And then there was twelve
Much to Chris' disgust we now have 12 chicks in the dog cage in the kitchen. The temperature in the shed at night was just a little too low for the babies to cope with, and at this crucial part of their lives, if the chicks are a few degrees under optimum temperature, they will not eat and drink. I will harden them up this week and into the shed they will go on Wednesday or so. Unfortunately one small chick (number 13 to hatch) had to be dispatched, as she had a muscle problem with her neck and couldn't hold her head up straight. The other dozen chicks all looks perky and healthy
Karl Jenkins conducts Palladio
Karl Jenkins is one of my favourite composers and as it happens he is also Welsh! I This clip is his famous Palladio..which is probably his most famous piece apart from The Armed Man
Chris' Belated Birthday
Yes, the cake did seem a little lacklustre but after several large glasses of wine the family seemed to enjoy eating it in a late celebration of Chris' fortieth birthday. Tim & Ann and Janet & Ned all clubbed together to buy him some very impressive and professional dance shoes...New Chicks
Hopefully the latest field casualties will be replaced by some of the chicks hatched today. So far ten out of the fifteen have fought their hard way into the world and by morning there may be one or two more. Five of the first hatchers are already set up under the heat lamp in the shed.
A Real Sexy Spock
Apparently Star Trek is the 11th film of the sci fi franchise to burst forth onto our screens and I must say that although I am not a huge Star Trek geek, it certainly is the best of the whole series (and I am including all of the tv shows in this assessment too!)This exciting prequel to the tv USS ENTERPRISE days, chronicles James T Kirk's unsteady rise to Captain status and Spock's even shakier (and much more interesting) journey to be his second in command and along the way we are joyfully introduced to the well known supporting team of Scotty,Bones,Uhura,Sulu and Chekov.
Chris Pine makes for a spunky and likable Kirk, Karl Urban is a dead ringer for the old cynical Dr McCoy , newcomers Zoe Saldana and John Cho give a newer, sexier twist to Uhura and Sulu's usually bland characters and Simon Pegg gives the one and only comic turn as the moon faced engineer Mr Scott.
The action sequences are top notch, the usual Star Trek psycho/technical/pseudo religious babble is mercifully kept to a minimum and although some of the film's time travel storyline is over complicated the whole movie is a refreshing,dynamic and successful re booting of a tried and tested formula!
The character of Mr Spock (played with a smoldering smartness by the very VERY sexy Zachary Quinto) re enforces the film's ability to be totally revitalised and original from anything that has gone before it, and he deftly steals the film from the rest of the youthful and very attractive cast.
I loved his charm particulary and the film in general
I gave it a cracking 9/10
From left to right Chekov (Anton Yelchin) Kirk (Chris Pine), Scotty (Simon Pegg), Bones (Karl Urban), Sulu (John Cho) and Uhura (Zoe Saldana)Robina R.I.P
My sister in law read the last couple of blogs and sent me this photo of me and Robina. She was my very first hen and I can't believe it was taken over three years ago now....Jayne said I looked very young!...I think I only look younger as I actually look clean!Silence
Now I know I am somewhat jetlagged today as I am cranky and rather quiet......in actual fact "being quiet" is exactly what I need to be today as I have missed my usual self contained field days. Now I love my in laws dearly, but the constant chatter that accompanies being in their ( and Chris' company), whilst on holiday and beyond was a little bit too much....I have to remind myself that for most of the time I am content to be in my own company with only a few fairly silent animals for company!...I am such a crabby old fart, who is stuck in his ways! 
After taking Richard to the station, I got stuck in with the field and garden chores. Grass needed to be mown, weeds cleared and the ton of seedlings hiding away in the old enamel bath all needed to be planted. Only one week ago I strimmed the entire field..within 7 days, the whole place looks overgrown and slightly untidy again........The warm wet patch has brought forth a super quick growth spurt from the weeds , grass and hedges.I dropped off duck eggs, hen eggs and spare turnip seedlings to my Sister's co operative allotment and received broad bean, pea and sunflower seedlings in return. I planted these and also put in runner bean seedlings,parsnips, iceberg lettuce, marigold flowers ( a natural pesticide) and extra pumpkins and onions.
The ducklings were cleaned out yet again and were put into the sun to dry themselves off, and I prepared the smaller crate for the new hen chicks, which are just starting to hatch in the kitchen incubator.
This afternoon I cut the cottage lawn,weeded around the aquilegia (above) which has self seeded in the garden, cleared 7 days of pig latrine (a real disgusting job) and retrieved 3 dead mice from a testosterone filled Albert, who had joined the dogs and I on the field (the hens ate all three within seconds!)
I was so tired I didn't EVEN dare lay down to cloud watch......
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