Fox / Rain / Bus pass
Posted: Monday 22 August, 2022
Monday 15th August
Thunder, lightning and rain overnight and into morning. Biblical rain about 7am. I was in the polytunnel, watering, and it was thrashing down. More forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Hens left the hen house, and most turned around and went back in. Others sheltering under the nest boxes.
It's raining.
Farrier due to come at 10.30am. I’m slopping about in trousers but bedtime T shirt and no underwear when he arrives early. Ponies no even in. Arrgh. What a sight! Still done now and I am properly shored up. Dogs exhausted this morning – maybe the thunder kept them awake. Today is the day I’m going to sort out my bus pass. Maybe.
Tuesday 16th August
Bus pass sorted. Wonder when I’ll get around to using it.
Wednesday 17th August
Got into the veg garden to do a bit of weeding; after lunch, I did a bit of planning for next year.
Made a start on tidying up the potting shed.
Order WILL prevail. Just not today.
Friday 19th August
Our vet saw Gwenna today. She’s happy with her progress. Her muscle tone is good – all that pummelling we’ve done must have paid off – and she’s actually lost a little bit of weight.
Pooped pupsters.
On a less happy note, a fox got in with the hens – five dead. Of course, it was the younger flock.
Fox kills.
Saturday 20th August
Dan took the muck trailer away, emptied it and picked up two bales of hay on the way back. After breakfast, he repaired the hole the fox got through then he and Andy split and stacked wood. A few heavy showers this morning, revealed some blocked gutters and downpipes, so he was up on the barn roof next, clearing them. It feels very autumnal now and there’s a lot of leaves coming down.
I cleaned out the cow shed – they were in this morning, so got their sugar beet. Did the ponies’ field then after breakfast, took Gwenna for a walk and did her physio. After lunch, I cleaned out the hens. Glad that’s done.
Last night’s fox attack gave us cause to reflect on what we do now. I need 12 dozen eggs a week for our regular orders – that doesn’t leave any for us. I doubt if I’ll be getting that many now, so I’ll have to start dropping customers. Probably around the equinox, we’ll cull the old flock and freeze the meat for the dogs. At that point, I’ll stop selling eggs. The remaining flock – there’s about 18 left at the moment – will move into the caravan at the start of December – or earlier if we have a poultry lockdown. It’s closer to the house so easier to manage in the short days. Then in spring, we’ll buy half a dozen POL and cull the old ones.
Sunday 21st August
A day of pottering. And that is all.
