Most of my time this week has been taken up with the incubator eggs hatching.  Usually they all hatch within about 24 hours of each other but this time, for reasons unknown, the first little yellow chick arrived on Monday evening and the last arrived on Thursday morning.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a lot of uncertainty about the hatch due to the power cuts we had on Friday and Saturday last week.  The temperature had dropped considerably on the Saturday and I was worried there would be no chicks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here the first two chicks have been transferred to the brooder under an infra-red light which, of course, tints the photograph.

 

 

Here are some grown up chickens.  Two Buff Orpingtons hens and their cockerel ready for sleep and sharing their house with a friend's four red hens.  Some more Orpingtons and her little black hen are on the other side of the house.

 

 

In spite of having a wing clipped the Muscovy ducks continue to fly and are often to be found on the barn roof.  Here my grey girl is on the top of the gate to the area before the pond field.

 

 

Here are the seven surviving chicks.  I am so pleased to write that the two dark birds, at the front of this photo, are female Cream Legbars who will eventually lay blue eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I met a friend from England for hot chocolate and a catch up yesterday afternoon and she had a lovely present for me - a Guinness Pie Set.  I am really happy with it and have today made a Guinness beef casserole which I shall turn into a pie tomorrow using the Guinness, special dish and funnel.

 

 

Last week, I made a beef and orange casserole in the slow cooker.  It tasted wonderful but I always think it looks particularly beautiful before it's cooked too.

 

 

 

I have done lots of cooking this week and while I had nearly an hour on the telephone with my daughter I made four small quiches from scratch to finished cooked products.

 

 

 

 

I made four and have to say that none now remain.  They were so moist and gorgeous that I have eaten them all.

 

Stuffed pancakes with cheese sauce were also on the menu this week with fresh watercress from my pond.

 

 

In spite of the wet weather it has not been cold and the primroses have bloomed in the lane and my drive.    The rhubarb in the bed next to the first hen run has really got going now and crumble will definitely be on the menu before the end of February.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claude has been very bored with the whole business of the chicks and has done a lot of yawning, although he has been seen sitting on the grid above the brooder perhaps thinking they would make a tasty lunch.

 

 

Here's Claude with Purrdy, enjoying a comfy cushion in the warmth of the woodburner.

 

I think that this budding branch in the lane is a hawthorn but I can't remember well enough to be sure.  I love the little red growths which look almost like berries and contrast so beautifully with the lichen.

 

 

Some of the sunsets in the lane recently have been beautiful and very colourful - tilt your screen backwards a little for the best colour saturation.

 

Three things I like: 

 

1.   Seeing and hearing my new little fluffy chicks.

2.   Reading The Times and The Guardian which my worker brought back from the UK  - I do miss the papers.

3.   Receiving some runner bean seeds in the post from a forum member.