bluegaria: Indian Summer

Well well well, the weather has got warmer and warmer. While locking the chickens up last night some were on the perch with their wings akimbo, feeling rather warm. Even the nights are warmer, duvets thrown off during sleeps, the cats are sleeping out. We are eating meals outside (though the down side to that is there are still some flies about)....but there are no leaves on the trees. Our visitors can't believe their luck! So Dave, my sister and BIL are now back in shorts, much to the horror of the neighbours!

We went out and had lunch sitting by a lake in the sun

I bet this jetty is busy in summer

Spud keeping out of the way of big black dog

Spag bol with garlic bread in the garden today

And the shorts are back

We have ad a bit of a worrying time with poor old Bonnie, bless her. She seems to have aged so much recently, with more and more lumpy bits and creaky joints, the sore spot on her back bothering her and coughing too. So we took her to VT and the English speaking vet with modern facilities for a check over. He says it's just age, nothing sinister and we are relieved that some pills might just make her a bit more mobile, while a wash will hopefully clear an allergic reaction to something (maybe washing soap) which was making her super sensitive to being touched. Bella is properly put out that she had to have a shower too!!

Mmmmm the lovely whiff of wet dog!

Out in the paddock, despite the warm weather, the goats are getting winter coats. The cockerel chick, Vernon, seems to think it's spring and is getting busy with the girls, much to their annoyance. He has just started to crow, a nice short one, which I love to hear but only if the boy is good natured. If not I can do without it. I have to say though, he is an odd looking bird, one of the three chicks from the market. The other two are confirmed as girls...either that or the boy is confused. But his tail feathers, which grew quite long, have fallen out so he still looks as if he could have been either.

Vernon

Odd looking boy

The chooks are still laying enough eggs for our needs with a few still going next door. But they are hiding in the duck house, goat house or dust house by day, feeling the heat in their fresh plumage. The drake has now nearly got his new colours ready for next spring so we can easily tell him from the girl he resembled a few weeks ago.

In the garden...we have lovely sprouts this year, the best I have ever grown. The plants are lying down a bit but I decided that they were better off there than tied up as the disturbance might just make them blow. Looking forward to the first this weekend. The cabbages are lovely too, very sweet after the light frosts we had last week. I have not dug the celery up as planned as we have no frost forecast for a while, but am using the outer stalks for soups and stews.

We had a planned outing with friends last week. To a bird fair. Dave is wanting some more ducks and is toying with the idea of other fowl. We have only been to the sales in VT which are large and well attended, but this was in a different area. Friends arrived and off we went in high spirits, eventually found the venue....and half a dozen stalls selling mostly pigeons. What a let down! Ah well. Home to stew and apple and mincemeat crumble pie. But they did fetch me a bucket load of fennel from their garden. So have got that chopped and frozen for soups, the very tasty fronds are dried, a bit for salad and the rest braised and sqirrelled away for winter. Yum.

The goats and chickens enjoying the trimmings

Venka's still feeding us, either at the table or giving us goodies. We had a crate of potatoes the other day which is nice. Today it was fried doughnuts. I anticipate some rock cakes some time as she asked for the recipe which we gave her along with sultanas and multi coloured cherries as they are not likely to be in their stores.