Nearly August - where does time whizz to?

Time to do a bit of catch-up.
Sorted out 'Blue shed' aka 'Conservatory' to make room for the arrival of 3 big mahogany chests full of shells.  Brian can do sorting, photographing, cataloging, advertising and ultimately selling from there!!  Laptop works out there and it's warm.  Lucky him.

Me, I'm still faffing with making curtains for the spare bedroom etc.  Only just coming up to 2 years since I had some of the material!  I need a bomb-let to get me 'needling' again!  My mum used to call it 'needling' Aaah.

Booked to go to Spain in September.  Taking up the Hotel we paid for last time and  then had to cancel. @Spect the countryside won't look as green as in May, but the towns will be just as beautiful and mellow. 

Would have been my Dad's 100th Birthday today!

A picture says it all!  Big hug and kisses xxx

 

This is the path devastated by laurel hedge cut down

Here's the path ... then it rained so no cleaner yet.

 

Sale price camellias!

Just went to local garden centre and bought 5 camellias at £5.00 each.  Brilliant.
But I couldn't resist a glorious orange Campsis for the back of the garden.  That was £19.99 - but I hope well worth it for the showy blousy nature of the plant.  Think the bees will love it too!
It's raining now and so I can't take a pic, but I'll do one tomorrow.

Trying to put up a pic

I will show you a patch at the bottom of the garden - first just to try it all out!

 

Hedge down

Paid a bloke to take down the thug of a Laurel hedge on the west side of the property.  There's still a hedge behind it, easier to cope with as it's privet.
Makes the side of the garden look a bit empty! 
Will try a photo!!! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 

Freshly laid eggs

Bright yellow yolks from foraging and pecking around.  I heard somewhere that eating melon seeds gave chickens those coveted golden yolks.  Funny how we like the brown shelled eggs, whereas in some other countries they like white shells.
All down to conditioning!


My mum used to write the date of lay in pencil on the outside of the eggs.
I was going to say that Mr F. Fox was to blame for the demise of the Woking girls.  Their gorgeous names didn't save them from him.  Muses all; Penelope, Clio, Thalia, Caliope and Erata. (There must have been another but her name has gone heavenwards with her.)
Ah! who can fail to be delighted by the absurdity of energetic scratching followed by quick reverse running steps to see what has been uncovered!  Certainly not me.  Or the girls crazy, delighted race when I opened the back door,  ever hopeful of some kitchen scraps.

Thoughts on chickens ...

What colour shall I write in? What's a 'chickeny' colour?




As a kid my parents kept Rhode Island Reds - it was after the War and many people kept chickens for their eggs as a supplement when food stocks were scarce. Of course they had names ... but my favourite old girl was 'Biddy'. Laid an egg on the day she died. (of old age!)



Then in the bright and interesting days of the 80's, in urban Woking - no less, I decided to give a home to half a dozen girls who were being chucked out of their deep litter system, after a year of laying.


I had no part in their choosing, so when we opened the box we were shocked to see the 6 hens had about 10 feathers between them .... and it was autumn and the nights .... were fair drawin' in!