New Indian Runner Ducks

Two weeks ago we bought three Indian Runner ducks from the agricultural market at Wheddon Cross when they had a poultry & duck sale, along with farm bric-a-brac. Unfortunately very few ducks were sexed so we have taken a chance when buying these three and just hope they are not all drakes. I am not sure what colour they will be when they are fully grown, as their downy baby feathers are a chocolate brown, but the new feathers underneath could be brown or black. We'll have to wait. At the moment they are in a small run and kept in the old chicken shed at night until they are big enough to go on the main pond and join our other ducks.

My Summer Project

This year I am planning to work my way along the back of the Old Dog Kennels and Duck house and around the walls at the end of the Medieval Barn pointing all the stonework. I have finished pointing the Kennels and am now working on the walls at the end of the Barn. I am pointing up the areas of stonework that are not contaminated with Ivy. The plan is to make as much of the stonework stable before I start taking down the stones and removing the Ivy. Work is going quite well, but I think it will take me all summer.

Orchids in the Bog Field

We have a five acre field which is very wet and we can't cultivate it, so we allow a farmer to graze his sheep on it during the winter which really helps maintain it and encourage the wild flowers. This June while walking around the field I noticed a group of wild orchids which I have never seen before and are obviously very happy multiplying in the field. I 'googled' wild orchids and found information about the orchid growing in our field and apparently it is one of several Dactylorhiza orchids, known as the ‘spotted orchids’. In the UK it is locally common in southern England and it favours marshy ground.

The Plough

This year we have decided to plough up the three acre field as the grass in this field is not very good for making hay as it is the thick grassed variety. However we don't have a plough! I investigated the cost of a contractor to plough the field in the autumn, but because it is such a small area is would be expensive. So we decided to buy an old three furrow plough which Rob collected from Okehampton and brought back for Derek (my brother) to repair and update as he would be doing the ploughing. We were also given an old plough for spare parts.

Cottage Kitchen Wall

After removing a very large and overgrown Forsythia shrub which was growing in the corner and over one of the cottage kitchen windows, we now have to do repairs to the wall and painting. The plan is to finish this by Easter and I have purchased an interesting Hydrangea to go in the corner, one with green and cream leaves, so I hope it settles into it's new home.

Sparky's Oak Tree

Sadly last summer we lost Rob's horse Sparky with a very sudden colic attack and although he was rushed to Bristol for an operation which he came through, his stomach did not start working properly, so after three days we had to make a very sad decision.
This winter we have planted a very splendid 12ft Oak tree which we bought from a tree specialist near Taunton. We have planted it with his ashes at the end of a hedge line where we can see it every day. Sparky a once in a lifetime horse. xxx

Update to Kitchen

This winter we are updating the kitchen work surface in the cottage. The old surface was made up of tiles, a few were cracked and the kitchen was looking rather tired. The top has now been taken away and also the wall tiles, but we have not yet decided on what type of work surface to replace the old one. I think it is off to a few kitchen shops to have a look and get some ideas.