It has been nearly three years since I actually left Spinal Injuries, and I have never re visited my old place of work. That was a conscious decision on my part. Friends I knew I would keep in touch with, but I sort of thought that once I finished 16 years in Spines, the separation from the unit and collegues and staff would be final. Anyhow my intention of sneaking in and out like a thief in the night, didn't quite work as time and time again I was caught by a familiar face and a barrage of questions. The whole thing was very flattering and just a little moving.at times as I got a hug here and a surprise greeting there. Of course there was a couple of characters that snubbed me -one Charge nurse I thought I knew well went out of his way to be unfriendly, which intrigued me ( I forced him to shake my hand and talk to me which was a little naughty of me), but generally my one and only re visit was an unexpectedly nice experience.

Above The peace gardens (Sheffield City Centre).& The Winter Gardens (right)

Later in the afternoon, I met up with Bev and Maisie for coffee then on to friend Joy across the city before shooting back to Sheffield City centre for my regular catch up with Jane and best friend Mike.in old faithful All Bar One. As usual we gossiped and laughed until late, and it was a great end to a busy but satisfying day.

Got back to hand feeding Blanche at 1030 am this morning and found myself walking a set of hyperactive dogs at 11. The best of both worlds.

A couple of days away

Lots to do today before I go to Derbyshire then on to Sheffield. Chris has sole responsibility for Blanche as well as all the other animals tomorrow, so a list of instructions as long as your arm will be left for him.....bless.

This morning I am off to Sylvia's to remove all her unwanted foxgloves from her garden, then will collect unwanted and over ripe fruit and veg from the veg shop in Prestatyn. Like a good partner I will make dinner for Chris for when he gets home, and will walk the legs off the dogs before leaving., so I am sure he will cope with things until I get back on Friday.

Rows of marigolds are ready for planting in the allotment, but I will hold off until the risk of late frosts is more or less over.,I have never been a fan of these little flowers, but they do keep pests away from your beans and peas! so as an organic pesticide they seem to work. I have already planted garlic under my rose bushes, which keeps greenfly at bay.

Happy Underdog

George is the happiest underdog I have ever met.
In the pecking order (and we must include Joan the cat,Janet's Jess and Carol's (dog babysitter) Celt and Samson in this), George always remains firmly last.When William and Meg demand attention and cuddles, he has to relinquish his place on the couch and on your knee so that they can fulfill their own needs.
But even though he can be at bullied,the little chap remains steadfastly upbeat with everyone he meets and with everything he does.He has spent most of the morning watching the hens, with a love lorn type intensity and when loose on his walk, will always be the first to race up to a walker or dog to say hello.
Like William, George is turning into a delightful dog.
Late evening is "George time", William is safely asleep in his crate in the kitchen, Meg and Maddie are snoring on the couch and George can climb (almost guiltily) onto my knee for a tummy rub

Happy Owner

The allotment is starting to look the part in the sun early this morning. And I have let the birds out later today, to protect them from Mr Fox, who is sniffing around. It is cubing season, so the vixens are hungry and bolder than usual.
With a slightly heavy heart I decided to float Blanche's 8 eggs in a bowl of warmed water to see if any are alive ( the eggs should bob and move with the ducklings' reactions to the change of temperature).
Although Blanche has stuck fast onto the eggs, she has had two hiccups when she had been separated from them on two of the coldest days of the year.
Anyhow, popping the eggs into the bowl, I was overjoyed to see 5 of the little buggers bouncing around with gay abandon, I couldn't quite believe it! If I could have kissed Blanche on the beak I honestly would have done....and quickly allowed her to growl her way back onto the nest.
I have been grinning to everyone since, (including two gravediggers in the graveyard, who seemed a bit baffled by my excitement.
I just hope they hatch on or around the 5th May