Category Archives: Uncategorized

From the “Well, that was silly… ” Department

It is not easy to wrassle wire mesh formerly in use for portable poult pens into the back of the pickup. Once those tightly rolled coils of wire are let loose it’s pretty well impossible to get them compressed back into some kind of reasonable shape for transport. I found that flinging myself on top of the sproingy mass of unwieldy wire worked quite well. I would have been quite happy with my efforts at mesh compression had I not looked down at the front of my jacket and discovered a slimy mess oozing everywhere. Apparently it is best to pick up and stash a stray chicken egg after thrashing around on a pile of recalcitrant fencing material.

20131020-154114.jpg

20131020-154123.jpg

Living Dinosaurs

When a herd of a hundred Ridley Bronze turkeys gallops past, their narrowed reptilian eyes scanning the field for prey, I must confess some part of my brain stem activates and I have this strange urge to take cover in the nearest cave. They are a bit creepy when they are in pack mode. Said to be the closest living relatives to dinosaurs, maybe not so surprising that each day is peppered with scenes straight out of Jurassic Park.

20131020-092058.jpg

What Dew Can Do

It’s amazing what a bit of dew will do when it come to transforming the ordinary into something quite lovely. The other morning huge droplets clung to the overhead wire mesh in one of the chicken runs, which made it all rather sparkly. In the veggie garden the un-killable kale looked all dressed up and ready to go to some glitzy dinner party. And the spider webs! This time of year they are everywhere and never look better than on these cool autumn mornings.

20131019-085545.jpg

20131019-085607.jpg

20131019-085631.jpg

Breakfast with sheep

Pinkie and some of her duck friends contemplate a lovely autumn morning. Those fleeces look so thick and luxuriant at this time of year. Too bad we can’t shear now and have to wait until spring by which time the ravages of a wet winter will have taken their toll!

20131018-083253.jpg

Image

Slug removal crew

20131017-171931.jpg
When I start clearing out a bed, it doesn’t take long for volunteers to come along behind me to clear out slugs and other undesirables. This is one of last year’s hugel beds, to which I’ll add a bit of compost before planting some garlic. I’ll mulch with a mix of hay and goat droppings from the goat pen and then sit back and wait for spring. Ah, garlic scapes…