Ducks, chestnuts and veggies

On Monday last week I took my New Zealanders up to Dinard Airport for them to collect the hire car in which they were going to drive down to the Dordogne.  Although it was dull when we set off, the return journey was in sunshine so much more pleasant.  In fact so many of the days recently have had super sunshine and it's still really warm here, 22°C in the shade this afternoon while I sat outside reading.  

Tuesday and Thursday Bowls last week – always good to get back to after a break and on Tuesday my physio came and sorted me out in the evening.  At Bowls I was handed a note which had been left for me.  It was from the daughter of friends who I probably haven't seen since she was about eleven years old.  Two of the bowlers had been on the P&O Ferry coming back from the UK while I was in Cornwall, and had been talking to the Receptionist on the boat and mentioned Brittany.  My friend's daughter, the Receptionist, Fiona, then said that she knew someone in Brittany called Sandra Chubb!  I imagine she was very surprised when the bowlers said that they saw me every week at Bowls.  It's a small world.

I did without a vehicle on Wednesday as it was having a panel resprayed after a friend’s 4x4 reversed into it a couple of weeks ago. 

It never fails to surprise me that a bodyshop can clean just the one panel they’re going to spray and not touch the rest of a muddy vehicle.  You’d think they’d do it all out of courtesy wouldn’t you?

Friday morning was taken up by fetching animal feed.  A friend and I share the trip each time alternating vehicles and trailers each time.  It’s always good to see lots of feed in the barn and know that I don’t have to worry about running out for a month or so.  I just had time to get back, shower and change before driving to Jac and Ken’s for lunch and met another friend there too.  Chicken Kiev, cheeses and then bread and butter pudding  - a lovely menu and lots of good conversation for most of the afternoon. 

My new chickens have sorted themselves out and are now putting themselves to bed so that I just have to shut the doors to the houses.  I am getting various numbers of eggs – some days just one hen and one duck egg and other days eight hen eggs, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it but the lay will diminish as the days get shorter.   I have had to rehome my two drakes who were subjecting my Muscovies to frequent and aggressive threesomes.  The ducks had taken to hiding in the barn in a corner inaccessible to the drakes and something had to be done.  This afternoon I took them to their new home.

The goats are proving troublesome with their constant need for greener grass.  They keep going through to the adjoining field and have just finished destroying the latest fence panel which was designed to keep them out.  Here they are in said field with what is left of the fence panel.

Every few days I've been digging in the runs to give my hens and ducks new earth to root about in and they have been enjoying the worms which are uncovered.  

My printer has decided to give up.  This morning my brilliant neighbour printed a form I needed to complete and send to Cornwall.  Heavens knows what’s wrong with it – I hate technology when it doesn’t work.  Another neighbour came past the field while I was fetching eggs.  She’d collected a full bag of sweet chestnuts along the lane and then added some of my salad leaves and chillis to her haul.  She asked me whether they were very hot chillis, but I don’t really know as I haven’t eaten fresh chillis before these, so have nothing to compare them with.   My next door neighbour's grandchildren brought me a bag of their sweet chestnuts yesterday some of which I roasted in the fire during the evening - lovely!   I have one tree on my field which produces good size chestnuts too.

The change of hour meant that waking to the light at 0800hrs and doing the animals instead of waiting thirty minutes more for their day to begin.  I know it’s contraversial going back to normal time on the last weekend of October, but I like losing summer time.  I now put the animals to bed at about 1800hrs, come back for supper and don't have to go out again.  

The hunt was out in force again this Sunday sounding horns and with hounds baying loudly all around.  My cats stayed in and even the rabbits didn’t come out of their house - the hunt stayed out of the garden.

I’ve had a good weekend.  I was shattered this week and decided I’d go nowhere during Saturday and Sunday.  I gardened and put in 50 mixed narcissus and daffodil bulbs in the narrow bed along the house.  I wanted to put in tulips, aliums, crocus and grape hyacinths but couldn’t remember where I’d put them – the senior moments come thick and fast nowadays.  I finally uncovered the box they were in late this afternoon, so they’ll not get done today.  I cleared some of the accumulated stuff in the kitchen and had a general sort out.  I listened to The Archers omnibus while I ate my oxtail and carrot stew which I’d cooked in the slow cooker – it was lovely.   I resisted loading up the woodburner so that I could roast chestnuts over the glowing embers – these were lovely too. 

I did loads of gardening this week, cleared the raised beds and then planted onions and garlic.  I also weeded round the strawberries and leeks and picked spinach for supper.

The  pumpkins and squashes are now hardening off in the polytunnel and Claude, wrongly, thinks there are mice lurking behind them.

This butterfly, a red admiral, is one of many in the polytunnel this week.
















This was the first year for my artichokes so I didn't eat the few that were produced, allowing the plants to get bigger and stronger for next year.  I love the flowers which develop.

I catalogued the books I’d brought back from Cornwall, so that everything was up to date and put them in front of shelves already stacked with books in the gym.  I still have lots of duplicates to pass on and I did take some to a Mingle I went to last month.

The acer in the garden is beautiful now.  It came with me from Cornwall where it wasn't thriving at all, but clearly enjoys Brittany - just like I do.

Three things I like:

1.   The incredibly hot and sunny days we've had throughout October.  
2.   Chatting on the 'phone with the family.   
3.   Having a lovely back massage from my Physio.