The next generation

The white hen has been laying and sitting on eggs in the long grass alongside the drive. Today we found her in the coop and when I nudged her to one side to look for fresh eggs, there were two chicks beneath her. 

We have no roosters so this white hen must have been visiting next door. The chicks are only a day or so old and when I went to check on the hen's nest, I found more than a dozen abandoned eggs and two recently deceased chicks. 

We decided to leave the chicks with their mother rather than hand-rearing them as we can manage another two birds in the flock. 

But we picked out one of them so that we could have a closer look. The children were really gentle with the tiny chick and we're looking forward to visiting them again tomorrow. 

New Year, Old Projects

The time off over Christmas has given me the odd opportunity to catch up on some things that I'd left undone. 

Staking this kowhai was a top priority. It had quite a lean and has started to yellow. It's a special tree as I planted it over one of my two placentas. I also love kowhai and the tui that they attract so I was keen to save it. Fingers crossed it works. 

Fixing the flapping and fraying wind barrier on the raised beds became more pressing once I planted my first crown of rhubarb and a cape gooseberry. 

I used my father's idea of threading through a bamboo cane and hooking on a bungee cord. Some of the original hooks had rusted through so I hammered in a baling hook saved from a cube of sawdust. The bungee won't last in the sun though so I'll need a more sustainable option for the long term. 

Inside the house, I conquered my fear of meringue and made a pavlova base. Sadly our hens have stopped laying (in the coop at any rate) so I had to buy eggs. I was able to buy them from a local producer who once took some of our chicks so they're almost our own eggs. 

I also squeezed in an hour of sewing to put together a shopkeeper's apron and a tool belt for the children. They need the straps adding in but they're much closer than before. Progress at last. 

Christmas dinner

Our raised beds are not quite as productive now as they have been. I'm not sure exactly why but maybe because I didn't water the latest plantings like I did the first ones last January. 

Corn and tomato seedlings didn't grow (thought they're still alive) and the rocket bolted before I cropped it. The irrigation system should be on stream again soon though. 

In the meantime, we have enjoyed some Tom thumb lettuce, a motley selection of carrots, purple beans, broad beans and sugar snap peas. The leeks looked edible if skinny but remained woody even when cooked. Shame. 

If anyone knows why the garlic didn't grow at all, beyond putting up shoots, please let me know. I wonder if it's the same reason behind the poor performance of the garlic and the leek.