Tuesday

The day started quite well yesterday.  It was raining, but that was OK.  We had a lazy start to the day. Nice cups of tea.  Coffee. Up later than usual, for us. Toasted cheese and tomato for breakfast? I'll get on and make that while you go down to feed the chickens and the ducks

Then The Builder was back.  We've lost one of the birds.  Lost?  Lost how?  Flown away? Died overnight? And which bird?

Turns out that one of the Indian Runner drakes had been taken, we think by a bird of prey, such as a goshawk (which we see very, very occasionally) or a buzzard (which we see more regularly), or possibly a sparrowhawk (we see a few of them).  I've put an account on the garden blog - which I have finally updated with what garden news there is.  Fortunately, it wasn't raining when we went down to see what had been going on, but we definitely put our boots and coats on anyway!

We did get our toasted cheese and tomato breakfast, but a good bit later than planned. I got a little potter in the garden but then the rains came back and I retreated inside, where we remained, pretty much, for the rest of the day.  I went down from time to time, between rain showers, to check on the birds, but all seemed quiet.  I got a bit of the asparagus bed weeded, when I went down to gather some in. We ate chicken cooked in a soya and plum sauce with rice and veg for lunch. Steve, lately of next door, chatted to me over the garden fence. Sarah from next door but one came round to ask if the Builder could go round on weekdays and let the dog out for a bit, or even take her for a walk if the weather was nice. The Builder is up for this, indeed.  She came down to meet the chickens and the (remaining) ducks. We had new potatoes, asparagus and poached eggs for supper.  And that was it.  The Builder went up to the allotment to check progress up there in between the rain showers.  And that was as far as he got during the day.  I didn't leave the premises.  A quiet day, then, marred only by the kerfuffle over the Indian Runner drake.

Back to work today.  It's still raining