7th July 2025 - We're all going on a Fox Hunt

Thought for the day :"A Street Preacher shouted at me "JESUS WAS THE SAVIOUR OF THE HUMAN RACE”. I shouted back "I THINK YOU'LL FIND IT WAS LILY THE PINK"!!"

Wet

Monday and back to normal - whatever that is these days.

Took Toby out with me for a road trip in the Landie as I put all the Crimson Moon Signs out on the roads.

Also went for a walk and did some learning.

Didn't really get any garden stuff done but this evening had a visit from Meirig Rees, our local Fox and Deer exterminator and had demonstration of his Fox caller, and infra red scopes ..

£10 for a visit and £2.50 for every fox cleared.

Some may feel for the fox and I understand - but not when we have lost so much live deadstock.

Need to have our girlies walking around freely and if that means removing some foxes then so be it!!

But the posters are out for the weekend ...

We have an infestation of mites in the chicken houses so we have some medicine for the chickens and ducks - that will be interesting to try to apply and we are getting some smoke bombs to clear the chicken and duck houses.

Fun and games ahead I think.

Susie has chest pains today - thinks that she may have strained a muscle, cracked a rib sneezing too hard.

Though I would record for the record...

Cheers !

6th July 2025 - Lazy day and Charity Video

Thought for the day :"How do you know when you have run out of invisible ink?"

Wet

A long night burning the midnight oil trying to remember how to use the video software and putting together a list of events at the moon ...   Managed to get there by just after 4am so ended up letting the girlies out and going back to bed until midday.

But we are there

Walked Toby and am learning Athelstan Instruction for the 19th - seems I will be doing most of the ceremony.

 

But in the meantime I get a rather nice email from the Grand Rank Committee of Athelstan.

MASONIC ORDER OF ATHELSTAN

in England, Wales and its Provinces Overseas 

2025 GRAND RANKS COMMITTEE

TUESDAY 1^st  JULY 2025

Dear VW Bro Iain Weston IW Sewell, KCAG,

 

We are directed by the Most Worshipful Grand Master to offer you the following Past Grand Rank;

 

Past Junior Grand Warden

So that will make me a Right Worshipful Brother !!

Nice - though it means another pinny !! and they are not cheap 

Ho Hum 

Cheers !

5th July 2025 - Busy day on the Video Machine

Thought for the day :"I only get sick on work days because of my weekend immune system"

Wet

New Cockerel Chester is looking after his girlies well and with one exception, whitey, all the girls are going to bed on time when he calls.

We seems to have mites so we are looking to find a way to fumigate - Susie is affected the worse, but I have picked up a few.

Little Chicks growing well

For posterity, Octopus asked for photos of the new meter so keeping it here in case I need it again.

Started work on the Video to celebrate the current totals for Charity Collections in the Crimson Moon.

Hadn't realised how much I had forgotten in the meantime, it is all a learning cycle... 

May have it ready tomorrow if I burn the midnight oils..

Trip to Charlie and Spot this evening and a couple of bottles of wine were enjoyed, sitting by the lake.

Bought a new rat trap - one of the ones that have a platform and trapdoor into a bucket of water - not caught anything yet.  

Cheers !

4th July 2025 - Pumps and Peacocks

Thought for the day :"Is hard to lose weight when you have an overactive Knife and Fork"

Dry

Chester the new Cockerel has established himself well today and is looking after his 6 girlies well. They brought him up to the Patio for treats, and went to bed with no issues.

Cut the lawns, stripped the immersable pump with  Will but failed to find why it was shorting out, but refurbished another deep water pump for use in the rain water tank.

Susie was cooking all day and I ordered the hire van and completed the eurotunnel tickets.

Contacted Octopus regarding the change of meter and they were not aware !!  So have to send them a picture of the new meter while they wait for the sub-contractor SMS to update them.

Spent some time down in the paddock so manage a few pictures of Fabio, Sophia and Gina  

And so another day ...

Getting ready for another weekend next week ..

Cheers !

3rd July 2025 - Radiators to Narberth

Thought for the day :"I think my gardener is losing it. He keeps hearing voices in his shed."

Dry

Trip down to Nancy's today to deliver the radiators from Mark and Wendy.

Back and did a little clearing of the undergrowth - but in reality did very little today.

Parsleys came and took charge of one of our Cockerels - so pleased we did not cull now, and the other one is in with the Girlies tonight to take charge of what is left of our flock ..
Need to think of a name for this one - hoping it will be of good nature like Cholmodley (Chumley)

Didn't even take any photos ..

So a look back at the weekend 

Cheers !

2nd July 2025 - Clearing the Balsam

Thought for the day :"When Boy George was asked if he wanted to go glamping he asked 'Do you really want to yurt me?' "

Dry and Sunny 

Did not let the girlies out this morning until we were ready to work, it being Wednesday and Chris was with me for my weekly day of pain....

So we decided to attack the himalayan balsam in the paddock, and then round the back of the chicken coops. Toby stayed with us on guard all day but no sign of the fox..

Start of the day.. Balsam over the whole area, brambles and the fence is up in the air over the fallen tree. 

View from the top

Toby stands on top of the fallen tree 

Back of the chicken coop before..

and after...

View from the patio 
If closely looked, the tree above the greenhouse is festooned with wild roses and to the left is a gigantic growth of honeysuckle.. 

Popped to Wendy and Mark to pick up some radiators for Nancy - and boy are they heavy 

Put them into the trailer ready to take to Narberth.

Will and Joy popped in this evening returning the spare barrel they had for their weekend with the Canadians - hosting 56 people at their Farm - out does us !! But they had fun.

Put the girls away early - Ducks at 5pm but the chicks did not want to go to bed with no cockerel to show them when to go to bed...  But got them all in the end without loss..

Fingers crossed for tomorrow 

Cheers !

1st July 2025 - Sadly Cholmondley Warner and Snowy are taken by Fox

Thought for the day :" 'Do not Touch' ...That must be one of the Scariest things to read in Braille."

Wet (again while hottest day in London)

Mixed day dodging light rain, walked Toby this morning just before the rain came in 

Found a wasp nest in the porch roof when we were taking the heads off the roses and had a fruitless search around Newcastle Emlyn for Wasp Nest Spray - must be a spate of wasp nests in the area.. 

and a sale for amazon again - should arrive in the next few days...

Sadly this evening Susie surprised a fox, probably vixen by the shape, in the paddock - Cholmondley Warner was a victim , two more hens on the roof and later we did a revisit and Flecked was waiting outside.     So we know what happened to Daphne the Duck in the last couple of days. Found a lair under one of our fallen trees ....

Looks as though our last two Cockerels will find homes now - one to us and one to the Parsleys who have lost their cockerel.  At least it will keep one more run free.

Not sure what to do to the remaining girlies now - we want to let them roam free but don't want to feed any more foxes!!

No Photos today ...

Cheers !