Hard boiled egg, chick crumbs, plums and apples and a fresh supply of mealworms that I just collected from our friends in Keysoe. Here’s hoping she will be tempted to eat and put on the weight she needs to survive

A kind and knowledgable man from Cambridge Farm Vets visited us this afternoon. We had booked three CAE tests for the goats. CAE is a debilitating disease of the joints and maybeven cause encephalitis. Before we breed with Wisp and Meghan and again with Willow we must ensure they are CAE free. The goats were also vaccinated as were the sheep with lambivac to protect them against the deadly chlostridium (a bacteria found in the soil).

Before the vet left us I asked him to take a look at the injured blackbird. The vet has a special interest in wild animals so he was the perfect man for the job – and so gentle.

We must feed Sweetie Pie more worms and more protein (hard boiled egg apparently) as she is very thin. If she survives it will take more than a month for her wing feathers to regrow. We are now feeding a blackbird at The Gables. Hey ho!

Peel and slice and dot with plum jam. Cover with oat mixture and pop in the oven

And the greengages are plentiful and delicious this year

It will soon be mating season and the twins’ father, Tufty, will become aggressive with the lambs if they begin to show an interest in Tufty’s ewes. Best to separate them before any trouble begins.

It started with my first appointment at the hairdresser since February.

Then it was off to a nearby village to collect a new pc from our technical wizard at Pcupgrade- who helps us keep our tech up and running. He and his wife also keep chickens and they feed them mealworm treats.

I cadged a small box of worms to offer as a treat to our recovering blackbird. A morning of treats for all !

The goslings are ready to go down to live at the pond. They will stick together as they try to find their place in the flock.

I put a bucket of water and some food near the back gate in case the big birds won’t let them feed from the communal container. We’ll keep an eye on the situation.

Not many cats care for cucumber. I had forgotten that last year, during cucumber growing season, Nigel happily munched on the vegetable. This evening, as I was slicing a cuke, Nigel padded around my legs until I remembered that he wanted some titbits.