After shutting Fleck safely away last night (cue much outraged squarking and pecking me and bok bok bokking when I removed her from the ivy covered nest on top of the wall where she'd hidden herself)  I put her in the top of the double decker hutch she and Chancellor live in at night.This morning I went to check on her and give her fresh food and water and she rushed at the door ..read more

Fleck Serama hen has gone broody, and was hiding in the ivy on top of the wall.Fortunately she was only sitting on one, very old egg (we marked it and kept removing the new laid eggs)Now safely shut in the top section of the double decker hutch she and husband Chancellor the Serama share. He's now downstairs, and NOT happy!Fleck is at least 8 years old, if not older, and I thought was well past ..read more

Had a lovely long weekend away at Z's Blog party, over in Norfolk.I have really struggled to do very much for the last few years, since getting Covid in March 2020 (then Long Covid, then getting Covid again in 2021, and July 2022, despite being multiple jabbed as a "vulnerable" person)So it was fab to get away on the train, (can't drive that far any more)Left Ledbury at 10 am, arrived in Norwich ..read more

Both Compostman and I are poorly at the moment, with some kind of fluey thing that makes us achey and sore and soooo very tired . But today was an important day for Compostgirl as her Brownie  troup were parading through Ledbury and and going to a church service to celebrate the Centenary of Girl Guiding. So...I asked a friend from just up the lane who very kindly took Compostgirl with her and ..read more

Some of you may have seen Countryfile on BBC1  which was based around the daffodil Woods near to me? We had been to visit them a few days before, and oh my they were spectacular this year! (And the lovely Ranger they interviewed, is a neighbour!)   ..read more

HotBin chugging away nicely, up to 60C now.Wormeries all going wellCompost barrowed onto beds.  Spectacular display of Celandines in the front garden!  ..read more

I mowed the grass today, followed around by the "veg patch" Robin. We have enough land to support a number of different Robin territories, so we have "front garden", "veg patch", "main garden", "polytunnel/barn" Robins, as well as who knows how many in the wood and meadow. I was charmed at this Robin following me, as I mowed. The Crocus have died down, now the Fritillaria emerge.   ..read more

The wide slabbed area by the barn had a "flower bed" next to the barn wall, which the previous owners (gone 25 years ago!) grew a Loquat tree in, totally  unsuited to our climate and a bit of a disaster, tbh. It died, and the bed became a bit of a weedy mess. So Compostman decided to sort it out, and we agreed it would be good to generally tidy up all the rather ad hoc "crazy paving" effect which ..read more

 This is what the repair to the HotBin looks like, once the glue had set. Once the Hotbin was back in place, I loaded  it up, as per the instructions, and as I described back in my  original post about setting up my new HotBin Wood chip, some compost from a bin, paper and then grass, paper, grass, leaves to the very top. While I was in gardening and composting mode  and mowing, weeding and ..read more

Two years ago (I know, I know) rats ate into my HotBin.  Tony the inventor very kindly sent me a sample of the material it is made from, and suggestions as to how to repair it.  Last year, I got COVID-19, and that, and the effects of Long covid, means a lot of non essential stuff just didn't get done around Compost Mansions. But now the weather is nice, and my torn bicep is not so painful, and ..read more