A week of sudden hard frosts and an earthquake - I bet this why the hens are currently laying only the occasional egg.
(Latest Headlines Earthquake is centred on Bromyard 3:54pm Tuesday 28th October 2008 TREMORS were felt from Malvern to Hereford when a minor earthquake struck the outskirts of Bromyard on Sunday evening. West Mercia Police received up to 20 calls from concerned members of the public as the quake, measuring 3.6 on the Richter Scale, rattled crockery and shook windows. )
Making mashed potatoes for the hen's evening feed. What a curious sight, a row of perching hens with mashed potatoes on their beaks! (Our current hen bible is "The Right Way to Keep Chickens" by Virginia Shirt, ISBN 978-0-7160-3018-8)
Walking out of the front door to see rows of frost-blackened, collapsed plants - the real start of winter. Time to get the remaining bulbs in for a bold display in the darkest days of the year.
Carving a pumpkin - I used a cat template this year & had a bit of slip with the knife. Very resourcefully (well I thought so) I fixed the tail back on with sewing pins -an invisible fix - marvellous! I'll take that as a "good omen" for the next phase of the year - easy fixes for all life's problems- it should be a great Christmas.
My usually very sensible mare has been behaving like a creature possessed. On a day that was freezing (literally), sleeting & blowing a gale - would she come in off the hill side into a nice comfortable stable, would she stand still & have a rug put on - of course not! Bet the earthquake has had something to do with this.
Visiting a "promising" piece of land for sale to find it's access blocked by 2 vans (one broken down). There were two young mares grazing on the land - they weren't so much grazing as trying to play with us - not a good experience on a hill side. All that was missing was a snarling dog (well there was one but locked up) & a man pointing a gun at us. We wont be making a bid.
I received a very touching letter from a friend describing a surprising reunion with a long lost brother. Letter's like that confirm my belief that something good always comes after something bad. I wish that reunited family every happiness for the future. It's easier to weather life's buffets when you have support.
I surprised myself at how cross I became at a sign we passed on the road - "Stop the XXXX Wind farm". I haven't lived near a wind farm but I have been up close to a generating windmill & been through a huge wind farm in the States. What made me cross was the comparison between the human & environmental cost of producing wind energy with "traditional" sources eg coal & nuclear: I have worked at a nuclear power plant & spent over 11 years living & working in mining communities. How can you compare the cost of human illness & death that coal/oil/gas extraction in this country & in other countries where life (human & otherwise) is cheaper with the minimal impact of a wind farm. As for nuclear power -don't get me started on that one. As a "first world" society we have so far to go it's disheartening. Here's a link to a summary of the wind farm arguments. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4610000/newsid_4614700/4614743.stm
On a happy note - my home made tomato chutney tastes great & that's after only a few weeks "maturing".http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/greentomatochutney_8201.shtml
At long last a "spring in the step" has returned to my large dog & her fur is as soft & glossy as it was before she was spayed. She is currently eating a dog food formulated by Debbie Connelly, a Dog Behaviourist so if your dog is not as perky as they should be or perhaps is too excitable or eats too fast why not give Debbie's food a go: the price includes delivery. ( http://www.intelligentfeeding.com/ )
So who is going to be the next leader of America? What will it really mean for us in the UK?
