Hoist

5 days ago I lost patience with the chooks I got in October, only three (of six) of whom were laying. 

Yesterday I collected three new point of lay Brown Shavers to join the flock and to make up the shortfall.

Four days ago the fourth October Girl started laying.

Today number five laid an egg. 

It is still possible that the sixth Octoberite is a dud - she remains very underdeveloped - but I’m not betting on it.

The three January Girls will be laying in two or three weeks, all being well.

35 eggs a week is a good number, providing enough for three households. 63 a week will require some thought!

I have most definitely been hoist by my own petard.

The three Januarians went in with the Octoberites straightaway and I’m delighted that the posturing, jostling and squawking has been minimal. It may help that the new girls are almost the same size as the older ones, and they are very close to laying. The photo shows two newbies on the left, and an established layer on the right.

In other news, after gardening at K’s all morning and then helping Bean liberate more apricots from the orchard, I took the rest of the day off. 

The lovely blippers MrsMacdub and Feedtheducks treated me to a very unbirthday lunch in a pub half way between our two homes. 

They cycled there, which was impressive on a warm day with an easterly blowing across their path. And it was just over two years ago that we first met in the very same place, with no clue that they’d fall in love with the area and be living in Oamaru by now. 

I used the remainder of the day to read the latest Louis de Bernieres novel, “Light over Liskeard”. I had forgotten - since reading “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” many years ago - what a wonderful wordsmith and moodsmith he is. He has captured me and therefore I have spent next to none of my time off catching up with Blip. Oops!

Ain’t life grand?