As I write this post tonight I can hear the hum of tractors and farm machinery in the surrounding fields near to where we live. It is with some sense of relief that the sunny weather has finally arrived for everyone concerned so that at last the hay can be made. This is my husband busily turning our hay this afternoon and this will go on for a few days until the hay is considered dry enough to ' row up' ready for baling. The smell of freshly cut grass all around us is just wonderful and hopefully this should keep our horses fed through the winter months.
I have just started picking our first tomatoes although I have to say that I am a little disappointed with their flavour, I just don't think they have had enough sun this year! I have also planted some more seeds, a brand of carrots called Eskimo that are supposed to overwinter in the ground and some seed potatoes called Vale Emerald that you plant now and are supposed to be ready in time for Christmas ! It is the first time that I have planted either so I will keep you posted how successful they are. If you are interested the site I bought them from is called Dobies
My neighbour Lu has been busy hatching chicks. This little girl is a Cream Leg Bar, one of a few chicks that can be sexed upon hatching. The girls look like little bumblebees with brown and cream stripes on their backs and the boys have a dark round spot at the back of their head so its very easy to tell one from the other. Cream Legbars are a rare breed and they lay beautiful blue eggs. Both Lu and I are big fans! I have several in my flock and they are good layers usually laying well into the winter months when the other chickens have stopped laying.
This is a chick just about to hatch, you can just see a little beak!
Here they are helping themselves to a few chick crumbs. Once they are a little bigger and are drinking and eating on their own they will go outside perhaps with a surrogate hen if she will accept them...As this post seems to have a bit of an animal theme going on I thought I would leave you with another picture of Claire's eiderdown! As you can see another one of our cats has fallen in love with it!! I don't think I have a chance of calling it my own, do you?
