September08

Wednesday, 10th

Apologies once more for late entries, I'm trying to catch up!

I had some lovely visitors towards the end of August [Annie and girls] , and niece Brigitte and nephew Thomas from 3rd September for three days. We had a great time together in spite of the horrible weather, and as Gitte took 189, yes, one hundred and eighty nine, photos in house and garden while she was here I think it is only right that I should put in some of hers right now.

First three which Eleanor took - she's getting ever so good:

Now these by Brigitte:

While I was cleaning the hut Gitte took a huge number of photos of the ducks on the pond, they would not come out. BUT, after I cooked some spaghetti it was a different story:

To finish 2 photos jammed together of Brigitte while she was helping with the water buckets:

Monday, 22nd September 2008 [Remembering Annie and Carl's dad Derek on his birthday]

I shall stop apologizing for large gaps in writing, I know you nice people who dip in here now and again know that I try and update when I can!

Things have gone really well with my flat-footed friends since the groups rejoined. They spend all their days together at the duck pond, go foraging together, have the odd argument, and always separate nicely into 7 and 5 for bed time. Egg laying has practically ceased now, though, just faithful Campbell Hedda produces one most days.

I think it's marvellous how it goes in the mornings: I let the top group out first [because John usually puts them in first at night], and they splash about in their little pond for the morning toilette. I go down with the two containers of food and let out the bottom 5 for their wash and brush up. I clean the buckets and fill them with fresh water, and usually the top lot have appeared by then. If they delay for any reason, and I find this really amusing, the 5 troop to the top, Anabelle in front, and shout loudly for their mates. Then they come speeding down the hill all together. This morning I got them on camera:

It's not all that light yet, but I'm sure you can see Anabelle leading the 5 up the hill - Pinky trailing behind.

So then they swoop round to the food containers and woosh into the pond where there is a lot of yacking going on and sorting out their differences. I waited for ages trying to capture on camera the 3 boys rising out of the water in a big show-off, but they wouldn't oblige - they did it three times while I was in the duck hut cleaning!

I DID get this shot, however, of Primmie having a go at the neck of Circle and Decibels shouting about it on the right: