Smallholderific

Leftover gammon joint became risotto. Leftover risotto became arancini.
There will be no leftover arancini.

Chicks in brooder now, tucking into their first ever lunch.

Earlier hatchers are now flooftastic.

... and, hatching overnight because why rush these things, Sleepycheep.

Will give them a couple more hours so last one can dry out a bit more, then pop them in the brooder and show them where the water is. 🐤🐥🐤🐥🐤

Beepymeep has entered the chat. (The chat is getting quite loud now).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the incubator, as yet unnoticed by siblings, Meepycheep* has made a quiet entrance.

and... good afternoon to Peepycheep.*

*names subject to alteration.

Chick #2 on the way out of the shell. Cheepypeep offering solidarity.

Already fluffier.

Cheepypeep is now up and mobile.

Just had to look up whether the first chick rolling all the other unhatched eggs around due to malcoordinated staggering is a problem. Apparently it is not.

Much enthusiastic cheeping.

Cheepypeep has had a hard day at the office*. Siesta time now.

*chick is very much alive, just tired having spent the last 12 hours or so doing a Houdini.

Chicks have been busy overnight. Cracks in all 5 eggs, visible beak action on the closest one, lots of cheeping! 🫣🐣

Hmm. This egg seems to have developed a crack, and pretty sure I hear some quiet cheeping noises...😬

Wonder what we'll find in the morning. 🤞🤞🤞

Lockdown implemented.

Humidity up, egg turning off, corrugated cardboard mat in. Nothing more to do but wait and see. 🤞

Of course!

Entering the positive sort of poultry-related lockdown tomorrow, as our first batch of incubated eggs is due to hatch this weekend. Quick candle this evening: definite movement visible in some of them, so hopefully chicks will be with us by Monday! 😬🐣

Don't see any issue with producers adding (natural) variety to a chicken's diet. Seems a win win: more interesting meals for the hens, and better quality eggs & stronger yolk colour.

Final day of clearing for fencing project done today, after a hiatus due to soggy ground. First new posts going in tomorrow! Has been a long time coming/in the planning so really exciting. 😊

😵‍💫 indeed! Well, we're a similar latitude and our seedlings look to be a similar size, so perhaps this year will shed a bit more light on those conflicting claims!

Got my replacement broadies for rotted overwintered ones in the ground today too. Couldn't find Express locally so went with De Monica which apparently are also fairly speedy. If not speedy enough will source Express for next year!

Completion! (some of bark chips were wet, some dry, hence the two-tone effect!)

How to bake: Saffron peach cake Dan Lepard makes saffron peach cake

(This one, in case anyone likes the idea).

Also peach, almond and saffron cake. Knew it was a good idea to freeze some of our peaches.

Well, third-to-last, if you count me.

9 and a bit litres of rhubarb wine, in its second-to last vessel.

Progress!

Happy up to habaneros, but superhots are just not my thing!

Once I've cut and knocked in posts on the other side of the bed, plan is for the grass path between the beds to be chipped & to cut a narrow bed on the far edge inside the arches.

No more useless grassy sloping bit to mow, another m² deep bed, plus a narrow one and some vertical growing space! 😆

Veg area shenanigans today, reusing some of the non-rotted tops of the old half-round fencing removed from the field. Also, a 1m long metal tunnel for beans or squash, done on the cheap with three of the cheapest arch kits I could find (£12 each), connected with cableties.

One sunny day yesterday and look what happened to the tomato seedlings which were scarcely visible the day before! Fortunately they can be potted on (today!) a touch deeper.