Oyster shells, Disasters and Little Eggs

More oyster shells have appeared, this time in the goat field. I spoke to my neighbour this afternoon, who lives on the North coast now, but who comes back to my village each weekend to sort out her son's house and garden.  It's always good to catch up with her and her news.  She cooked Christmas lunch for twelve people this year at her house.  Luckily, as the weather was good no-one had trouble getting to her.  She thinks it might be the next neighbours along who have been putting the oyster shells on the field, but I haven't seen them to ask them. The shells are brilliant as a source of calcium for the hens but need breaking up with a hammer into edible size bits, about half the size of a little finger nail or smaller.

While I was investigating the shells in the goat field and getting the birds to bed last night, I slipped in the mud again. I was absolutely covered in it and in spite of sitting on a "bag for life" in the Land Rover, had to wash the covers of the cushions which I use in the driver's seat.

　

The webbing has gone in the seat and without them I would be looking through the steering wheel.  My worker has promised to repair both front seats when I have finished losing weight!

Just before the boys left, Judge brought a whole load of logs in for me, wearing my XXXL man's fleece to protect his clothes.   He wasn't keen on me taking a photo of him in my outsize coat, hence the blurred photo!

The logs were all used up by this morning and I fetched just a few in from the trolley on the terrace as Flick was coming round to bring some in this afternoon. I was quite surprised when she arrived as I hadn't realised it was the afternoon already. Time seems to go so fast nowadays.  Her husband has man 'flu' which is why he hasn't been round to help here this week.  Hopefully, he'll be better for Monday morning.

Apparently there was a bad fire at Kerpin, near Lanrivain village at 01.00am on Boxing Day just after Christmas and very bad damage to the house.  The upstairs was completely destroyed and the occupant was very lucky to be woken and rescued by the firemen.  The photo is from Ouest-France.fr

Yesterday in the centre of Corlay, eight minutes from St André, a lorry driver lost control of his heavy goods vehicle and ran into a car.  The driver of the car was injured and taken to hospital.  Also yesterday a seventy-six year old man was killed driving out of St Nicolas du Pélem in the direction of Corlay when his car was struck by a pick-up.  Not good things to happen ever, but especially at Christmas time.  I'm so glad Matthew and Judge got home to Cornwall safely - it always worries me them driving in the dark in a foreign country. 

Three eggs today again when I put the girls away tonight. I've also been getting really small eggs regularly over the last two weeks and think they must be from the Lavender Pekin mother hen.   I think Charlie will like the tiny ones fried or poached when he comes to visit in February.  Having so few laying hens at the moment I am really lucky that they are still laying so well.  The boys took back all the eggs I had, except for the small ones, when they left on Tuesday.

Only one more day of 2011 left now.  This year has gone so quickly and yet so many things seem to have happened in it. 

Three things I like:

1.   Finding another Christmas Card in my postbox this morning from someone I thought I'd lost touch with.

2.   Having a quiet day with no pressure to do anything at all.

3.   Getting all the Christmas guest bedlinen and towels washed and dried and put away.