2020

What am I to do with ‘Hank the Tank’?!
For starters, she really thinks she is a tank and won’t move out of the way even for an approaching car - mine! This makes getting to work a bit of a hassle.

Did I ever tell you the story of how we happened upon the cottage we live in? Or, more correctly, how the cottage found us?

JP and I went to visit family in the Netherlands and subsequently had to self-isolate for 2 weeks after we came back. My best friend, who we also arranged to meet up with, reminded us that with so much to do in our garden the time would fly past. And it did!

Helga the Explorer (no relation to ‘Dora’) is even bolder these days; she thinks nothing of marching straight into our neighbours’ house!

Well... it’s official: we have a new ‘Hooligan’ in our midst! Or maybe I should say ‘Diva’ because Helga (the Explorer) prefers to wander about on her own, away from the rest of the flock

I’ve been off for a couple of weeks, camping in my own back garden for the second year running. A true ‘staycation’. And what brilliant weather we’ve had!

Let’s start with some great news! JP and I are the proud owners of 5 more chickens!

Strange things have been happening. Not just around the world (I’m sure you’ve noticed) but around our garden too.

Of course, despite our lives grinding to a halt, nature goes on and at this time of year, Spring, it seems even more so!

With everything in my greenhouse cleaned and sorted it’s time to start sowing again, so I have started off my sweet peppers and chilli peppers, all indoors of course, they need at least 20C to start germinating!

As you all know I love chickens. They are lovely creatures, very sociable too, at least once they’ve established a pecking order. We now have just one chicken left, Tufty, the others have sadly succumbed to a very contagious virus.

Now that the days are getting longer again (and colder), it’s time to start planning for the new growing season. Not that I can start sowing outside just yet, but it isn’t too far off now...