Making the most out of the late afternoon sun
Little Miss Pretty
So named and, in our eyes, rightly so. Always a protective and attentive mother
Perky is shorter and stouter, with a docked tail but she is much more friendly than her contemporary, Little Miss Pretty
Tufty is working hard during the mating season / sniffing the air with a purpose and pursuing the ewes with intention. Early tupping means early lambing
I am reliably informed
That the light in the night sky that I saw at midnight is MARS. It looked so bright and more orange than white.
This morning the sun is up and glorious
In the sweet corn bed a bottle gourd plant is flowering and boasts tiny fruits that may not have time to grow to their full size.
Anyone know what that ridiculously bright star is in the sky tonight?
I was hanging up the washing on the garden line (ok it’s half past midnight but why not?) and my eye kept being drawn to a star many times brighter than anything else in the sky. Is it a star or a planet? I have no idea. Anyone out there know?
Like mother, like children
Most of our hens are too timid to eat from our hands. There are a few exceptions, Mrs Orpington, Lemon and occasionally one or two other Banties. Lemon is rearing her five chicks and is fiercely protective. She makes sure that even the tiny, lame hen is with them all and learns to scratch and peck and flap its wings. It somehow manages to keep up with the others but I can’t see it ever getting big or climbing onto the hen house roof like some of the other youngsters.
This evening I offered Lemon a handful of corn. As soon as her chicks saw her eating from my hand they joined in.
Enough cucumbers?
Leeks and Beets
Foods traditionally eaten at the New Year
London friend admires the Morning Glory
A walk, a talk, a new walker with a brand new baby
But I forgot to photograph them – am I losing my touch? Instead the magnificent church spire of St Denys church – closed, again, and in need of urgent roof repairs
Bright the day dawns as the New Year approaches
Every Tuesday afternoon, before and after lockdown, Jeremy meets with his beekeeping mentor and they drive over fields to check on and maintain the beekeeper’s beehives.
Apart from the occasional sting and some extremely hot days, it has been a fascinating bee education and Jeremy hopes to acquire his own bee colonies next year. This year we will dip our apple into Bedfordshire honey and be pleased that Jeremy played a small part in its production.
