Foxy Loxy has been eyeing up Chicken Licken

Warning Fox loose aboot the hoose, hen hoose that is. This was spotted yesterday morning having had a good look around the outside of the hen run and after eating a few fallen apples in the orchard he made off in the direction of the dell. Either he is a vegetarian fox or he is biding his time. I took the precaution of shutting the hens in last night as he was about but it was very very cold and they may have liked the luxury of an extra cosy night. It did mean I had to be up early to let them out but as it seems to get light at about 9am these days it was not too much of a hardship. Who or whatever has been egg eating has been at it again, another eaten yesterday in the run. Herb heard a lot of bokking this morning and went out after he caught a glimpse of something black in the run, he thought it had a white flash on the tail too but by the time he had got outside it had gone.

Still getting 4 or 5 eggs a day and Trinny and Susannah are still not laying, I have heard they are very good meat birds and we have had words on the subject! Because it has been so cold they have been getting extra treats this week, tuna and sweetcorn being a particular favourite but today's rice and cooked cabbage also went down well.

Yesterday Herb and I attended the funeral of an old nursing chum of mine and I was aware that the last time we were at a funeral we came back to discover that the doves had all been massacred, this time all was well and they have settled down nicely with no further dog incursions. They are making huge piles of guano under the dove cote but it will recover, the grass will probably be twice as lush.

It is still very cold here but nothing like in the South thank goodness.Time to go and make up a nice big fire, settle down with a mug of home made soup and last nights Eastenders! Bliss.