Chicken Update!

I know, I know, my camera keeps accumulating photos and I keep failing to post them...

The chicks are getting big -- these photos are from Monday when they were two weeks old but already I need to take more photos as they are now at the awkward teenage stage and not looking so cute anymore!

I discovered that the rubbish-strewn space in front of the house had actually been planted up by Jean with lots of lovely bulbs so have been having a tidy up and pulling lots of decaying plastic out of there -- it's quite a nice space really!

This is a selection of some things I pulled out of the front garden that were not plastic:

As its Easter, I've made Hot Cross Buns...  Also, as it's Passover, I will be making matzo tomorrow -- and I have an interesting twist on it -- watch this space if I remember to post photos tomorrow!  :)

On days when the weather permits, we've been working on the polytunnel.  Concrete down on one side for fastening the cover to -- all hand mixed!

And these are the cross-braces that Danny has been welding on to his hand-fabricated steel frame -- we are going to have the only completely handmade steel polytunnel frame on Sanday I think

Rhubarb plant that we discovered growing in the back garden!  Think it needs a bit of TLC so will transplant and relocated it to a better spot probably sometime in the autumn...

And while the weather overall has been getting better, there's still the odd day here and there where winter tries to come back!

Solitude

One of the things I love most about living here is the peace & quiet.  Went for a walk early this morning and didn't see any people -- just the birds and the fence posts!

In chicken related news, here's a better picture of the chicks:

The Mummy hen is VERY protective of them, and directly after I took that picture (achieved only by physically removing her from them), she started gathering them under her again...

Nearly all back under her now -- look at all the little legs underneath the hen!  :)

BREAKING NEWS!

UPDATE:  ALL FIVE EGGS HATCHED!  Here's a video Danny took:

FIRST CHICK PIC!!!  See that teeny little beak on that little black chick???!  So excited! 

Hen has been sitting on five eggs; we will check under her properly later but don't want to disturb her just yet.  

FIRST ANIMALS BORN TO US AT SPARROWHALL!!!

 

Stove

A few photos from our walk on the beach just south of Stove this morning:

We think this is a flapper skate egg case -- an endangered species mainly found round here!

Coming out of Hibernation...

We are slowly coming out of our enforced hibernation from the wind.  We've only had about four days in the last month and a half where the weather was calm enough to do anything outside -- until this weekend when we had FOUR glorious days of dry, sunny, calm weather!  

We've made some more progress with the fencing -- nearly done with the first field...

Whilst working on the fencing, we had from one side the inquisitive cows (except for the grumpy bugger off in the distance who couldn't be bothered...):

And on the other side, little Freya, who explores further and further each day...

Random things are starting to come up -- things that I knew were there, like these chives that Jo gave me in what seems like another lifetime when we called in to see her not far off this time last year when we were on our way up to Llyn Brianne to go camping to get away from people...

...and things that I didn't know were there, and are just randomly popping up in the midst of weeds and rubbish!

The polytunnel is also coming along nicely -- hopefully I'll be able to start planting things in there soon!

Cold

For most of December and January, the general weather pattern has been a few horrible days followed by a few reasonable days and repeat.  The last few weeks though, it's just been consistently horrible, and this morning the cold finally got to me so we have lit the fire for the first time and I am now huddled in front of it.

I am in awe of the people who lived here on Sanday 5000 years ago and persevered without all the modern conveniences we have today.

Polytunnel progress

Haven't posted much recently because it has just been non-stop wind, so it's been hard to get anything done outside...

I started these broad beans in the porch about a month ago and they are getting far too leggy and need to go out in the garden now, but I need a week that's not torrential wind to do it in...

Today was a miraculous day without wind (well, it's currently 11mph gusting to 18mph, but after the week we've had, that counts as not having any wind!) so we got holes dug for the frame for the polytunnel.  Now we just need a few dry days to concrete them in...

Have also started some peas in the porch which have just started to come up...

And rocks -- for the concrete -- why ring the builder's yard to deliver when you can just go to the beach and gather them for free?!  :)

 

Another Roast Chicken

Brown cockerel, on the left, the last of the random cockerels that Danny accumulated for free, has now gone to chicken heaven -- or should I say Danny and Jessica's stomachs...!

No more chicken dinners now until these hens hatch us some boy chicks and they grow up and start crowing...!

On an unrelated note, insane wind last night that Danny thought was going to take the roof of the porch, and now of course it's raining, but in between we got a bit of sunlight streaming in through the window this morning (whilst I was trying to do paperwork and getting in my eyes...!)

Random bits and bobs that have been accumulating in my camera...

Real Seeds Aquadulce Longpod Broad Beans that I sowed on 3rd January.  Just starting to put their heads up now so hopefully I will be able to transplant them into the new garden end of February maybe...

This bush in front of the house is one of the few things that's still green this time of year.  On overcast days like today when everything is grey, it's a much needed bit of colour...

Yesterday we went for a walk out to the Holms of Ire -- it's one of those landscapes that makes you realise how insignificant we really are -- even in Danny's hi-viz jacket he barely even registers!

Started on the repairing/replacing the fencing project this morning.  Got a short section done before the rain came in...

These beds are going to be covered by the polytunnel which will get put up once the sand and cement gets delivered...  This is a layer of hay that Jean put into the barn the summer before she died, and then after the doors of the barn came down in a storm and the rain got on, the hay sat there and rotted -- well, waste not, want not -- it makes a lovely mulch.  That in turn is covered with a layer of seaweed, so this should all make a lovely bed for me to plant in under cover.

Did somebody say kelp?

Cat at the end of the world just before we crossed the causeway to Inner Holm.  Quite a friendly kitty too!

Danny took this picture off the Western edge of Inner Holm -- not sure what these little red creatures are?

And here is the little bit of sunshine we had today.  Yes, I am getting that desperate that I am resorting to photographing things that are really rain clouds!

White Cockerel -- the gift that keeps giving!

After having roast chicken the other night, I took the rest of the meat off the carcass, boiled the bones up for stock, and made chicken pot pie with some of the meat.

Plus, we've still got a bit more meat left, so I reckon we will get four meals out of white cockerel -- not bad for a bird that we thought was a hen when we bought it...!

Roast Chicken -- start to finish...

Forget about all those recipes that begin, "preheat oven to 225C"...

This recipe begins, "take one chicken"...

He was very tasty and we thoroughly enjoyed eating him!  (And looking forward to another couple of meals worth -- 1.7kg deadweight, so quite respectable size IMO!)