Abuzz

First: I am way behind with blip comments and responses. I will answer all the recent questions and catch up in due course, but right now life on the property is the priority.

Thank you for all the stars, hearts and comments for the new chooks yesterday. They are currently contentedly preening themselves, which I always take to be a sign that they are relaxed: you don’t stick your head under your wing for a prolonged period of time if there’s any threat around.

The older girls are still causing a bit of a raucous ruckus, but not quite as loud, nor as constant as yesterday evening. And they each laid an egg today - albeit mid-afternoon rather than at dawn.

It puzzles me why travelling is so tiring. I sat still - apart from a bit of arm movement and some heel and toe action on my right foot - for 4.5 hours yesterday, and yet by the evening I felt as tired as if I’d been on the go all day in the garden. I slept like a baby, and woke up raring to get moving.

That has taken the shape of line trimming, weeding, a mass of watering, and pulling up some dead plants and planning their replacements. I’ve been unable to sit down for more than 15 minutes, my legs have been so antsy and keen to catch up with the missed exercise.

It is Cheeseday Sunday Chez Mima and I’ve made a Wensleydale which is now in the cheese press until the morning. 

Between stages in cheese making Bean and I had a lovely earlier-than-usual long walk, which I owed her after all the hours in the car yesterday. 

The kowhai tree immediately outside the truck window is in full bloom at last. It’s a couple of weeks later than last year. It is full of bumble bees, although I have managed to miss every single one in this photo. The birds love it too.