Winding up

It’s been a warm day (26C max) and Bean enjoyed a stop at the creek at the bottom of the hill when we had our walk.

After ploughing her head through the water she has a huge shake to clear her ears I think. Here she is in the first stages of today’s shake.

The wee concrete bridge in the foreground was placed there for me three years ago by P, the villager who plants natives along the creekside and keeps it tidy. He also made a wooden seat for me to use as I watch my dog snortle around in the undergrowth. Such kindness.

I’ve had a busy day making preserves for the cool store and soup, fritters and a casserole for the freezer. All this is essential so that I can feed myself through winter and early spring when fresh crops are sparse.

1.8kg raspberries. 1.6kg blackcurrants.

Four new chooks are on order. They will be point of lay (18 weeks old) HiLine hens (brown egg-machines). I collect them in eight weeks’ time and they will then lay all through winter when eggs are a premium barter.

My five current hens are laying sporadically and inconsistently: anything between one and five eggs a day, but mostly at the lower end. I’m struggling to have enough for bartering. If previous experience is anything to go by, as soon as the new girls start laying the older ones will kick back into action. So I’m anticipating being swamped with eggs from April onwards. I’d rather that than too few.