Looking Back: Thursday 5th February 2015
Gardening and Archie......
For the past five days, the greenhouse has resisted the urge to pull itself from its moorings and disappear into the sky, sucked up by the invisible cyclone that wracked the UK. At least it was a warm wind.
Inside the greenhouse the noise was tremendous, the poly-carbonate panels threatening to ping off into the wide world, but when it comes to planting I'm a maniac...I've got 20 metres of shelving to fill and by gad I'm doing well. There are just 6 more metres to go....
Last night, as the wind started dropping I noticed the temperature was following suit. I proudly lit my new paraffin heater and voila! .... no difference whatsoever!!! However this morning, when I looked out across our fields to spy a medium ground frost, I noticed that my greenhouse was all steamed up, (I must get a greenhouse thermometer...) and all the plants were looking good inside.
The other thing that's growing fast is Archie. He, and I mean HE, must be a He, because as soon as I open the coop door he pops out and jumps straight on top. He so wants to be roaming with the other chickens but I'm still fearful that the cats will try to attack him. Even his voice is changing, no longer does he cheep, he sort of squawks. I think one night next month, I'll take him and his two girl friends and place them with all the others in the main coop. Sadly, I'll have to lock them all in for 3 days to get used to their new surroundings and to ensure the pecking order, but after that Archie, Flappy and The Calm One can roam free at The Larches. I only hope Rooster and Archie can live together, we'll see!
[NB Feb 2019 - Archie turned out to be an extraordinary hen! lol]