Muscovy Drake

Our Muscovy ducks are growing now, the ducks should start laying soon and the young drakes will soon be trying to assert themselves.  For the time being this young drake was just enjoying a break in the orchard this afternoon.



Jon

Oh Happiness.....

We finally got the nod to start the ground works for the extension the other day, so ordered the digger and four hours after it's delivery we had made good progress in remodelling the driveway having received the final levels from our Architect.  Everything looking good for the next few days work, driveway reworked and drains installed, section of the holly hedge removed and new construction site excavated.  Excellent!

We forgot about the British summer.......



We looked out on Friday morning to see that after 16 hours of constant rain the digger was standing in a foot of water.  That'll be off to hire a submersible pump then........

Jon

Common Centuary - Centaurium erythraea

For the last three or four years here at Holly Cottage, we have noticed that there is Common Centuary growing on the banks above the meadow.  Though fairly widespread throughout  the UK, I had never knowingly seen it till around four years ago and I consider it a great find on our land and look forward to it's appearance every year.

Jon

[caption id="attachment_55" align="alignnone" width="589"] Common Centuary     Centaurium erythraea[/caption]

Why.....?

As we go on our journey through life, we make decisions which are often life changing and occasionally give cause for reflection why?

After two years of faffing about, we finally bought Holly Cottage in February this year and having lived here for some eleven months now, have planted a new orchard, built a temporary new driveway, expanded our little flock of poultry and applied for Building Control permission to commence construction work. In all for we amateur property magnates and non-builders, a very stressful period.

But why?  We love living in the countryside and can now keep our horses and poultry at home, we have (or will have) a cosy cottage, not too big but enough for the kids to stay, and a nice garden in due course. We also have lovely views and are surrounded by places to walk and cycle.

The thing that makes it really special is, like this morning, we can stand at what will become our bedroom window and see things like this only 20m away...........

Jon



We are very lucky............

Orphan Pheasants 22 July 15

A few months ago, one of the terriers (who in order to protect the innocent I will call Jack!) found a pheasant sitting on her eggs beside the burn.  Unfortunately he chased off the hen and destroyed some of her nest and eggs.  I waited an hour to see if the pheasant would return then brought the remaining eggs back to the cottage and put then in the incubator with some Dorking eggs we were hatching. In the fullness of time, the Dorkings hatched along with a day later, two pheasant chicks.  After they were all fully feathered they all went out into the ark for a week to get used to all the other poultry before being allowed to run free in the orchard.  I fully expected the two pheasants to disappear into the wild at the first opportunity but a month later they are still happily trotting around the orchard and garden with their "siblings" the Dorkings!

A Vet fit for a cake!! 20/07/2015

It was Lauren's birthday a few weeks ago while she was on fifth year work placements from Vet School.

As she is home for a week before heading off to New Zealand on a three week placement, we had a little family get together at the cottage.  Myself, Hilary, Lauren, Jonny and Rachel, Helen and Hugh; the five Dorking and two pheasant chicks (more another day!)  wisely opted to stay in the garden as Lauren has a fear of hens?  Just remember that one next time you go to your local Veterinary Surgeon....!!  As it was the first time we had seen Lauren since her birthday we baked a cake which Helen, in her own inimitable style, decorated.  A pastoral depiction of green fields and a wealth of animals, which Lauren thought was hilarious!



I have to confess that I ate the duck, couldn't help myself.......

Up on the roof.....

I bit the bullet yesterday and climbed onto the roof to remind myself of the work that needs to be done up there, not a happy visit.  Apart from the stone roof at the front of the building which needs to be removed so that the supporting timbers can be reinforced or replaced as required, the roof needs to have a breathable membrane fitted and all of the battens replaced.  On the modern tiled roof, all the ridges need to be reset, the tiles in the valleys re-pointed, leadwork repaired and some of the coping stones replaced.  Not least of all, one of the chimney stacks is in urgent need of general repair and pointing..........

So that will keep me busy tomorrow!

On the up side, the view east from the roof is always good, looking over the old orchard, the hen runs and field shelter.  I can just see the horses in the field, some of the young Dorking crosses in the garden and one of the ducks making her way through the orchard gate.

Jon