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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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 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 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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I’m off sugar at the moment. I say ‘at the moment’ because I’ve done this several times over the years but I’ve never managed to make it stick. I’m an addict. And as someone who successfully quit smoking cold turkey after two tries, that’s saying something. Sugar is impossible. I can’t stay away. Part of…
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This beautiful lady is a Dutch Barnevelder. She’s a big, sturdy bird who lays beautiful dark brown eggs. She isn’t our friendliest bird, but she’s super entertaining. She occasionally upsets herself with hiccups! If you’ve never heard a chicken hiccupping, I’d dare say you haven’t lived.
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Leghorns originated from Italy and have traditionally been used as laying hens. They’re supposed to give you at least 280 eggs a year, but ours has spent so much time being broody, she’s barely laid at all this year. She’s also very flighty and doesn’t like humans at all. I’m not sure if our leghorn…
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I’ve decided to semi-retire. I’m not needed at the office the way I was and I can afford to work less, so why not? While my staff works a twenty-three hour week, I now work a twelve. So far I’m enjoying my free time, and I feel a lot less stressed about things. With all…
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When a person reaches their mid-to-late 40s, a strange process begins. Dinner time gets earlier, greenhouses get purchased, pinafores become attractive, and then later, the switch completely flips and one is wearing sensible shoes while coveting everything in the Lakeland catalog. My parents did some boring-ass stuff in their 50s, and I can remember thinking…
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We have two of these beautiful birds, both cuckoo. They’re both big, friendly birds with bags of personality. The one in the photo is a recent addition to our flock. Someone in a nearby village was moving to a house without a garden and needed a home for three hens. Of course, we didn’t hesitate.…
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