Betty Crocker?

Not the best photo, but a tiny black chick was hatched out this morning. Hoping that Broody Nolan would take him in (3 days after the original brood was hatched) I sneaked him under her as she was sitting. Typically, she was having none of it and flung the little one across the cage time and time again. Quickly I grabbed the unfortunate baby and put him under the lamp in the buff's cage, the plan is to return him when it is dark (hens are quieter and more compliant at night) hopefully she will accept him then, but I have my doubts.The brown hairy thing in the photo is a stuffed teddy bear bought quickly from the charity shop, thought it might provide the chick with some comfort.

The buffs have been put into the old triangular duck house, and now have a large covered run and a small outdoor run. The weather has been too wet today to let the five of them out yet, but at least they have been set up ready. The low run to the left has the rabbit hutch inside it, and Broody Nolan and her 4 (hopefully5) chicks will be transferred into it net week.The field , as you can see has been attacked by a large number of moles.

Have not done a great deal outside, as the weather has been bloody awful, so got on and baked two cakes and a batch of fudge Brownies ( how bloody Betty Crocker?) for Janet's open garden evening tomorrow.

Chris is at the gym in St Asaph at the moment............buying a takeaway on the way home!! I give up trying to teach him about healthy eating......but at least a takeaway IS a nice treat

A very "British" Evening and thoughts in an empty house

Had a nice evening last night in the village pub ( it was only the third time I had gone in since we came to Trelawnyd.) Met Geoff for a geeky poultry chat and ended up taking part in that bastion of Britishness, the local pub general knowledge quiz.. The Trelawnyd quiz is truly a "local" phenomenon, with pockets of elderly competitors bagging their usual tables and chairs (and bringing their own lucky pens)- we felt obliged to move as we sat in one such group's chairs causing a melee of confused milling behaviours.The whole thing reminded me of those Sheffield days , when Nigel,Ruth,Sarah,Al, Vicky and I all piled into the Princess Royal in Crookes for the Monday night quiz,lock in and hangover in the early nineties.
Anyhow we were amused by the seriousness of the competitors ( some were texting google requests from friends), as well as the tradition of the pile of sandwiches and curry just before last orders.The whole thing could have been taken lock stock and barrel from The Archers.(circa 1976)


The rest of today has been taken up with sorting the two nursery runs for the Buff Chicks and Broody Nolan and her four chicks, meeting Hazel for lunch ( bearing up nicely after her hubby left the marital home.....(she said it was ok to mention that here) and going to Prestatyn to let a removal firm into Nia's mum's old house to organise her belongings to be sent to Australia.
Empty houses have a distinct feel to them and being alone in a house devoid of "nick nack" personality can be a very melancholy experience. Being in Mrs Robert's house was a lovely trip down memory lane today. I remember it so well in the very early 1980s Best friend Rol and Nia were teens in a warm and loving ( and to be honest rather scruffy) household. The whole "feel" of the house seemed to be a contradiction to the old lady decor, as Mrs Roberts especially provided a twinkle-in-the-eye youthful welcome to the horde of visitors passing back and forth.


Today the house was silent and empty, but it still had that nice feel to it, that I remembered from 25 years ago, Also I had to smile to myself when I saw the unpainted wall which indicated the presence of the Grandfather clock in the hall, I am so glad that we had the opportunity of buying the clock at Rogers Jones' auctions last year and there it is, pride of place in our cottage living room.(see the photo from a year ago---bloody hell how fat was I then?)
I do think that house can "absorb" the emotion and the personality of their owners to a certain degree. Having that quiet time today waiting for the removal firm to arrive, I think I did experience just a flavour of Mrs Beryl Roberts, nia and Rol.....

another mouth to feed

The poppies have run riot on the allotment over this weekend and finally the whole wild flower thing seems to be working. I have sown them in between the Jerusalem artichokes, which are not the prettiest of vegetables, and which tower to a height of five feet.

Broody Mz Nolan has been transferred from the rabbit hutch to the large cage beneath the 5 buff chicks. We have had another black chick overnight, so I thought it prudent to keep the little ones safe in the shed. The mother seems pretty doting and sweet with the little ones, so hopefully they may all survive these fraught first days

another circle of life day

My Yorkshire patient sadly died on today's shift, but at least her family (with those broad Yorkshire accents and gentle politeness I miss so much ) had a good chance to say goodbye with time and what I like to think was a good support.
I got home at 8.30 and it was a lovely surprise to see that Broody Miss Nolan had hatched out three of her seven eggs in the rabbit hutch.One black one,one white one and what looks suspiciously like a buff one,sat peeping quite happily amid the hay, so you never know we may have another one or two tomorrow.
Careful not upset mum, I gave her some egg and put her back.
Relaxing at the mo with the excellent Federa and Nadal final at Wimbledon

Long Day

I got home after my twelve hour shift to find a slightly frazzled Chris reclining on the couch after a a busy day animal caring.I have just had time to eat a nice tea (made for me) and water the flocks before walking the dogs and having an hour watching a documentary on war films on the excellent Film 4..and then bed.

Apart from Mrs Miniver my all time favourite war time propaganda film is the classic Went the Day Well? (1942).I know just why I like it, as it has in effect, the essentials to fashion the classic disaster movie.

A group of English villagers, amongst them ( ham armed postmistress heroine Mrs Frazer (Marie Lohr),Ivy Dawking the land girl (Thora Hird) and Bill Purvis the poacher (Edward Rigby) slowly realise that dreadful German soldiers have taken over their tiny hamlet, and fight back to reclaim their village. Typical of the later disaster films, the socially opposite warmer characters die bravely ( the old post mistress and the game old Lady of the manor house) but daringly the film also has British children shot in the streets ( a rare sight in any war film) and some fairly graphic scenes of violence and sadism.

Anyhow God knows why I am rabbiting on about Went the day well, my day today didn't go that well at all. Looked after an old lady who had collapsed on the last day of her holiday.The very fact that she was enjoying her first holiday in ages in a local guest house, I found incredibly moving and sad, especially as things look rather bleak for her. I am working another twelve hour shift tomorrow, so I hope I can look after her and her family then.

The apprentice(s)

Today looks to be the last "nice day" we are going to have in a while, so I invited new friend Geoff to come down to the allotment to start to learn hen care, before he takes the poultry plunge as it were. Wife Chris doesn't "do" birds, but gamely walked around the hen enclosure, while daughter Helen got stuck in ( and put Geoff to shame) by tick spraying a couple of birds, carrying Blanche and Trinny about and finally rounding up 22 ducks and putting them into their duckhouse almost single handed.
I am going to the pub next week with Geoff...lets hope he's not as slow going to the bar.

Gays love a crisis and poultry news

Hazel has been having a few problems recently so I picked her up at midday and took her to lunch at Osborne House It was nice to change my T shirt ( I have had this on since Monday!!!!!!!!!) and scrub my face.It was all very Sex and the city, her all stressed and having a crap time and me, all sympathy and funny quips. Obviously it was a nice treat for me too, as I had to cancel my trip to Sheffield due to lack of funds!!
Hopefully I will be going over on the 23rd or 24th on pay day, to meet up with Mike, Jane and Jonney H.

Sorry for the bad photo, but Clover looks as though he is definitely a HE. Can't be sure as I am not too hot at sexing fluffy bits by examining toilet parts!, but his comb and attitude seem bigger and more masculine in nature than the four other "girls"..You can't tell from the pic but the little chap seems much more robust and is almost covered by feathers.

Colleen Nolan has only 4 days to go before her chicks are due in the old rabbit hutch, and unlike Blanche who spent her confinement in a catatonic state, she has been steadfastly sat on her eggs but has also remained alert and eager to stuff her face twice a day. I have constructed a chicken run around her hutch and hopefully I will leave her and her chicks ( if she has any) to their own natural devices once they hatch.

Chris is back from Preston today, he will be knackered having another early start tomorrow, think we may go and see the merrily titled Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) at Theatre Clwyd

Movie monsters, aliens and other foul creatures. By Clara.

Ok feeling rather geeky tonight.......so this will be my last post...loved this video