Postscript

You need to read the previous blog first to understand this one!
At 10.00 pm I sneaked onto the field and took a peek in Blanche's single hut.
In the centre of the coop there she sat, happy and comfortable on her single (pipping egg). The day old duckling was tucked carefully under her bald wing and was asleep.
Here's hoping the chick hatches and with two unlikely babies in tow, she starts to eat and drink properly.
I have taken Rose's advice and have tried her with some oats and yogurt.....none taken so far, but she has eaten a small amount of Albert's cat food!
Next year despite any poor condition, I will let her sit on her own eggs and we will soldier through!

Mercy dash

The rest of my birthday has felt a little strange. I feel as I have been "catching up" with things and never quite have reached completion with most of them.
We had lunch out in a small little Cafe in St Asaph which was nice, then I went to my other "bank" triage nurse interview as Chris waited in the car. As temperatures reached 25 degrees, I then dragged him around local farms in search of a couple of one day old hen chicks.
Blanche's condition has taken a turn for the worse. Everything I have done to break her broody sitting (sin bins....plunging her bum into buckets of cold water!!! etc etc) has failed and as she has stubbornly sat on any nest she has found, her condition has deteriorated dreadfully.
In desperation we called into Babell where the lady that sold us my first hens lives. She had no chicks but sent us scooting across the countryside in search for her friend Cae, who may have been of help.
Finally we found a very motherly looking red faced farmers wife called Cae who very kindly gave me a hatching hens egg and a tiny one day old duckling. We dashed back to Trelawnyd where we set Blanche up on the egg and duckling. Only time will tell if the sudden appearance of one fluffy baby and one potential baby will have the desired effect of breaking Blanche's broody nature but at least I have done everything to help.
This evening Chris has popped out for an Indian takaway as I caught up with feeding watering and gift opening. As usual my sisters have done me proud with a selection of thoughtful pressies, which included: hikers pants, a water feeder for the hens, two black current bushes,bedding plants, batteries,proper coffee, posh soap (trying to tell me something?) a hen biscuit box, and a pair of wellies!. Mother in law Sorrel sent some gardening vouchers which I have already spent on some lovely lavender plants for my flower bed in the allotment.....

Being thoughtfull

Well, it is not even 9am and I have been treated to a cooked breakfast, cards and gifts. I always appreciate people that are thoughtful with their time and effort and true to form Nu rang first thing with a hysterical and smiley "Happy Birthday" down the phone and my Nia (above) sent a card and pressie ( a book of Australian movie legends!!! -Russell has never looked better!) all the way from Oz! I have had birthday texts from Nige (happy birthday to you too) and the normal emails and thoughtful cards too

Chris will be working this morning, then I think he will suffer the indignity at being dragged around a garden centre after seedlings......

I need to buy a couple of day old chicks today if I can find some. Blanche the broody hen is looking terribly weak.....she needs a couple of babies to break her broody behaviour. We hens get so fixated, like she is, it is so easy for the bird to literally broody herself to death

Osborne house Birthday Lunch

Pre Birthday lunch at Osborne house, Llandudno.........a real treat

I am 46 going on 47

Rose's comments on one of my previous blogs about how at 45 she has reviewed with a certain amount of peace, her present and her past got me to thinking about decisions made and past experiences.

I think when you are in your mid forties, you reach a certain plateau in your life. You know who you are, you understand what makes you "tick" and there is a certain acceptance of "self" that perhaps was not always present when you are hurtling through your thirties.

Those adults that dominated your life when you were a child, for the most part now have died or have become frail. Dear friends have fought ill health and bereavements of their own and people close have experienced the worries of middle age wear and tear, which is often difficult to cope with as it reminds you that you are actually getting older!

Being 47, and living the lifestyle we have chosen has brought with it some problems but for the most part it had brought with it a certain peace , slowness of pace (which is certainly different to being busy) and a certain contentment.

So what have I learnt after nearly a half century on this strange planet?

I have learnt that family and friends (my urban family) mean everything. I take them and Chris for granted but now and then realise that life can be very cruel and fickle on occasion, and realise the need to celebrate them when I have the chance.

My "new" in- law family have a special place in my affections as my "real" family, and new friends dovetail neatly into my time as the old. The only thing that I do regret is that I cannot always see everyone as often as I would like.

I have learnt that life is not as exasperating as it once was. Perhaps I am less angry and less disappointed with people than I used to be......perhaps I am just at a more peaceful part of my life. The bitter and more oppressive climate afforded by my frustrated and depressed mother has disappeared years ago now, and her legacy now is of better memories and fewer hurts.

Perhaps that is another typical sign of being middle aged.

Being 47 frightens me just a little. I don't really want to move away from this time of needy chickens ,a pack of dogs that provide a constant loyal safety blanket and the ever-so-small world of vegetables , garden and village.

In my mind I am still 28....and probably always will be...I just look 50

Nearly 47

Gardening is the best cure for a hangover. Today I have planted beetroot,fennel,succession plantings of broad beans and sweetcorn and the day has been gloriously warm and sunny.
In the garden the Ceanothus I planted two years ago has flowered beautifully and for the first time it seems to be covered in butterflies and honey bees! I am praying for a warm dry summer this year, our last two miserable ones decimated the butterfly population.

I cannot believe I will be 47 on Monday! I am three years from reaching my HALF CENTURY!!! I am reminded of the Julia Fordham song "where does the time go?" and I realise that the older I get the quicker time seems to be passing by. It is a slightly depressing thought as I don't really feel middle aged-what ever that may feel like?

My aunt is comming to dinner this evening...Chris is cooking! bliss....

Chicks in the Lane

Well William chanced his arm this morning and managed to sneak into the shed where the chicks are housed, it was a feat of ingenuity as I had no idea of what was happening until the first of the chicks appeared in the lane!
Somehow William had broken into the crate and had scattered the chicks. Luckily their numbers had confused him a little and as he grabbed one of the whites the others made a break for it amongst the plantpots by the back door. As fate would have it, located behind the pots is a drain which leads through the wall into the lane and like ferrets up a drainpipe most of the chicks burst through it to safety.
Luckily the white chick which William has grabbed, put up a loud and spirited defence, and by sheer lung power kept William at bay until I could arrive and give the terrier a swift kick up the rear end.
It took ages to round up the chicks, apart from a slightly battered and very wet white, all of the others looked a little shocked but unhurt. I made sure the shed was locked and bolted all day.
William has sulked all day.

The alliums in the garden have all started to flower and look lovely. I didn't get around to complete the back garden weeding today but I hope to get stuck in tomorrow. I did plant out french climbing beans, have weeded the remainder of the allotment beds and have patched up the holes in the buff fencing. The sun has been fierce today.......I have actually worn a hat!
Off to Hazel's this evening for a gossip, glass of wine and a birthday bitch!

Supporting

I got quite sunburnt today, I decided to ignore my back pain and get on with my list of jobs outside, I have cleaned windows, mowed the lawn and weeded the front garden. I have also strimmed the field and cleaned out the pigs latrine as well as barrow loaded chicken manure from the hen houses to a purpose made manure heap (complete with wood borders to stop the hens from digging it out)......I am typing this on my new netbook (my Birthday gift from Chris albeit three days early) and know that I stink to high Heaven.
Repetitive jobs such as digging and strimming allows the mind to wander and today I have been thinking about support!
Yesterday I was thanked for supporting someone who had been going through a stressful health scare. I didn't do a great deal - a few phone calls, a potted plant, a knowing "look" perhaps ,just enough to be of some small help, and this got me to thinking about a time when I found supporting a friend almost impossible to do.
10 years ago a close female friend of mine was rushed into hospital suffering from some vague neurological symptoms. She was frightened and distressed, and as her condition slowly deteriorated I found that I was totally incapable of supporting her effectively. Friends and colleagues rallied around with visits and kinds words, whilst I called into the hospital a couple of times and remained ever so slightly distant.
In hindsight I think I realised just how serious my friend's condition actually was and I presume that my only coping mechanism then was one of denial. The guilt of not being "able" to provide a friend's support remains with me to this day, and strangely I even find it hard to remember the entire scenario of events of that time... I would have liked the opportunity of discussing this with my friend but sadly we lost contact just before we moved to Wales
It is weird what you think of when your minds wanders isn't it? It is also interesting what you "choose" to remember.
Perhaps I had just too much sun.....Albert and Nora(below) had the best idea...they slept most of the afternoon

Albert, asleep in the Sun

Nora, asleep standing in the shade