This post will go up a few of weeks after the event, so it might not be news to my friends on Twitter, but today was a good day. My husband and I paid off the mortgage on our house eight years early. I am relieved and happy to know that if the worst happens…
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This is another hybrid hen, and she looks a lot like our cuckoo marens, so I’m guessing the marans is the ‘mar’ in marsbar. I’m only able to tell her from the marens in our flock by the spiky hairdo. The ‘bar’ bit of her name is probably from a hen called a cream legbar…
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Off grid. It’s a scary concept for some, but for people like me, it’s an aspiration. Imagine living a self-sufficient life and no longer being beholden to ‘the man’. It sounds quite hippy-trippy-60s anti-establishment, but there is great appeal in disentangling oneself from the clutches of societal expectations. To truly live off grid means digging…
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Is this not the sweetest little thing? She gives me cute rage. She’s a silkie, bred to be broody, but so far we’ve been lucky. She’s been a good layer right through the summer. Our silkie is a partridge, but they come in all sort of colours. They lay smallish brown eggs and are endlessly…
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I’ll be totally honest. Vegans have, for the most part, always made me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t question their choices, but I did find that their decision to live a life free of animal products made me examine my own way of life and feel a bit bad about it. I knew deep down that…
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Another hybrid, and a big one at that. I’m not sure what chickens were bred to produce the Goldilocks, but they must be friendly, confident birds. She’s a great layer, too – loads of cream-coloured eggs. Fancy breeds are great, and I’m always happy to have a few in the flock, but they are never…
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In my quest to become more self-sufficient and rely a bit less on the outside world, I’ve begun to look into options for fresh produce. It’s abundant at the moment, but winter is coming, and with Brexit on the horizon, I can’t be sure the supermarket shelves will be stocked. What can I grow in…
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In case you’re wondering, she’s the black hen with the impressive earrings in the middle of the photo. Minorcas come from Spain, and can be fairly difficult to find. They were on the verge of extinction, but have made a comeback in recent years. They lay small white eggs. I’m sad to say this isn’t…
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I’m one of the unfortunate few who can’t use an effective dose of retinol. I’ve tried many times, and my skin always reacts badly. While I understand some sensitivity and peeling is to be expected, having my eyelids become swollen and inflamed (I don’t put strong actives on my eyelids – ever) was an irritation…
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I have no idea what breed of chicken this is, but I can say that they are the sweetest, friendliest hens. We adopt them from Homes4Hens once a year and have enjoyed each and every one. They’re great layers, but sadly don’t have a very long life after a year at the egg factory. But…
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I try my best to live as a person liberated from fear. I view fear as a method of control, and try hard not to be affected by it, but the last couple of weeks have been brutal. Lots of big-talk about a no deal Brexit, leaked government documents in The Times predicting a dire…
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Living in the country has its benefits. The air is clean and fresh, there is loads of space between houses, and life tends to move at a slower pace. I lived in Glasgow for a few years and really loved it, but I have to say that country life suits me better. But living out…
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I suspected our move to the Real Living Wage and cutting hours with no loss of income for employees hadn’t had a negative effect on productivity. Two weeks ago I met with my account and received the proof that I was correct. In fact, productivity has increased to the point that staff wages are a…
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I’m sorry I don’t have a better photo of this lovely lady. There are only so many hours in the day and my energy is finite – and she will not stay still, not even for a moment. She’s a hybrid hen and super friendly. She lays a really pretty light brown egg. She’s quite…
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I’ve been thinking a lot about the poisoned dialogue directly after and since the EU referendum. ‘You lost. Get over it.’ springs to mind and does nothing to reach out to the 48% who voted against this silly catastrophe. In fact, it pushes us further into the margins of resentment and rage. Not the best…
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