There are tiny plums in the paddock

Nigel has heard a sparrow singing – although it’s more like caterwauling. He fancies a sparrow snack

The nectarines are turning and I have brought one fruit into the kitchen to see if it will ripen more quickly

Runner beans and french beans are running up the canes and wigwams

There are still pounds of gooseberries to pick – not a task I relish. Also black currants, red and white currants, raspberries and tayberries. My favourite are the black currants and they set well, last night, when I made jam.

It’s July and the days will begin to get shorter but there will be plenty to harvest as the courgettes and tomatoes grow and ripen and the first onions are pulled up and plaited. Bring it on!

Haroun (Harry) is getting to know the rest of the herd. Ishi takes his trailer to the local supermarket and they give him left over fruit and veg. Haroun will get fat!

Willow, Wisp and Meghan are relaxed even though Haroun (Harry) has gone. It’s three girls together now.

One of the quails died during the night. These little birds don’t survive more than 2 years and we have not had any live for more than 15 months. The bird below is a favourite and looking healthy (for now). Her sister was sitting on a clutch of tiny eggs but she has now lost interest and abandoned the nest. If the barn door is left open the quails will escape and never return. They can survive in the wild but its a precarious existence as they live on the ground. Most commercially farmed quail are Japanese quail (ours are this type) and, sadly, they are mostly raised in battery conditions and killed at five weeks for meat or at eight months after intensive egg laying. Ours have night cages with plenty of space and the run of a large barn for daytime “hide and seek!”.

We never expected that our young billy goat, Harry, would escape the butcher’s knife in such a spectacular way.

Let me explain. Jeremy often posts animals for sale on a site called Preloved. We have sold lambs this way and even managed to give away our Aracauna cockerel to a delightful family in Bedford last year. The cockerel’s days would, otherwise, have been numbered. Jeremy was reading through some of the postings on Preloved when he saw a request for a horned, Golden Guernsey young billy goat. We couldn’t believe our luck. Here was the opportunity to rehome Harry. The family live in Birmingham, own 17 assorted goats on an acre of land and were looking for a young billy goat with which they would eventually breed. Jeremy contacted Kelly and she and her husband and youngest daughter arrived an hour ago to take Harry back home to Brum. He is going to be loved and spoiled and petted and cosseted and his new name will be Haroun.

Kelly has said she will keep us up to date with news of Haroun and if he fathers any progeny she will send photographs. Lucky little billy goat. Travel well.

Every spring a wild Mallard duck and drake appear on the pond. Over the seasons they have become less frightened of us and they only fly away if we approach too close or make a loud noise. They nest around the banks of the water, well hidden in the undergrowth. In past years I have caught glimpses of the ducklings but not often enough or near enough to film. On Saturday, when my phone was in the house, I saw a number of ducklings swimming across the water in the very early morning. I glimpsed another last evening. I got up early today and opened up all the animal houses. My phone was switched onto the camera icon and I walked quietly to the goose pond. Yes, gliding along were two fluffy, brown ducklings. Click below

Had I not been scared of the massed ranks of geese guarding the bank, I would have stayed longer. However, I took another short video of the two ducklings. Click below

I think there may be more little birds and I will take a quiet peek later today or tomorrow morning, early.