Tuesday 12th December 2017

Weather
The weather today has been terrible and the mud that was just a slight annoyance last winter is now starting to cause a few major issues. The entrance into the 4-acre field from the barn is very squidgy and short of dumping a load of hardcore there (which we cannot do till it is dry), there is not a lot we can do about it now. It would take a LOT of woodchip to cover up the mud and then not sink back into the ground.
Relaxed at Home
The poultry area is also very wet and muddy in places although we have mats and pallets down and use them just outside the stable doors for the drinkers and feeders. This basically means we don’t have to access the paddock ourselves at all and so make the mud worse. The ducks and geese are of course enjoying the puddles and making some places muddier than we’d like but we just have to let them get on with it in the sure and certain knowledge, the grass WILL all grow back in the spring.
We ended the day with one weather front disappearing and another one heading our way, and a beautiful rainbow appearing in the interim!! Unfortunately though, we also ended the day with Orange, our brown Muscovy duck, perched on the stable roof with no way for us to get her down. Having sold the last of our youngsters last week, the adult ducks, all six of them, have sensibly been sleeping in the stables again and after the fox visit three days ago, we have been very glad about this. Tonight though, Orange decided to return to her bad habits and fly up to the roof.
We are now very worried that she will come back down to the ground at first light when Mr Fox might still be around!!!