Shelter

Not a brilliant photo technically as taken on my phone but I liked the composition!

Finally got out on a wet and windy day - had intended to go out earlier in the morning but an opportunity came up that had me firmly glued to my laptop! Had decided that what I had to do could wait, the only thing I really needed was fish food - and a friend had some she could lend me, but then I invited said friend to dinner so had to go out for food for her! In my rush to get out I forgot my camera - the first time I had been out without it since starting blipping! Had thought the recycling / tip might have provided some interest.
Having visited the tip and deposited all my plastic that Cornwall recycling collection won't take ( in it's wisdom they contracted out to a firm that only takes bottles - grrrr!) and getting totally soaked in the process, I did the shopping and on the way back as it was so grim and the light so bad, decided to lock chickens up early.
I had a anorak and gardening gloves in the car, and although my boots were not meant for allotment conditions, decided they would be sufficient for a quick run in and lock up. Oh how wrong I was on both counts!
Chickens were delighted to see me and all came running out from their corrugated sheet shelter and the coop. They ate the treats of apples and a cabbage that had already been nibbled by some rodent on my plot. Decided it had to be rodents as all the others were untouched - slugs would not be so specific, having very little brain?! Noticed whilst pulling it up that I have brussel sprouts forming! First time I have grown these so well chuffed!
Anyway - I did the various chores, sliding around in my ill suited boots in the mud like a newly born deer just finding its legs. As I did this the rain stopped and the chickens decided failing light notwithstanding, that they would follow me and generally forage and scratch around! I think they were pleased to have respite from the rain and some human company! The usual girls, Estelle, Dotty, Doris, Penny, Mrs twinkle, Tipsy, Tweedledum, came up for a cuddle and for a while I was happy. The allotment is situated at the top of the village, you can look down towards the viaduct and the fields of Devon on the other side of the river. No matter what my mood is when I go up I am always happy being there - outdoors, amongst the chickens and on my plot ( 2 full sized plots now I have the time! ) It is both grounding and energising and gives me a contentment unlike that I feel in any other situation.
I remember the first day I spent on the site, when the field had been ploughed after years of neglec and was ready for its new tenants. After a day of digging I felt alive and had a deep contentment and sense of sheer happiness - all feelings I realised I had not felt in a long time. I spent the first month digging up the couch grass that had been turned over by the plough and marking out beds - not straight lines but beds of various shapes demarcated by paths that traversed the plot - highly impractical I discovered when trying to manoeuvre a wheelbarrow along them to the compost heap!
More of my allotment another day!
The chickens were still happy, but my feet were getting wet and numb, so I decided to take some photographs of my gorgeous girls with my phone whilst I waited for them to retire to the coop! My other project that day had been to photograph Amelia's shedded skin - thought I could really have a good session learning about all my new cameras settings and playing with light on the iridescent snake scales!!! But that plan had well and truly run out of time!

So - a chicken shot it is for today!!!!!

P.S. Had Monkfish casserole with aubergines and peppers and seeded pumpernickel bread!!