Crow attack

This morning I made the mistake of letting the buff chicks out into their big uncovered outdoor run. They seemed happy enough in it, spending most of the time running around in stupid circles, but I forgot how vulnerable small hens can be to opportunists such as crows and magpies.

Minutes after I had let them out, I noticed Duncan running the length of the big enclosure with a couple of the more robust hens in pursuit, he was reacting to screeches from the buff chicks who were being attacked by two crows inside their run.It was incredibly lucky that he reacted the way he did, as I would never of noticed the commotion over the quacking of the runners. When I got down to the buff coop, four of the chicks had made it to the safety of the inside of the ark, leaving the little cockerel alone, squaring off to the bigger nastier crows. Judging by the small clumps of golden feathers lying around, the little guy had been pecked several times, but still was trying his best to stand up for himself.. I was incredibly moved by his show of bravery

This morning I covered the run with chicken wire, then finally weeded the allotment beds. Meg had her annual haircut this morning, so was quite hysterical by the time she got home (a product of sitting in a busy dog filled shop), which was bad for me as she pulled down my Kath Kitson apron from the kitchen door and trashed it.when she got home.

Ann and Tim are having a big bash for their 60th (a Hollywood themed fancy dress party,) so I will be surfing later to try and find some ideas for our costumes.I have seen janet's wig today which will compliment her costume.......no comment...................................

Caught up with Nuala this evening, which was long overdue. I hope to see her at the end of August........it was lovely to chat, I have missed her and through one thing and another, have not had the opportunity to touch base with her properly

The Memorial Hall , field work and open evening

The work on the village Memorial hall seems to be slowing down as it nears completion, and the whole building has started to blossom beneath the scaffolding. I took a walk at 8.00pm this evening to photograph the old building and had an opportunity to read the newsletter that had been pinned up on the village notice board, detailing work costs and the renovation news.
The Hall was donated to the people of Trelawnyd in 1909 by Mr Antonio Ralli, who was the Greek Consul in Liverpool. Ralli lived in Mia Hall (just outside the village) and funded the Memorial Hall as a means of alleviating the severe unemployment in the area .

Anyhow, I have worked all day in the field ( out at 8am and in at 6pm) and still I have not had time to start the vegetable patch weeding. The dreaded soddin red mite is back (albeit in tiny clumps) so every coop has been disinfected and fumigated. I have strimmed the field borders and fanny arsed around, filling water butts,and the like and now am absolutely bushed.

Chris is still away, so tonight the dogs will be all sleeping with me again upstairs. Funny when they are all our bed, they all have a lie in.

The Church council have given me the final OK to hold the allotment open evening in August..To keep them all sweet I have said that all proceeds will go to the Church,

Lars and the Real girl

Lars(Ryan Gosling) is the increasingly withdrawn autistic younger brother of Gus (Paul Schneider) and brother in law to the earth mother Karin (Emily Mortimer) in a small American mid west town during a snowbound winter. Watched by supportive townsfolk, Lars introduces a latex sex doll to all, and states that she is his new girlfriend.
Sounds dreadful doesn't it? but this indi movie homage to all those pseudo-psychiatric tales we have seen before (Harvey, Ordinary People, Marnie etc etc) is the sweetest of stories, and works on many gentle levels. The whole film is essentially a fairy tale, with benign psychiatrist ( Patricia Clarkson ,my favourite actress behind laura Linney), being wonderfully wise and daring; pragmatic church elder, Nancy Beatty being the "accepting" face of small town America that embraces Lars' needs for his delusions and all the other simple town folk are portrayed with a smiling warmth that only exists in Hollywood and Norman Rockwell paintings.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007) at Theatre Clwyd tonight, works well because of the ensemble cast.Gosling is believable ( and in one key scene when he dances awkwardly at a friend's party, terribly moving) as the unhappy Lars. Schneider and Mortimer act quite beautifully, as the loving relatives of someone who has lost his way, but it is Nancy Beatty's(pic) performance with that Country matter-of-factness, that lingers long in the mind.
I loved it

The Fence!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally my field has boundaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The fence I have been waiting for so long has been erected in an hour or so this morning, and bloody nice it looks too. Chris is in London today until Wednesday, so I have got on with pottering big style.

Broody Nolan and her chicks have been transferred into the A frame next to the buff chicks. She is turning into a lovely mother, even though a whole troupe of local kids have ambled through the gate to give them all the once over

Peace

It was nice to get home tonight and out into the cool of the field. Today has been another stinker, and I am tired of laying out dead patients towards the end of a shift.
The wet weather has benefited my root vegetables as well as the cabbages. Above my turnips are a good 9 inches across, whilst my cabbages (below) are literally the size of a human head....

The buff chicks have now started to grow feathers on their feet, and remain a joy to watch. Not even a month old, they are robust,strong little birds, with bags of quiet personality. I sat relaxing in the evening sun watching them fight over some greens Pippa had dropped in for them.

Postscript: another peaceful experience is the gentle stroll at ten pm, the final walk with the dogs down the lane. The bats are weaving in and out of the trees above the church wall, and a hoard of rabbits can be seen ambling on the grass further into the graveyard and field. The weather is cool but refreshing, and or the first time in 48 hours, it is lovely to be outside and silent.

lucky patient

Short blog tonight, very tied after a busy shift. mind you the daughter of one of the patients I was looking after, happens to breed poultry. I got talking about her birds (like you do) and hey presto , she offered me a young turkey hen.
Now believe it or not I have always wanted one, so I have tentatively accepted the offer ( bugger the fact that we cannot accept gifts in the nhs)...it's the nicest thing that has happened to me in a crappy, busy day.
Working all day tomorrow......

What a difference a day makes.................

Apologies for the brief rant about the weather, but it has pissed down all day today. My allotment is in dire, dire need of some sun to bring on the veg naturally, as some of the beans,parsnips are dragging their feet in the wet soil.
The over sized cowboy hat that Chris bought me from Canada has finally come in handy again and at least my face has kept dry as I was emptying the twenty foot square potato patch.

Compared to yesterday's sociability, today has been a bit of a bust as the rain has left me alone with my plants and chickens. Got a text from Sheffield mate Mike, who will be meeting me for a night out in the city on the 23rd,- which sort of kept me going until Chris got home.

Popped up to the garden centre and splashed out with my egg and potato profits on several black current bushes ( they were going cheap as they are not frost resistant). Despite the rain, I managed to plant the lot of them ( collecting a hundred or so earthworms as a treat for Nell and Maude as I did so)

I hope to have a large fruit bush plot all set up in time for the allotment open on August 6th.

Working all weekend (2 twelve hour shifts YET AGAIN), so I suspect Chris will be near breaking point Sunday night with all the animal responsibility....mind you I did notice he has bought The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare on dvd, so I suspect there will be a lot of lying around on the couch on Saturday.

Off for a long clean bath now, with tons of dettol added.....doesn't half gets you squeaky clean after a dirty gardening day.

Enjoyable day

It has been one of those busy and nice days that sort of creep up on you, every minute has been filled with activity, even though I have only one cake made to show for the energy I feel I have expended.
Caught up with a couple of girls from work, who visited for potatoes and eggs ( but really wanted to play with the chicks and ducklings), chin wagged with Geoff for ages, who is constructing his own hen house, and sold a score of produce by an increasingly large number of cold calling villagers.( all of whoom keep you chatting for hours)
It was a case of lots of talk, not a great deal of work done, which makes a welcome change.
Met a delightful lady from the village called Sandra who came down to visit the field. She had recently got rid of her runner ducks , hens and allotment ( to make way for a new house in her vast garden) and was obviously suffering withdrawal symptoms for it all. We chatted for ages and bounced around some ideas for organising a village "produce group"..........I am Pat Archer........