A Visitor

I had quite a surprise when I let the hens out this afternoon, as they were joined by a female pheasant in the garden.  The ducks weren't quite sure about her either - she seemed really tame but was limping slightly on her right leg. Amber gave her some corn which she gobbled up before Emu and his two got a look in:

I love the colouring of the so-called 'drab' female game birds - the blends of browns on the individual feathers are exquisite.

Thankfully Scruff was indoors at the time - he's so good about not chasing/mauling the rabbits, ducks, chickens and guinea pigs but I think resisting a pheasant wandering in his patch might prove too much for his Springer spaniel instincts. He spends a lot of his time sniffing out rats as once again the garden is riddled with them. I don't see them at all in the summer, but it's almost like the BST/GMT clock-change is some sort of signal for them to all take up residence in the hedge again and cruise around the poultry pens. I found one suspended in the ducks' pond the other day looking like a, well, drowned rat...ugh. I have asked the cockerels not to do their macho food-scattering as soon as I put the bowl in for them but they don't listen, and then of course none of the hens eat the spilt food, leaving a rat buffet once dusk descends. I have got a treadle feeder but it's outside the run.

I must get on with some knitting this evening. I'm making a tunic version of Kate Davies' owls jumper and I'm on the first sleeve, as I have been for some time now. It's a quick knit really as it's on big needles and I'm using double Aran yarn and the pattern's wonderfully straightforward, but I don't have much time at the moment, so it's proving to be a very slow knit. I've also been short on time for drawing and painting so I need to sort out my priorities...