Well Done Daisy!!!

Congratulations to Daisy, she laid her first egg yesterday. The snow has almost disappeared here in Middlesbrough, though we are forecast to have more over the weekend, not too much I hope as i'd like to get a few things sorted, even if it's just cutting wood to size for all those construction jobs I have to do.

I've been looking through my magazines over the last couple of days, trying to get some ideas, looking at seed catalogues and checking what seeds I have left from last year to see what I need ordering. ADVICE NEEDED, when it says that you need to buy fresh seed each year for example with parsnip, if you didn't open the seed from last year and it is still sealed as when it was bought, will this still be ok if it is within it's BBE date on the reverse of the packet?

We have the Girls!

Yes, the day has finally arrived, well actually it's been and passed. Yesterday we travelled up to Durham and collected our four hens. We have a Rhode Rock, who has been christened "Mrs Pepperpot", a Coral Nick, named "Daisy", a Blue Haze, aptly known as "Hazel" and a Columbine who now goes by the name of "Chestnut". They all seem to have settled in well at their Winter home, though I did have to persuade Chestnut to go to bed last night, she was sitting in the pop hole doorway and at 10.30 I went out and forcefully 'persuaded' her to go inside the house so that I could close the hole. I knew there was a frost due and I wasn't sure how much 'cold' she would be able to stand. One thing that I have noticed today is that one of them seems to have very loose droppings, i'm going to have to keep an eye on this and if it prolongs then find out which one it is, I hope that none of them have anything wrong with them.

I have still to dig up the maincrop potatoes, the weather has been quite lousy over the past couple of weekends and with the nights drawing in, i'm not able to get to the plot on an evening anymore. I've got to make time one way or another.