I stretch his back legs out every hour to release the tight tendons. He should be fine although not sure he has found mum’s teat. We might need to give him another bottle later

and hope for freedom (from Covid19 and all plagues and epidemics) I wish everyone a Chag Kasher veSameach in these difficult days.

Granddaughter, aged 6 and in lockdown in Finsbury Park, has made the following

Last year we celebrated together – this year we are separated and sad to be apart. We will have to find simchah (joy) in what we have around us. The sun is shining, there is food for the table, and for now we have our health and above all we must have bitochon and emunah (hope and faith) that better days are coming for one and all – here and around the world.

Jeremy milked Willow and we put it in a bottle to feed the little one. We will work on straightening his feet and hope they will right themselves otherwise we will put little splints on him for a day or two.

Willow gave birth to twins, during the night, as we slept. Well done Willow. A boy the same colour as his mum and a girl the same colour as her Aunty Wisp.

We watched the girl feed and saw that she was steady on her feet. The boy seemed a bit wobbly. Then we looked more closely. His back feet/hooves faced the wrong way round so he couldn’t stand properly upon them – poor darling. We shall have to take advice on the little billy kid. It may be a genetic flaw resulting from the manner of Willow’s unplanned impregnation by her father just before we bought her. The sins of the fathers….

Well done quails. Laying again after a long winter break

There is plenty of purple sprouting to cut from the plants that Jeremy put in the raised beds last summer

The chicks are content (and very cute) in their new home

I just brought three strings of onions and one string of garlics into the porch from the onion barn. We harvested and strung them last autumn

As the days get warmer the onions and garlics will begin to sprout so it is time to use them and look forward to a new crop late summer and early autumn.

Mrs Silkie and chicks are now in a new home and longer run near the house. They seem to have settled in well after the initial shock of moving. Night, night.

A friend in a nearby village emailed me late last night. She keeps hens but NOT cockerels. One of her hens has gone broody so she wondered if we had a few fertile eggs to give her to place under Mrs Broody. We had a box of five Silkie eggs to which we added one Bantie egg. She will put them under the broody and, if all goes to plan, they should hatch in 21 days. Here’s hoping