First egg of 2024!

Here it is kids, the moment we've all been waiting for -- the first egg of 2024!  

We last had an egg on 30th September, so we've been waiting for this one for a while.  Our first egg last year was in the week between Xmas and New Year, so significantly later this year.  Because of the weather?  I don't know...

For those of you who don't know, once upon a time, eggs were a seasonal food, like asparagus or strawberries.  Egg laying is linked to light levels, so when days start getting shorter, laying tails off, and when the light starts to come back, laying resumes.  The reason you can buy eggs year round in the supermarket is because they give hens artificial light to trick them into laying all the time, but we think that our hens deserve a break and a rest from their hard work...

In other news, somebody on the island ended up with more Seville oranges than she ordered -- which meant that I got to make marmalade -- and somehow I managed to end up with more marmalade than I was expecting, but it is so delicious that an oversupply will not be a problem!

Spotted this earlier -- Cookie and Freya probably as close as they ever get to each other -- separated by a pane of glass!  And now I am off to wash my windows!  :)