A new place in the Country

This is the one of the new dove cotes and after three weeks of studiously ignoring it the birds have now taken to it really well. In fact if you look closely you can see two doves in one nest box on the left of the picture. I think they liked it better after we put a perch on the post that we had recycled when we eventually removed the homing cage surround from the original dove cote.

After thinking I was being very clever blocking off nest boxes in the original dove cote I had to uncover one as the bird that had been on the plastic eggs decided to move in with the squabs who are not yet flying and Mum doo was not impressed. There was a lot of squabbling and pecking and I was worried for the safety of the babies so uncovered a single nest hole and the intruder moved out and promptly built a nest in the new box. She has laid one egg which today I removed and replaced with another plastic egg. She had also laid a softy so that was never going to hatch anyway and she had kicked it out. So in about a months time I will remove the plastic egg and we will start the cycle all over again.

The chooks are coming to the end of their free ranging month with Roly being on holiday, they have loved it and the egg production is excellent.

The figs are coming in thick and fast now as are the tomatoes and other veg. The Cabbage White Butterfly has wreaked havoc with my brassicas so no prize winners this year. The blackbird has taken to eating the blueberries even before they are ripe and I am fighting a losing battle keeping her off, despite the net. I suppose at £1.99 a punnet I should accept defeat , take the nets off and give her a treat and just buy my own.

It is very warm outside but and it looks like a thundery sky. Rain we don't need.