The thirsty duck at Stancombe Beech farm shop

Visiting the farm shop is never a chore despite the three miles drive to the top of the Cotswold escarpment. It is a real community asset and for many it becomes a fun meeting place. It certainly was for me. The shopping for vegetables, eggs and fruit, all local produce took only a few minutes. But chatting to Keith, one of the three farmers (they are all siblings)  lasted a good thirty minutes, where we saved the world laughed and despaired in equal measure. The latter was mostly about our politicians, but we also covered how the second world war affected the population, how the Vietnam war began and how much we might benefit from being like bees in hives, which Keith knows all about as he has more than a thousand hives to look after and care for.

We chatted in the yard but only after I’d spent a few minutes watching the collection of chickens, ducks and geese that are allowed free roaming in a large fenced off area. I ended up watching this duck drinking from the small pond they’ve created in the run, as unfortunately there is no room for a traditional farmyard pond. I have no idea what type of duck this is. Keith says that none of the fowl are laying eggs at the moment, as it they live outdoors (in huts) but it isn’t warm enough for them to lay. In fact I think they keep them just to have the birds around the farm shop. They give little cups of suitable seed to any children who want to feed them. I had to make sure that the half a dozen children  who were feeding them at the time didn’t accidentally get in my shots.