January09

Wednesday, 7th

Tuesday, 13th January 2009

I posted the photos above before my little ski trip to Austria with Carl and the girls last week, and I didn't have the time to add some words. The pictures were to show what small an area of the big pond the ducks had been reduced to during the very cold weather. A great big THANK YOU now to John for not only looking after our little troupe while I was away, but also cleaning out both huts!

On my return early Sunday morning the thaw had well and truly started and I only had to break up some fairly soft ice on the top, small pond. Since then we've had loads of rain and - BLISS! - the hose to the big pond had thawed out as well and I could clean and re-fill the water buckets in situ. No more filling them in the house and carting them down there, yippeeh.

I've not taken any photos of the ducks since my return, but here's a little jokey one which I posted on the German duck forum:

[Carl took the photo on his mobile, I added the ducks.]

Monday, 19th January 2009

This morning was the first time since Sunday 11th that I did 'morning duck care', i.e. letting them out and getting food and water ready. John's very kindly been doing the lot since last Monday, when I caught some nasty, sick-making, head~ and all-over-aching, feverish bug/virus which rather incapacitated me and in addition gave me a very painful cough. Have not quite got over the last but I'm almost well now and will stop complaining NOW.

Yesterday morning John came in from his duck duties very sad, announcing that he found Pinky lying dead against the hut door. He cannot imagine why she should have died; there was no injury, and she had been her feisty little self even last night with her and Anabelle's usual objections to being put to bed.

So we're just left with one Campbell, big Hedda. I've often wondered why, in spite of their bigger size, they don't seem as tough as our runners. Could it be that they're more prone to heart attacks? I mean, they are quite a bit fatter and noticeably slower. I suppose it is possible that in their constant endeavours to keep up with the rest and being unable to do more than waddle fast from side to side they exhaust themselves quicker.

Wednesday, 21st January 2009

Celebrations were in order this morning: found the first egg in the bottom hut! To judge by the size of it big Hedda must have been the mummy.

I had to laugh at John's reaction when I told him: "I knew things were going to change once Barack Obama was president!"

Monday, 26th January 2009

Hedda has continued to produce an egg every day since last Wednesday, the 6th this morning - none of the others have joined in yet ... I was pleased when friends Pat and Graham paid us a visit Friday morning and I could present Graham with 3 of his longed-for eggs. The nice surprise went two ways, though, as they had found something on their travels which they thought was just ME, this:

I can see why - it's got me down to a tee including hat and boots; but the spade is the wrong shape!

I think I wrote at the end of December that I was sorry not to see the ducks near the house any more. Our top lot were so pleased to be back in the big duck pond again in September that they've hardly moved from there.

Well, the frog pond near the house is so choc-a-bloc with duck weed and reeds that I thought I'd encourage the ducks back in there. One morning, as I was coming back from the duck pond, the 7 were rounding the corner of the garage. I took the opportunity to shush them into the frog pond - but they were uneasy, forbidden territory, they remembered. As soon as I went back to the house they were out again and back to the duck pond, and all enticements with food thrown down near the frog pond failed until ...................... yesterday:

The noise they were making attracted Captain and his girls to join in:

None of them feel quite at ease in the frog pond yet, and as soon as they spot me with the camera they jump out after the fashion "What, us in there? No, we never were!"

On one of the occasions when they were out looking for slugs I noticed that Captain could not concentrate on the job in hand and went off searching ........ for what?

.................................................. .

.............. ..........................................................It was two of his girls who had gone the wrong way:

This morning there was no hesitation about going into the frog pond. I was still filling the water buckets down at the duck pond when I could see that even Hedda, the slowest, was joining them. By the time I'd got back to the house I noticed that all of them were squashed nearest the steps, and then I saw why: the big, bushy-tailed cat from next door was at the opposite end. It scarpered when I came, but I'm glad the ducks treat the cats like some kind of fox and save themselves into the water on the opposite side. Better safe than sorry.

Saturday, 31st January 2009

Well, the euphoria about re-finding the frog pond has fizzled out entirely, after 3 days they didn't go in any more, I'm amazed.

Hedda has continued with her egg laying every day with one exception. On two days she was joined by either Anabelle or Candida, eggs with a hint of green colour. They were laid in the corner furthest away from Hedda's nest box - I think she rules the roost!

To end January a photo of the lovely muddy lane our ducks have created again after all the squelchy wet we've had:

It won't last much longer though. Guess what has been forecast from tomorrow: snow and ice, brrrrrr.