185. (Some of) the chicks clear their throats . . .


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73. Stuck for something to read?

Try a William Boyd novel. They hook you from the start, have interesting and original plots and are not overly long. What's more there are lots of them, and relatively easy to find in second-hand bookshops. Perfect for a holiday read, if you are stuck on a difficult novel or just want something a bit different. His books sometimes feel like he has written them with the aid of a special book-kaleidoscope: twist it again, 10 bizarre plot-lines fall out and Boyd glues them together in 300 pages. Try one!
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195. Snow . . .

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. . . well a dusting anyway. If only the chickens could speak! It did not seem to phase them too much. They are beginning to lay properly now, the eggs not so small and with less double-yokers which apparently is very usual when hens first start laying. Two more are still to start laying and we know which two they are. It's very obvious - they are still pristine white. The reason is that Flash (our sole remaining rooster) has his wicked way with the rest (including a poor bantam) and in the process puts his muddy claws  over their backs and squashes them down into the mud. I think that when the hens start laying, their hormones have changed and their smell changes and Flash gets interested. Up until then he leaves them alone, and they stay very white.
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271. The hazel harvest . . .

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Five years ago we planted 20 hazel saplings, the idea being to coppice several every year to provide useful (straight) sticks for the garden and to encourage new growth. They are growing well, and this year's harvest can be seen in the photos. Products include runner bean poles, pea sticks and pegs for tying down netting. Coppicing the hazel (a clean cut just above ground level) helps make the hazel grow much straighter poles. In the veg garden the rhubarb is starting to grow well, and for the first time we have forced some.
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