Achievement

The weather hasn't been terribly inspiring, although why I think that winter equates to crisp, frosty mornings having lived all of my life in the mild south-east I'll never know. Anyway, I decided to move the poultry runs around a bit to save my lawn. [Grass-and-buttercups I mean, it doesn't qualify as lawn.]

So, I put the mallard calls in the broody coop and moved them and the whites up next to the large hen enclosure:

And then the bunnies could go in the duck run:

Serious grazing to be done

I then moved the chicks plus the extension run up near the house behind the hedge:

which means I can't use that pathway but it's better than ruining the half decent patch of grass (bunny excavations aside) behind the apple trees. I am now left with the cleared border where the ducks were:

Hmm. I will probably mulch it and cover it with black plastic to protect it from the weather and encourage some worms. I want to divide up my lupins and plant out a few of my hollyhocks; if I can do the whole thing with my own propagated plants I shall be extremely pleased.

So, I am now left with a garden which can be left alone for the rest of the winter so it doesn't get churned up. Well that was the plan, except the bunnies escaped from their run (ducks are less inquisitive about a loose section of chicken wire but the rabbits soon found it) so Amber, Rose and I were sliding around the garden trying to catch the frolicking Willow and Scarlet as they galloped joyfully through the mud.

That would have been ok except about 20 minutes later I heard the chicks squawk and flap in alarm and I realised one of nextdoor's pigs was strolling across my borders, soon joined by his wife. Getting them back to where they belong didn't help the state of the lawn, it must be said....

I have finished the mitts I started in the Debbie Bliss alpaca silk aran that I had used for my raven hat:

They aren't meant to match!

I have found some wool stuffing (to use instead of polyester) on the Jamieson and Smith website which also has lovely yarns in muted colours so I might get some to make some socks with. I found a really simple sock pattern on a blog I really enjoy - Slow Living Essentials so I'd like to knit some as the children never have any socks, and not just because the dog hides them under the bed.

So what with that and sorting out some marital debt problems, I feel as if I have had a good productive day. However I think I have a cold coming and feel rather tired as the children seem to become highly co-operative after 9 pm and start inviting each other to read books together/play cards/chat - behaviour which is starkly absent at a more helpful time.

Hooray! It's the weekend! :-)