CRAZY WEATHER

Yesterday the wind got up again and was so strong I thought we'd get blown away! 

I stood in the doorway of the house waving C and J off to school this morning, C shouted back that the hen house doors had been blown open!  I tiptoed up through the muddy vegetable plot, past the suffering lettuces, cauliflowers and cabbages, in my crocs and pyjamas, to secure the doors.  I realised at that point that the nest box doors had also come open and the wooden posts supporting the boxes outside had come loose! eeeek! Our chicken house seems to be collapsing!

I went back to make a cuppa and throw on some clothes.  Heard big rumbles of thunder!  Had some toast, C got back to the finca and had brekky also.  I donned my big waterproof coat and headed for the wheelbarrow.  I pumped up the tyre (its old and needs a new one) and headed for the hen house.

Of course the heavens decided to open just as I was cleaning out the chickens.  We seem to be getting a lot of hail and sleet this morning.  It is very chilly, wet and gloomy, not a nice day in my book.  I wonder how the mountains are, have they got lots of snow on them? It is thick black cloud over them at the moment so who knows!

I put clean bedding down for the chickens and secured the doors - job done.  I had just got inside when the hail really came down.  Hail the size of large peas! Everything was white but a bit slushy for a few minutes.  I need to walk Ruffa this morning but I am not sure he is going to be too happy walking in this weather.  However, sitting here at the computer writing this, I can hear all the birds singing loudly, so perhaps it has improved.

Hail on the sunbed! This is the bed Ruffa uses when it's a bit drier!

Our dwindling log pile.  We will have to order another ton soon.

Views from Ruffa's walk yesterday.

Another view from our walk.  It was a lovely sunny day, but with a very chilly wind coming down off the mountains.

 

THE MINI AND THE GIANT

Since the last post, we have had a steady succession of eggs (only one or two per day).  Some have been broken and found lying on the open ground, but near the hen house.  Some have been found in the hen house but on the floor and some, much to my happiness, have been found in the nest boxes.

We were finding a few eggs that had very soft shells so we've increased the hens intake of oyster shell and that seems to have done the trick.  As the hens are quite young still it is normal for eggs to be a little strange at first.  

For the last week J has been unwell with high fever. Now that is gone, but he has been left with a nasty head cold.  Needless to say he hasn't been to school since last Friday, so I took him to see his teacher and to explain that he wouldn't be participating in the School Christmas carol concert tonight at the church. 
I picked up his school report, which I have to say was excellent, and his polystyrene guitar (Paul MacCartney's Hoffner bass replica), that I made in a hurry a couple of weekends ago.  


Just as I was leaving the school, I had a hurried phone call from C saying the hens had laid again.  On our return home J and I went to the kitchen to view the eggs - 2 of them, one small, just like the previous ones and one - extra large! yipppeeeeee.  Bigger eggs!

The mini and the giant!














I am hoping that some of the eating oranges are nearly ready to pick, but we only have two trees of them, the rest of the grove are juicers.  The mandarins are ready, maybe another day or two.  Lots of them this year.

Last night I began making vol-au-vents for a 'do' we are going to on Saturday night at mum's.  I finished them this morning, I have no idea how many there are, but they are mini so I know there are more than 100!

Mini vol-au-vent order.









This morning C cooked a full breakfast using two eggs that were laid yesterday afternoon.  But the bacon fought back, much to his consternation.  That'll teach him to cook in last nights sausage fat - deary me!

C fighting with the bacon!

 J's fresh boiled egg, yummy.






So we are almost ready for a more basic Christmas this year.  We have had to tighten the reins considerably due to lack of work, but we shall be together and we'll be having a big family dinner on Christmas eve at mum's as well.  Everything else will be normal here as we have the animals to look after.  If the weather is good we will go off for a country walk with Ruffa - or perhaps a bike ride.

A couple more photos:

C closing up the coop after checking for eggs this morning.

Just before dawn with Venus as a bright dot.  It's a bit grainy as my mobile isn't good with photos!