Back on line!

Well where were we?

I think when I last wrote we had put the ducklings and chicks out, the buns were snuggled up in their nest looking less and less jelly-bean like, we have started to get the flat decorated to relet and we had some quail eggs ready to hatch.  Plus we were looking forward to seeing Jessica and Naomi at the weekend (and Jim and Viv too of course!).

Well, J & N & J & V arrived on Friday night after a longish drive up.  Ian finishes work early on a Friday so was at home when they arrived, and since MUNCH is shut at the moment he was here for the evening too which was a nice change (when MUNCH was open, visitors often saw fleeting glimses of Ian as he was off to cater for the appetites of Alstonites).  When Carl and Joe were here earlier this year, we spent quite a lot of time looking at bones and bits of dead things.  Likewise this time, after the chickens had been fed, and the rabbits looked at, and dogs cuddled J & N asked to see the dead lamb.  Luckily we were able to show them something suitably gruesome, with a sheep that farmer Debby had buried on our land has half un buried it self and has its skull and some of its ribs poking out a bit like a picture of a dead buffallo in the desert.  I think we didn’t disapoint on the revolting side of things.

All the puppies were given cuddles and a little carry, which they enjoyed to a greater or lesser extent.  Basil having the advantage of size had to make do with being groomed.  We had some Chines quails hatch, although unfortunately some didn’t make it, in fact from 12 eggs we had one chick which is still alive.  We also had the start of a number of Japenese quails hatch and J & N were able to see how little chicks come out of their eggs. 

On Saturday we went to Hadrians Wall and proved once and for all that you can see the house from Hadrians Wall – therefore what I have confidently being pointing to people from the garden as HW, must indeed be so!

There were plenty of jobs to do, besides feeding everyone, we also needed to mark Freckles and Black Knees with paint so we can see which they are in the fields.  Whereas it is easy with the Herdwicks as they stand out from the other sheep, Freckles and BN’s are the same as Debbies sheep and, although generally we can tell which they are by the fact that they hear Ian and come running, we also wanted to mark them so Debbie didn’t get them confused with here (and so poor F & BN don’t find them selves at market).  Hence the fact we needed to mark them with blue paint so it was apparent which they are.  J & N undertood this task for us – and this is what they are doing in the photos – it is not a new strange Bristolian game of sheep graffitti!

J & V & J & N headed home on Sunday and throughout the day more quail chicks popped out, and we started to get ready for M & D who were coming up on Tuesday.  A flat tyre on Tuesday meant a bus into work, and a call to M & D to pick me up on the way through Brampton.  M & D managed not to look too phased by the fact that the house is very much ‘work in progress’ .

On the animal front we have had some more chicks – we have three hatch from one hen and six from another.  Some of these came out of the incubator and we popped them under the mother hen.  These are now in little runs outside, although Dad did find a little chick that had managed to break out of its run, but now tucked back inside.

M & D have been looking out for the owls, so far have seen two I think. 

We had a spate of quail chicks dying, not sure why, but not for a day or so now so hopefully these were just the weaklings.

The ducklings in the stable are getting big enough to go outside and we will try them this weekend.  The two baby buns no longer look like jelly beans at all (or hippos) and have started to look like little bunnies.  We are handling them every day to get them used to humans, and one of them was squealing very loudly to start with but has stopped which is good.

The spare room which H & S will be sleeping in is home to quailings, quails and a chick, plus all of Ians tools so we will need to sort this out for the weekend.

I am the proud owner of a red fiat panda which we picked up from Newcastle last night.  So far so good – ie it is still running!