New kitchen, new birds and old cats

Finally, I am getting my kitchen renovated.  This evening it is in chaos. 

 

The four worktops were replaced a couple of weeks ago. I have been waiting for just over a year now since the fire last year and I shall be very pleased to see it all done and dusted.  It seems that none of the cupboards were put up originally using a spirit level so all are being taken off the wall, carcasses being cleaned, and being remounted before having new end panels and doors, drawer fronts, cornices, pelmets and plinths.  Tiling will then be done and eventually the floor will be replaced. 

 

On Sunday I picked up two new chickens, a pair of Black Copper Marans.  They are only two months old at the moment but when the female comes into lay, probably next year now, her eggs will be chocolate brown coloured.  They have settled in happily with the eleven month old chicks I have put into an area on the field.

 

The day before I collected two female Emden geese. 

 

 

 

They too have settled in well and share the duck field and pond and sleep with the ducks and hens in their house.

 

Rain has finally arrived in a serious manner and thank goodness, at last, the IBCs on the field are beginning to fill up again with the precious collected water from the barn and shed roofs.   Not having mains water on the field for the animals and veggies becomes a real problem after so many dry and hot weeks.  I have also increased the amount of IBCs on the field to eight, buying two more from a neighbour who has moved, and these were installed today and have already started collecting for me with the downpours this afternoon.

 

The rain is slightly less welcome in the fish pond which had been emptied in readiness for resurfacing to cure the leak.  It is now, of course, holding water when it wasn't before - life is strange!

 

The cats don't seem to know what to do after weeks of sunshine and lying in the shade on the terrace they are now cuddling up together on the windowsill and avoiding the showers.

 

 

Three things I like:

 

1.   Eating some of the huge crop of broad beans I've been picking.

2.   Making another batch of gooseberry jam from my plants.

3.   Plaiting my garlic harvest to hang on the wooden ceiling airer.