Far Lands

I love them, and in fact any hotel who wants to see my return should serve them for breakfast. Having been given fig plant (a feathered whip) for a present (thank you Peter and Iole) I was keen to get it in the ground and be able to provide our very own 5 star breakfasts. To be successful figs need a constrained root space because otherwise they put all their energy into root and tree growth and none into fruit growth. The standard advice is to dig a hole, line the sides with paving slabs and the base with rubble. Hence, I was obliged to dig another great hole:- Stop Press:- Full house yesterday in the chicken coop - 6 eggs (3 warren and 3 bantam eggs). Clearly, KFC and NAN getting on famously.

This smallholding business is not only quite tricky but it frequently reminds you of the essential features of our time on this planet - birth, a fight for survival and then inevitable death. I checked on the chickens yesterday to find that one of the new warrens had not survived the night. I checked with a local expert and apparently a post-mortem does not have to be carried out if the chicken has died at home. So, NAND0 has quickly become just NAN (0 for zero chickens and D for a dead chicken) NAN and KFC seem OK - they did not lay for a day as a mark of respect but now are just getting (sitting) back down to it.

Not that I have been counting (ok, I have) but so far my parents and my parents-in-law and my sister-in-law have all fallen into the thunderbox. Nick and Sals sat quite comfortably.  (Everyone else seems to have avoided a visit.) If you are wondering what on earth I am writing about then have a look at my blog entry on the 1st of April.

...our new chickens. There are four of them and are called NAND0 (that is a zero at the end and stands for zero chickens.) NAND0 are warrens, ex-battery and clearly very good layers. I picked them up on Friday and over the weekend we had 9 eggs! All 7 chickens had to stay in the house over the weekend whilst they got used to each other and the warrens reset their sat navs. It was bedlam in their house as they decided who ruled the roost.

Partly because the local farmer describes Hayfield as '3 months Winter and 9 months rain' and partly because we have seen them working really well elsewhere, we have installed a polytunnel. A present from P&L (thank you!). As with anything preparation is key, and as with anything at Farlands it involved a lot of digging - the1st photo shows the site during its preparation, the 2nd photo shows the amount of stone I dug dug out. The photo below shows the finished product (both tunnel and spouse - what possible improvements on either could anyone make!)

...which is lucky as they have had a hard Winter. Not sure whether they will make 2014. Our snow is at last receding, and this week is a bit warmer. Hopefully that will inspire the chickens to greater efforts - back to one egg a day. The black one has never laid an egg as far as I can tell, and I am sizing her up for the pot.

...in a very secluded position near to the compost heaps. Two catchment boxes means that one can be used for a year, then closed, and the second one employed. After year 2, the 1st one can be emptied and used for compost around the smallholding (not directly on the lettuce, and there are a few other fairly obvious exceptions). If you visit, you are welcome to test it out; fantastic views and no lingering smell!