Houdini the Duckling

Cagney

friend of James

Has successfully raised several duckling broods

and this month she has been sitting again

But the clutch we put under her have come from a variety of sources. James is a bit indiscriminate

The problem is – Muscovys are genetically very different from other breeds and have a a longer incubation time so there was a possibility the eggs might hatch at different times.

In the event, one egg hatched two days ago

Looks like a pure bred Cayuga (nothing to do with Cagney or James) – Lucky and his ladies

must still be up to it.

Anyway, this individual needs care while Cagney sits tight a little longer. Then she can go back.

She is not amused about being all alone and would prefer our constant company if nothing else is available. To get it she will climb the bars

squeeze through onto the table

pretend she can fly

and set off across the carpet

Mini-Meadow

We had a grassed area around our fruit trees. Then the ducks moved in and poached the ground leading to run off into… the wood shed. Not good. The ducks have now moved down the plot and earlier this year we started developing the area for meadow flowers, maybe a bit more curated than our main meadow

We scraped off the remaining grass area, sowed a meadow seed mix and threw in a few seed packets. We will develop it further in the Autumn but right now we are starting to get some blooms:

And here are some flowers happening elsewhere at the moment:

plus, these harebells are over the fence next door

We’re Only Half Way There

The year has tipped, half gone. But that half has seemed a year in itself: two months of non-stop water; two months of non-stop drought; and now the timeless background of living in our self-contained little world in even greater immersion than we normally do.

When the flora starts fruiting

we know that they see their year as over.

And as the days start shortening

we know what they mean.

This wren

like other birds, is filling up its last brood

ready to leave the nest

and the Jay

has time on her hands to clear the feeders.

After a shaky start the rabbit breeding plan is taking off

and has led us to grow things never before cultivated here

provisions for rabbit salad

not to be confused with ours

we argue over the fennel

Our crops seem to take longer to come to fruition, courgettes beginning to form

the first aubergine flowers

cucumbers climbing

beetroot almost ready

beans on the rise

leeks ready in the winter

We have been enjoying the peas

and the cherries

plus the wine making apparatus is being dusted down

So, come rain

or shine

we enter the downward slope of the year in good spirits.

Moving Up

(a story of small families)

The Cayuga duckling hatched all by herself and was a bit lonely

So a kind neighbour donated two Muscovies to keep her company

and today they had to leave our house for one of their own

where they got very excited about being able to eat wood shavings

This meant that the hen chicks who had been living there for the last month

and were getting a bit big for their boots

had to move outdoors

for a treat of raspberries

This meant that Claire with the two chicks she hatched

had to relinquish the area they had enjoyed roaming

visiting the rabbits

and rejoin her flock

(somehow “losing” the male youngster on the way)

where she quickly bagged the best roosting spot