Nested

It's been a busy weekend (and not over yet). 

The kitchen is now almost finished, then time to spend in the garden, and taking stuff down the tip (always cathartic). Clearing out dead fronds from the palm tree in the back garden this blackbird nest popped out. The egg is long, but the blackbirds this year raised two broods. Not sure if both were from this nest, as a second (less well-made) nest also fell out, but now wondering whether to try and tether it back in (having thinned out the tree, latterly the birds were having to take multiple attempts to get in to the nest!); or if hygiene would be better letting them rebuild next year (they've nested in there about 3 years in a row).

More to be done - finish sorting out the clothes drawers (more cathartic activity), and making some blackberry friands, and setting aside an hour and a half on the turbo.

Extra is our old bird Skye having a sunbathe, which I wrote about elsewhere:

Chickens (and birds in general) will sunbathe like this to keep their feathers in good order. It helps spread their preen oil (they have glands on their back at the base of the tail which they reach back to gather on their beak then spread through the feathers), and the UV light drives out parasites (some of which can attack the feathers themselves and, remarkably, can be specialised in one specific type of bird).

I can often come across a bit sanctimonious in my attempts not to eat chicken where I don't know if it's free range, but this is why. Natural behaviour that enhances the birds life, something they can't indulge in if in cages, nor even if they're just barn-reared.

So sanctimonious I will continue to be.