A new year

A new year, a new Z? Probably not, but I do hope I’ll sort some things out over the next few months. I’ve been neglecting quite a lot since Tim died.

The year started with Wink’s chicken house doing a partial collapse – it’s an Eglu, bought by Rose and Dave a few years ago for her four chooks. Like many things, it’s not as good as it looks at first sight and needs regular mending, nowadays. Wince and I did some running repairs a few weeks ago, but the cover is held in place with some slabs that turned out to be too heavy for the structure to cope with. We’d gone on the website to order a new cover, but couldn’t find one of the same size. They seem to think that just covering the top and part of the sides will do, but that means rain would blow in, just at chicken level. Anyway, I took along some wire and bailer twine on Wednesday and it’s pretty sturdy now. Just a slab at each corner and otherwise the cover is tied in place.

Getting Thelma and Louise in again was another matter. We luckily did the work just before it started raining an icy downpour and had to leave them sheltering under the hedge as they didn’t intend to budge. Later, they ran around, refusing to be guided home, but Louise went back into the open run when she was hungry. Poor Thelma was too frightened and upset to be helped home, but eventually, exhausted, she crouched down to rest and I was able to pick her up. They’d both recovered by the morning and are safe now.

My chickens are fine in their secure house and run. Today, there was a hard frost, so I took some soaked split peas for them and a can of warm water. They’ve also had their mealworm treat early so, although they were standing round looking disconsolate at 8.30, they perked up quickly. No eggs for the last week, though.

We went to Norwich yesterday. As we were going to be there several hours, we went to the Park & Ride. There were hardly any cars there at 10 o’clock, but it’s not surprising that people have taken a couple of extra days holiday, with Christmas and New Year both being midweek. The city centre was quite busy with families having a day out. We met Rose for coffee – she was going to rejoin the library, which she hasn’t used for a few years. Nor have I – I used to use both Norfolk and Suffolk libraries, but have only been going to Yagnub for a while. Encouraged by Rose’s decisiveness, both Wink and I joined Norwich’s. Didn’t have time to browse, as I had a contact lens check to go to.

I’m very grateful for my good eyesight. I never thought of myself as having particularly good eyesight, being somewhat myopic, but it’s come into its own now. I wear one contact lens and can read with the other eye – I’m unaware of only using one eye at a time for short and long focus and, of course, see out of both eyes, but it works really well for me. The optician (I’m not sure of the specifics of all the professional terms – optometrist, ophthalmologist and so on, so just am using an incorrect generic term here) said that my sight is great, both long and short distance. Slightly short sight, I’ve realised, is best in the long term.

After that, we met Ro and the children for lunch. They happily eat pretty well anything, which is lucky. They opted for Nando’s yesterday. As I was so quick at SpecSavers, we got a table soon after noon, which was just as well, because by the time Ro and the children arrived, people were waiting. So, smug and cheerful all round. Wink and I felt pleased with ourselves.

Which reminds me, I need to empty the wheelbarrow, having cleaned out the chicken coop into it on Wednesday (and not emptying it then because of the weather), put the new bag of wood shavings in the shed and then put some in the nesting boxes. Then get in logs. A Z’s work is – well, then it’ll be done as far as outside is concerned.

7 comments on “A new year

  1. 63mago

    I am a tad late, but nevertheless my wishes are wholehearted : I wish You a Happy New Year, dear Z.

    The library – good that you mention it, I have to sort this out next week. I have to finally see how their electronic access to newspapers & magazines works from home, at least this is what they promise, free access from home, as if you would have the paper in hand in the library.

    Reply
    1. Z Post author

      Happy New Year, dear friend. Yes, we are supposed to have access to various papers too, though I haven’t looked into it either. I read some online and have a daily paper delivered, plus the local weekly, as well as a couple of antiques magazines. Thanks for the prompt.

      Reply
    1. Z Post author

      Thank you! If ever you send a comment with a link and I haven’t approved it within a day or two, let me know, because I don’t always notice. It doesn’t go into spam, only for moderation, as it’s from a friend.

      Reply
  2. Blue Witch

    Happy New Year!

    And yes, Eglus. Style over substance, as with many things these days.

    Plastic has a lot of advantages – nowhere for red mite to hide for a start and much easier to jet wash out and sterilise every few months – but the design of Eglus is basically flawed, for the reasons you state and several others.

    And yay for public libraries. Use ’em or lose ’em. Don’t you get a mobile library service where you are?

    Reply
    1. Z Post author

      I started to write a detailed description of the Eglu, but abandoned it as really quite uninteresting for anyone who isn’t thinking of buying one. And if you’re never going to move it, it would be sturdy enough. But it’s supposedly designed to be moved along to fresh grass regularly.

      Luckily, though I do keep a lookout and have diatomaceous earth on hand to dust with, we haven’t had red mite for several years.

      Reply
    2. Z Post author

      I’m not sure if there’s a mobile library in the village now, there used to be, once a month. I never used it as it didn’t come at a convenient time.

      Reply

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