Weekly catch up

It has been nearly a week since I last posted, I don't know where the time has gone! I don't think I have been any busier than usual.

The weather has been dreadful, yet again, with high winds, heavy rain and low temperatures. The garden has taken quite a battering. Several branches of the buddleia have been broken off, the taller plants in the bee border need either staking or cutting down and a couple of the courgette plants have been blown about a little too much.
The garden is still producing well though and the freezer is filling up with both runner and french beans, apples, parsley and different variations on roasted tomato. The cupboard now has jars of pickled beetroot, runner beans and pickled onions in, along side plum and apple chutney with more to follow.

The bees are doing OK ...ish. The hive in the paddock, touch wood with all fingers crossed, is beginning to look promising with plenty of newly emerged bees on the last inspection, although it also had a little more chalk brood than we would like. The hive in with the hens is still weak, although hopefully there should be new bees emerging from now on. Annoyingly it is still being pestered by wasps.

We still have the three old Light Sussex, as we just haven't had the time to deal with them yet. Egg production has dropped to an all time low with only one maybe two a day. Frustrating as we have customers waiting. The Welsummer are still to come into lay. The broody hen continues to be a brilliant mum. At the start of the week she left them at night to go to roost with the other hens but when the weather turned she took them into the house with her to brood under her wing. Maternal instinct fascinates me, both in humans and animals. Some will fight to the death for their offspring, while others walk away without so much as a backward glance, more than happy to leave the caring to others. Thankfully Sylvia falls into the first category and in doing so has earned herself a long term place in the flock and our respect.

We have decided the boars are ready to go.Sadly the butcher we have used in the past has closed down so tomorrow we are going to talk to a different one, who hopefully will be as good.

The turkeys are growing by the day and are as entertaining as ever. On the blustery wet days we have been keeping them indoors much to their disgust.

The rest of the livestock are all well.