Are any of you old enough to remember a programme called “Not so much a programme”? From the 1960s, I think David Frost was the presenter and Lynda Baron sang the theme song, it followed on from TW3 – That was the week that was. I’ve been singing it, imperfectly, tonight. It’s a tricky tune, when you haven’t heard it for well over 50 years and you were a child then. The reason was one line – “one eye open wide, one eye closed” which is how a chicken sleeps.

Wink went out to put the chickens to bed and feed the cats and she accidentally let one of the bantams out. It’s easy for it to happen, I’ve done so myself, though not for some time. Her eyesight isn’t as good as it might be and she isn’t that agile either, and even after nearly two years, she doesn’t yet think like a chicken. I’ve had eight years to practise that. I know how their tiny brains work. Anyway, we tried to get her back and couldn’t manage it, so I sneaked back at dusk and found her – I think it’s Polly Garter. But, as I was getting ready to grab, she fluttered away. So I left it another hour or so, the same thing happened and I couldn’t find her after that. I hope she’ll survive the night and not be foxed.

I’ve spent the weekend and the early part of the week getting ready to compile the auction catalogue. I’ve got everything described, the condition report done, the photos taken, brightened and cropped, I’ve taken a photo for the advertisement and I’ve put the numbers on the china. That’s as much as I can do so far. Next it’ll be the catalogue itself, but I’m taking a few days’ break first.