The start of a new blog

After my first year of growing my own and keeping chickens I've decided to blog about it.

This last year has been pretty eventful. I've had some successes in the form of runner beans, onions and salad leaves, and if you can count caterpillars, they were a roaring success as well

I aquired two chickens - Winnie and Aggie - in the summer and to this day Aggie has never laid an egg. In my wisdom I decided to double my flock - and rehomed Mildred and Maud from the RSPCA. From day one the two groups were arch enemies, and it's only now, two months later that they tolerate each other. And they have never laid an egg either. Winnie's gone into a moult, so at the moment we are getting no eggs from four chickens. We've worked out that when we do get some eggs, that they will be worth the equivalent cost of gold...

This morning I went to let the girls out, and the hatch door was frozen shut. So... imagine the scene - I'm out there in my dressing gown and wellies, tugging away at the door. I managed to open it a couple of inches, so Winnies head kept popping in and out. Which made it all the more difficult - as I no longer had the option of freeing it by working it backwards and forwards (without playing Russian roulette with a chicken's head!). The neighbours must have thought I'd officially lost it!

So, the plan is now that I have a year under my belt and have learned some valuable lessons, I'm going to keep track of my gardening/chook-keeping expoits...