The stresses of chick parenthood.

On the night that we got the chicks the heat bulb blew out. I'm sure that you can see how this is not ideal. We ran over to pets at home and bought a replacement the very next day and they seem happy enough. The dog is very interested in them. I don't think she will hurt them, she is a very gentle dog. She even helped me round one up that had made a run for it when I was cleaning them out. 

Yes, it was the pretty yellow one.

Chicks!

Not happy with how much the cat wants to eat them. 

Aren't they cute!?

four weeks old!

Spring!

The garden is still a mess but its getting better. The chickens are enjoying it though.  

 The three new hatching eggs. Silver Campine.

 These are some rare breed sheep that I saw when I walked the dog today.

Such a beautiful day. 

I'm sorry that they're so far away but I hope you can see them ok. I think they're highland cattle, in the same field as the sheep. They look very strange in a Midlands field. 

Another attempt at sour-dough.

I fed the starter at 5 this morning, at 6:30 I made the first 'shaggy' batter. I let the chickens out, fed them and then took the dog for a walk. Got back at 7:50 and I've been working on making this Sour-dough into a decent bread shape ever since. Well apart from ten minutes to fill the wheel barrow with more bricks from the bottom of the garden and a fifteen minute coffee break. You can't say I don't use my rising times to good effect. :P
Anyway, I think I've finally (touch wood) cracked it!

I might regret cutting the tops so soon but I don't like doing it when its risen as it deflates it with the pressure. Five hours and I'll be able to put this bad boy in the oven. :D

The finished article. Its not as dark as I would like it to be, but its not too bad.

What lies beneath.

Ok so the fork, wood next to the fork and chicken drinker were already against the wall, but the rest of the stuff is what we found under the soil at the bottom of the garden. And we've already been to the tip about ten times. I think this project is going to take a little longer than first anticipated. The stone pillars were a shock I can tell you.
Happily its going to be another four months before the new chicks can go out, but... We have been offered some four week old chicks as well. Which would mean the new run would need to be done in nine weeks at the latest, hopefully much sooner. Plus we need to find places for two four week old chicks and however many (if any) newly hatched chicks, to live in our small house... Humm, I better
get my thinking cap on.

Flour!

Flour!!!

This should keep me going for a while :D

I'm a bit annoyed that one of my small packets of flour is damaged. Also, and I know this is petty, but. On the website, the flour bags were so pretty and nicely decorated. In reality they are plain. :( I'm a little disappointed.  

The yeast packet is also tiny. I know, I know I've got my complainy head on today. The  big sack of flour below is impressive in size though. :D

I actually struggled to lift it. That's why its on its side.

I've just taken some of my sourdough starters out of the fridge and put some of them in a bowl with some food and water. I've poured away about 80% of the starter and cleaned out the kilner jars that they were living in. I actually managed to smash one of my good kilner jars during the cleaning. Happily I had a spare. So my sourdough starter kilner jars have had a good spring clean. :D

 Please ignore the strange bread in the background. It was an experiment.

Progress?

Little Esme the cat destroying the evil paper of death. 

This is today's project. Or at least I hope it will be. The elderly man that lived in this house before us used the garden as a dumping ground. I'd say we've been to the tip ten times but we still have a lot of stuff to shift and then we need to level the ground.

 We cleared the greenhouse, levelled it and I sowed some broad bean aquadulce

 I have cauliflower, greyhound cabbage and purple globe artichokes.

You can see where the chickens have been dust bathing in my newly levelled floor.

 They're always getting into mischief.

And they've eaten all of my lawn. :/
But once the back gardens sorted they'll have a permanent run three times the size of the one they currently have.

update and valentines day.

I'm still awaiting the new batch of hatching eggs so I thought I'd show you some pictures of my current bunch.

 They're not liking the wet, cold weather we've been having all that much. It means they have to stay in their holding pen more than they'd like to. I break up from work for a week after today so I will be cleaning the rest of the back of the garden and creating a bigger, better run for them to live in. And folding up that tarpaulin that's been blown about quite a bit.
Hopefully they will have more space. In April they will hopefully be getting a bigger, better chicken coop as well.

 Just a quick mention of my snakes. Mrs Wiggle the corn snake (the orange one) just  keeps getting bigger and bigger. She should be big enough to breed in a few months.

 This is butters also a corn snake, he will hopefully be helping to make little Mrs wiggle babies at some point this year.

 Raised beds are coming along all right. I still need to hitch other beds to the three beds furthest away in the photo but I've still got time before planting time. The lumps in the bed you can see are old rhubarb plants that i dug out of the soil before placing the big raised bed. must dispose of them soon.

And this is what I made for my boyfriend for valentines day, along with getting him some Bulmers, his favourite cider.