It’s a few days since I’ve blogged and I apologise – it’s because I’ve moved the computer back into the study.  I can blog on the iPad or the phone, but I am less likely to.  And LT and I spend the evening cooking, eating, talking – we never watch television either.

But he’s away for a couple of nights and, even if he were here, I’d have written because I wouldn’t let the blog slide for too long.

The scrap metal pile has been gradually removed over the last week or so and it’s finally gone.  This is wonderful.  There’s still a certain amount of clearing to do, mostly firewood that needs to be chopped or sawn, but there’s a huge difference and I’m very pleased.

The chickens love their new greenhouse extension and have become used to going back and forth.  When I opened the tunnel for the first time, it took seconds for the boldest hen to check it out, but they’re also quite biddable about going home again.  Although, the second day, a pair of partridges managed to find a weak spot, high up in the netting, and get into the greenhouse. Of course, they couldn’t get out again and, when I strolled out to check all was well, I found that they were panicking and dashing themselves against the glass.  I chivvied the chickens into the tunnel, opened the door and the partridge tried to fly through it, missed and broke a pane of glass instead.  I was able to catch it and let it go and it ran away luckily, and then LT and I double-meshed the gap again.  But I still had to corner and catch the other partridge.  They’re sweet but a bit dim.

Yesterday, I’m afraid I had to dispose of three cockerels.  I feel dreadful about this, it’s happened too many times in the last few months.  There is not an alternative, I’m sorry to say and it isn’t going to happen again because I won’t have a cock bird again.   If we still want chickens in the long term, we’ll buy some or engage the services of a friend’s cockerel for a few days.  It’s all been too distressing.  The two chicks whose colouring I liked best turned out to be cocks, sadly.  I didn’t do the deed myself, a kind and understanding friend did it.

In fact, he and his wife invited us round for the evening on Saturday, which was absolutely lovely.  There were four other people, two of whom I’d met several times over the years and another couple, I knew her slightly and him not at all.  Tim was sociable and lovely as always, so it went very well.

After Tim left this morning, I felt flat and lonely so I went and did some shopping. Food, mostly.