Orders come in

I now have orders for 6 of the runner ducklings, but I have not been able to sex Ripley and his/her siblings as yet. The six original babies are almost feathered and all are looking healthy and strong. and their peep peep chirps are just changing into the occasional horse chunner and quack. Females will give the traditional duck quack whilst the males will chunner,so sexing them all wont be too long

The darkest duckling Hudson, (above) looks massive compared to the e bay ducklings now happy in the joint enclosure.and there seems to be a bit of a Mexican stand off between the two broods.Two lots of parents with kiddies have visited the field today to see them all, which was nice.

Sorrel and Chris went to Bangor today, so I was free to catch up with jobs, go to Pilate's with Hazel ( I actually enjoyed it) and prepare toad in the hole for everyone's tea

Evening Out

We saw a wonderful storm over Liverpool bay when we went to Prestatyn for a lovely Italian Meal in the new restaurant at the top of town this evening. Me and Sorrel chatted all night , the food WAS good....Prestatyn with three ok eating places now............very chic

Sorrel and the Flower Show meeting.

Sorrel loves the sun and hates all things feathered, so today was half full of positives for her. Having said that I did get her to hand feed the hungry E bay ducklings scrambled egg, and her screams of delight (mixed with a tinge of fear) could be heard across the Entire village.
We went to Bodnant Gardens for a very relaxed amble in the warm and sunny afternoon, and I just had time to do a quick bird review before going to the Trelawnyd Flower show meeting.
With the Memorial hall back in service in December, we finally decided ( we have new committee members that are slightly more optimistic and positive than the ones of old) that we will hold a Christmas afternoon fair on the 13th of December , to thank the villagers for their annual support of the show and to reinforce that we are still in business and will be coming back, BIGGER and Better in 2009.

Tomorrow I think we are going to do some garden centres then will be off out at the New Italian in Prestatyn in the evening.Hopefully I will get the chance to do some weeding in between jobs

pic...Chris IS smiling internally

Chapel Humour

Wish I had taken my camera out today
went to collect the dogs from the groomers and I saw this sign on a small chapel in the middle of nowhere:-

PAMPER YOURSELF..........HAVE A FAITH LIFT

Respect and Blanche comes home

My god, I couldn't log into blogger last night and had a small panic attack. Shows just how much my diary routine is "fixed" doesn't it. Anyhow I am busily preparing for mother-in-law Sorrel's visit this evening. Yesterday I have washed windows, cleaned the inside of the car( BIG JOB), vacuumed, bleached and spring cleaned half the house. It is a ritual I do every time anyone comes to visit, but I do take particular care when Sorrel visits.

I thought about this when I was on my hands and knees, rubbing fluff from a skirting board. Is it purely an obsessional manifestation? ......perhaps.........Is it just a case of showing off that we are doing fine up here........probably just a little. But I think the the overwhelming reason for the effort is respect. You want a guest to feel comfortable. You want them to know that you think so highly of them that you actually go that extra mile to prepare for them

Anyhow it is 7.30 am on Tuesday, and I have walked the dogs and sorted the poultry out before two 14 ton lorries bulldoze through my field with tarmack for the Church paths.The work had to come, but I am glad that I have organised to take the scotties for their haircuts at 8 am so that I cannot watch the heavy work. Once the tarmack is down, the perimeter fence Will be erected and my field will again be private, but for today, I know all the lush green grass will be churned up and wrecked......

Ripley and her siblings are over 5 weeks old now and are at least a foot high now. Foster mum Blanche needed to be moved back to the main hen enclosure and so I moved her yesterday morning. She seemed unconcerned after the move and quickly stuffed her face with corn and went to bully the new girls Shelley and Elizabeth Spriggs for a bit.But I guess the baby like quacks from her ducklings were all a bit much for her and withing minutes she had scaled two electric fences and promptly sat on top of the duckling run, clucking noisily at her babies.

So this morning, she is still in with the six young ducks, and I have locked them in whilst the heavy traffic is passing their run.

Me, I am now off to sort the scotties out then back for more hoovering

Happy Birthday

The day started off pretty grimly as I had to slog through a shift at work. Mind you at 46 I am still not too old to appreciate a Caterpillar birthday cake kindly bought for me by my colleagues on duty.

Chris took me to the Bistro for a late lunch and then we went to swap gifts with Janet (being a twin always means that you get at least one card and pressie!)

Stalwarts Ann and Tim called round too ( so did nephew Peter which was very welcomed) with lovely gifts and cards, and we all had an enjoyable evening bantering away.about rubbish

Bloody hell

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.....yep.....never a true phrase was uttered as when bombing ( at 60 miles an hour) down the A55 towards Flint (On my way to Liverpool), I experienced my first blow out.
There was a loud BANG, the belingo slew across two lanes on the duel carriageway, and I almost sideswiped a large white van.which was just turning off the road.
By luck I groaned to a shuttering halt behind him and limped off the carriageway with cars swerving around me.
I have never had such a close shave before in a car miss hap,and I was surprised just how shaken I felt.
I rang Chris who obviously didn't grasp how lucky I was and he clearly had no faith in my ability to change a tyre, telling me to ring the AA.
This pissed me off and still shaking like the proverbial leaf, I hunted for the jack determined to prove him wrong. Yeap the bloody thing was located in the boot which I had just filled with bags and boxes of rubbish from the cleared outhouse for taking to the tip on Monday. So out everything had to come, and minutes later I must have resembled an old bag lady with boxes , a huge container of old paint tins,an old mop and various mucky bin bags inches from the busy duel carriageway.
By the time I had jacked the car up( I had to go to a nearby house to beg some WD40 to get the thing moving) and had dragged the oil covered spare from under the car, I looked like the wreck of the Hesperus, and yes you have guessed it the spare was almost flat.............
But by 8.45 pm, I finally sorted it all out,and limped to the nearest garage to fix out the tyre, massively pissed off with everything. It was too late to get to Liverpool,and feeling crap that I had let Nuala down, I trudged off home.

pic ( The Iris in the back garden have just flowered.....at least some good news today...)

Ducklings and Nancy

Quick blog today as I have loads to cram in. The ebay and caramel ducklings have been put into their garden run, to the numerous oooohs and arrrrhhhhs of passing walkers and I am clearing the back lean-to shed ready to put the little ones back into so that I can disinfect the kitchen pre Sorell's visit.

This evening heralds the Jospice fundraiser in memory of Nuala's mum Nancy. It takes place in Liverpool and I am going over later for an hour or two.

Chris will be on ducking,hen and dog watch for the night.

Working tomorrow on my Birthday but only for 6 hours (political unrest at work so no staff got their requested off duty!!) then off for lunch out which will be nice.

Don't feel 46