new residents

The farm has acquired a peahen from somewhere. She goes to bed with the chickens, though sleeps on the highest rafter away from the cluckers, and hangs in the garden all day like a pet. She is a bit of a runt, and seems to have a crooked leg, which has perhaps been broken and healed badly in the past. I also think she has slightly defective eyesight, as she can't see anything smaller than a peanut to eat. She fits right in. Also featured is a trio of pedigree LEMON SABLEPOOTS (honestly). Brought home from market by the big boy (obviously) with strict instructions to care for them and hatch all eggs that are laid. Hence, a spare room now clicking and whirring with an incubator full of tiny white eggs. And I swore I wouldn't do this! The tiny sablepoot cockerel is absolutely savage, and would fight anything that comes close (including my arm and hand). Therefore, he is staying safely in the pen until he can learn some respect. The very much larger cockerel is one of the two replacements for Cocky (who was eaten recently: see earlier post). He is very polite, and moves away from humans, and is also kind to his girlfriends. His colleague in the mating game is a rich brown feathered and bearded bantam cockerel, who avoided the camera lens more skillfully than the Head of MI6! These two cockerels live peacefully together, and have shared out the girls nicely, so their stay at the farm may be a long and successful one. The farmer has dug, and continues to dig, lots of trenches to bring power water and drains to my new studio (the old Egg Shed). He's been as busy as a bee, and ably assisted by the hens, who have gobbled up each and every worm that has been exposed by the sharp blade of the spade. Many were rescued before the feathery predators could pounce, but many, many more have gone into egg production (think about it). The hens were running around yesterday with half of a baby rat in their beaks, falling out about the remains like lions over a zebra. So pleased with themselves. Just think. All that protien straight into the eggs. Yum.....

The little brown girl is one week from pupping, and is perhaps slowing down, just slightly. Our first litter of COCKERPOOS. So excited. Hoping they will be in an array of colours. Typically, yesterday, there was an enquiry about another litter of pedigree working cockers.... giving the farmer the opportunity to say 'I told you so'. He isn't keen on the prospect of cockerpoos. So I'm hoping they prove popular, and I can say 'I told you so' to him too.

Took baby boy back to University yesterday, so house empty, beds clean and changed, carpets vacuumed, fridge full and beer staying in fridge. Its not all bad! Big boy coming home in two weeks time, with a friend, for 5 nights, then they both require a lift to Heathrow as they set off on their Big Adventure. Returning in late August poorer and wiser. With regret, they are not taking any laptops or valuable mobiles with them in case of theft, so news of their progress will be sparse. Dreading it already!