Flaming June

Good morning villagers.

started at half five this morning instead of seven so I'm home now, there was a reason for starting early and I didn't say anything about it yesterday as I didn't want you all worrying after what I told you about the main yard a few days ago.

I had to go into the main yard this morning for a talk about how to keep yourself safe and to offer us face masks the ones I already have are better than what was being offered so I will stick with them.

The other thing we can get on Monday if we want one but have to ask for is a covering for eyes, I've asked a friend in Yorkshire who works for the nhs at the main hospital in Bradford if it's worth me asking for one and she says if your offrerd anything to protect yourself better take it.

You will be pleased to know that I was exceptionally careful in the yard waiting outside rather than in the canteen for the thing to start then when I did go into the office for the talk (it was two at a time) i wore the mask and gloves that I wear on the buses to and from work.

Oh and i was pleased with my work mates social distancing wise.

None where two metres apart it was more like three or four

Greetings from mild, bright and humid Oxfordshire. Rain is due so the washing (towels) has had to go in the tumbler.

I heard yesterday about surprise lambs at the farm along the lane. During our Zoom coffee morning one of my friends said her grandson had gone to check on the yearlings in the field a few days ago and found one had had twin lambs. The sheep were too young to be with the ram but he'd obviously sensed that one was in season early and had managed somehow. The new mum had rejected one of the lambs so the lad is taking it, wrapped in a blanket, on his rounds in his Landrover because he's having to bottle feed it regularly.

Somewhere in there was a surprise: tinyurl.com/yc3gceof

tinyurl.com/ya9lwjbq

tinyurl.com/yckhyt2f

Not a lot to report here. OH went for his walk early because of the weather forecast. He also picked up some prescriptions at the medical centre.

Chicken report: Pearl laid a soft-shelled egg last night. I was able to rescue it without breaking it. Three eggs today, from Lilith, Griselda and Dottie.

Stay safe.

Good morning villagers

I've only been to Oxford once on my way to Southampton to get an over night ferry to France on a coach holiday staying in Spain for a week.

We had lunch in Oxford.

Up early and ready for the van from Amazon.

Thanks to the van from Iceland yesterday I was able to have the full Monty bacon butty I do this morning for breakfast that I usually have when I get in from work.

Bacon two hash browns and a peace of black pudding

Stay safe everyone

Greetings from warm and mostly sunny Oxfordshire.

Another not so good night here. I went to bed a bit later than usual, thinking I'd sleep well, but heard YD going to and from the bathroom in the middle of the night, and four of the hens started a chicken chorus as soon as the automatic door opened at about five thirty. They don't usually make a noise then so I looked out to see who was making the racket, went downstairs and let them out into the garden. I checked for eggs but there were none then.

Having got back to sleep I was woken by OH at half past eight as planned, so we could go to Charlbury farmers' market early, in case the stallholders ran out of produce. In the event the only thing I missed out on was asparagus. There were notices about social distancing and everyone was being careful. Many people were wearing masks and the stallholders all wore gloves. Most stalls took card payments. All this queuing took time as it was one customer being served at a time, so we were there a fair bit longer than usual. There were swallows and red kites overhead.

We now have charcuterie, pasties, duck egg and black pudding Scotch eggs, breads (it's nice to have a change from making my own), lamb steaks, beef steaks, bacon, cheeses, salad dressing and smoked trout. Decisions are about to be made concerning lunch! BBQ tonight, if the weather holds.

Chicken report: three eggs from Lottie, Griselda, Lilith, and a broken one from Pearl (she is at least six years old now so coming to the end of her laying days).

Stay safe.

Greetings from warm, humid and currently sunny Oxfordshire. We have had showers, which was annoying because there was a lot of washing on the line.

I am very late in here for reasons for which I will not go into great detail (though I have told ED all about it). Suffice it to say YD got drunk for only the second time in her life last night, and I had to deal with the consequences. It was a vodka-drinking game played with several of her Discord group friends online (more like drunk and disorderly group on this occasion). Three of them are from vodka-drinking countries (Germany, Poland and Finland) and may be more used to it than YD is. YD had been given 2 bottles of flavoured vodka at Christmas, and not being a great drinker, still had about 2/3 of each bottle left. One was marshmallow (25%) and the other Soplica cherry (30%). They are now empty.

OH had gone to bed and I was about to follow but was finishing a book first. YD was being loud, and I went to have words as I thought it was because she was wearing headphones as on a previous occasion. It was not. (Draws veil). OH slept through it all. I'd had a bedroom and a bathroom to clean, before I could have a shower and go to bed myself. I got to bed after 2am, accidentally waking OH up and having to explain what had happened. One load of washing was already in the machine. OH went back to sleep, but I couldn't relax. I fell asleep eventually sometime after the dawn chorus started (at 3.41am) and slept very late. OH got up on time and dealt with much of the laundry.

I had made YD drink a couple of glasses of water and take 2 paracetamols. She'd had a shower (sort of) and brushed her teeth. She woke up as right as rain this morning, with no hangover, but thirsty. After drinking 2 pints of water she was fine.

I distinctly remember YS doing a similar thing at about the same age, though it was at a very good party, not a drinking game. I'd had to help him home about a mile and a half, propping him up. The consequences were similar, made worse in that case by his having to get up for work the next day, and its being Mother's Day - some break!

So I'm zombie-like today. OH has dealt with the things I hadn't been able to do, and he's also cleared and cleaned the conservatory (something he's been wanting to do for ages) and put the furniture back. YD has been very helpful today and has just made me a pot of tea. She's now gone back to her room to do some course work. I think last night was partly down to her never having any break from one term to the next (the one day she had off was for her granddad's funeral), partly the work load which will continue solidly until mid-September (her Aspergers and dyspraxia cause her to work very slowly, though steadily and well), and also being unable to see her friends for 3+ months. It's getting to all of them.

Chicken report (because normal things happen too): two eggs, from Lilith and Griselda.

Stay safe.

Greetings from warm, bright and muggy Oxfordshire.

Oh no, Steve. What a nuisance.

Another broken night here, but only because it was so muggy. OH will get the fans down from the loft later.

I'm rather annoyed after an email saying that the runner beans and climbing French beans I ordered ages ago will not come until the end of the month. I'm not sure if it will be worth even trying to grow them this season. I have one lot of runner beans in the ground already but it's been so dry, even with some recent showers, that they are not doing as well as I'd hoped.

YD has had her delayed one-to-one with her tutor. He'd been unwell with a stomach bug, had felt faint and fallen, hurting his shoulder.

Chicken report: four eggs, from Pearl, Lottie, Lilith and Griselda. Pearl's was thin-shelled but intact. There are some Dottie feathers around the ground and nest box, so she's having a partial moult.

Stay safe.

YD's latest egg designs:

Mus Holographicus:

tinyurl.com/y8zm6lsp

tinyurl.com/yb9sccvp

Equus Aquine:

tinyurl.com/y88puu8j

tinyurl.com/y8zbjhad