2017 Goals ~ Let’s go with Healthy, Wealthy and Wise… and a couple donkeys

I absolutely adore that the advent of the New Year gives one a sense of renewal, a chance to reflect and consequently focus on ones short and long term goals.  We have lots of changes planned for 2017 and, I must say, yes, I must, that we are very, very excited (and a teeny bit scared).  We will be putting all our eggs into our  entrepreneurial basket and focusing our time specifically ~ Pumpjack’s to our new wine business Terroir au Verre and me, Piddlewick, to my Pumpjack & Piddlewick  Shop and the life that goes on behind it, so our blog will get a bit of a face lift too this year.

Welcome 2017! It’s make or break time.
(Hmmm, maybe not a good euphemism when talking about entrepreneurial eggs.)

Mother Nature goes to town dolled up in hat and handbag

This years spring has been like an old woman entering the cold sea, a tentative toe at a time. I’ve been told it is an El Nino year, so hence the strange lengthy cold and wet spell. Whatever the excuse, I am not bothered, I just wish it would come! The odd sunny warm day pops in, like a friendly neighbour for a cup of tea, but once drunk, disappears again and we are back to grey, damp days. And this is France! Tsk, tsk, tsk is what I have to say, pull your boot straps up Spring and get on with it! I am ready to garden.

We’re trying something new in our garden this year, building truly raised beds, using pallets. (No more bending and kneeling, and less weeds. Hopefully.) There will be more details on this in a later dedicated blog, but suffice it to say, its a slow project as I work between boughts of rain. Yup, I am a fair weather gardener and not ashamed to say it.

But what I really wanted to talk about here is how this year Mother Nature has gone mad. The garden may be delayed in its growth, but this has definitely been made up for in animals. We figure it is the colder, wetter, consequently darker days that have made the animals bored and looking for something to do. But, honestly!!!

Worms make a tasty breakfast

Maggie, our pet duck, came to visit again this morning. When the sun is shining she comes off her nest for an hour, comes to the cottage, calls out for me and we go worm hunting.

She knows exactly where to go for the worms, the herb garden. So we waddle over to the other side of the garden, though sometimes she cheats and flies.

The Dramas of a Brooding Pet Duck

The last month has been fraught with emotion as our little Maggie (pet duck) has grown up and started laying eggs. It is probably no coincidence it began with the arrival of Meeney, Minhy and Mo, two drakes and a female respectively.

An Eggageration of Eggs – Trying my hand at Creme Brulee

We have 3 chickens and 3 ducks. We average about 2 eggs per day. Now that may not seem like a lot, but you try eating over a dozen eggs per week, every week. And I have to say, I am rather tired of omelettes. So, I am on the search for something new to do with our eggs.

My first new attempt has been Coffee-Caramel Creme Brulee,

An Egg Murder most Fowl – Where is Sherlock when you need him?

An Egg Murder has taken place. Can you help us find the culprit?

Devious Ducks – Working as a Team

This is an Addendum to yesterdays post on Devious Ducks, as we discovered today that the ducks are tag teaming on the nests. The females are rotating themselves to give breaks off the nest. Definitely smart, definitely devious. We never stood a chance against them. For some reason this makes us feel better.

Inundated with Easter Eggs

Easter has dawned beautifully sunny. Hoorrah!  It has been awhile since we have seen the sun and we are all, animals and humans, basking in its warmth.  It finally feels like spring, and the animals are certainly making us aware it is.  We have discovered yet another duck nest this morning, this time amongst the daffodils, bringing the count now to 4 duck nests, 3 chicken nests and 1 rabbit laying eggs.  Okay, the last one is a bit tongue in cheek, especially since it is our male rabbit, but he did invite the photograph after I put the eggs on the chair next to me and he hopped up to investigate.

It just has to be said ~ A truly eggagerated Easter this year.

Nest amongst the Daffodils

The nest in the Daffodils

Kim has laid her egg and is now off to find the others

Gertie comes to visit Kath on her nest.

Kath sitting on her nest in the orchard

Lucy built her nest in an awkward place.

The nest in the hedge

Mr Drake and Wife No. 1, Delilah, on sentry duty

Lucy sitting on her nest in the hedge

Delilah is guarding the hedge nest

A collection of Easter Eggs

 

Ducks are Devious-ly Clever

Last year, in spring, we bought 2 female mallard ducks for our mallard drake. We had tried him out on a wood duck. He bonded, she didn’t (and that’s another story). So with a moping male, we decided it might be safer to get him 2 girlfriends. He was, to put it mildly, thrilled.