Ducklings ahoy

We have five mad little Muscovy ducklings, our first and they are very cute. They are fairly independent, just needing mum for warmth between feeds. I hope to get some pictures on here in the next few days. We also purchased two turkey poults at a local market which are settling into another stable. They appear to be standard bronze turkeys which is ideal for us as they taste good and mate naturally. Male double breasted birds are unable to mount females so they have to be artificially inseminated which seems to be a crime against nature. We are now looking for another couple so we have one to eat and an unrelated trio left for future breeding. Once they have settled down we will build them an outdoor run so they can behave naturally and still be safe from the many Galician predators.

I also have a broody hen sitting on more eggs and two duck nests being filled with eggs prior to further brooding. It will be a difficult balancing act to control duck numbers, quite why the world is not knee deep in muscovies I am not sure. We plan to keep our core flock of 1 male and 6 females intact and eat or sell/give away everything else. Any less than 6 females is bad because the males are well endowed and mate frequently, females have been known to die from too much attention.

Finally Tim has secured another contract which is brilliant news in many ways. He is off to central London on Monday for as long as they need him. Obviously I shall miss him and will be advertising for a bed warmer locally as soon as he is gone.

My man is back

Tim's contract ended a little sooner than we expected but it is brilliant to have him back home. Despite the drizzle and heavy rain that has been falling for a couple of weeks now As Petas once again is full of the sight and sound of a canoodling couple who have missed each other terribly (sick buckets provided).
Although we survive apart we flourish together and so the apple blossom is a little more beautiful, the bees buzz more sweetly and the rain feels a little warmer and falls more gently when we are together.

Enough of the mush.... the downside is that Tim is once more on the corporate job hunting treadmill, pretending that he loves computers and would love nothing better than to be in a battery cage being fed pellets that fall from the ceiling and writing pointless code. It is currently a necessary evil but we both dream of the complete escape for both of us. A dream that I suspect increasing numbers of disillusioned lab-rats share. We are tied by the bonds of a mortgage however so compromise is the name of the day. As Thoreau said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."

Reality check

Well dog ownership has not turned out to be a bed of roses. Yesterday they climbed over a wall into my courtyard and killed a 6 week old chick whilst I was on the phone to my daughter. They have killed my chickens before, they are terrier cross collie types and it seems to be in their blood, along with chasing anything and everything. They still run up the drive and chase cars, they nearly killed my cat when he fell off the roof in front of them. I didn't know cats could run that fast.... They also chase the neighbours cows and generally they are a nightmare. They jump or climb my gates, walls and fences or dig under them. When chained they are so miserable they won't eat or drink. Otherwise they are affectionate, toilet trained and eager to please.

Very regrettably I took them back to the dog home they came from yesterday. I am still feeling dreadful but I was worried about the psychological damage I might have caused by chaining or enclosing away from me (the courtyard is at the back of the house) and at 9 months old they have time to be adopted into a more suitable home without the temptation of livestock. With hindsight I probably picked dogs with unsuitable temperaments for a smallholding setting. I just couldn't compete with their urge to chase.

Finally my daughter is unwell and waiting for neurological tests, she is only 22 and its a pretty horrific process to go through. Although it is not life threatening, it might be life changing depending on the results. Sometimes Spain feels an awfully long way away from family. Thank goodness for the telephone. I can't do very much for her physically but I am an available ear which is the best I can hope to be at this time.

To end on a better note, Tim has got his 3 month contract and the money is slowly dribbling through so my plans to set up a brothel for the locals has been put on hold.....