Happy birth day

3 kittens later and Mici is on the prowl once more. Funny thing was we were not sure she was pregnant until hearing her distressing meows called out on her birth day.
We had thought she was getting a little bulky around the hips that we had put down to her increased appetite for all things canned. 
And to see another cat within sight of Havran cottage is considerably rare and so the pleasant surprise of hearing the higher pitched kitten voices from the upper reaches of the hen house was a lovely treat to brighten up the disappointingly dark skies overhead. The rainbow was an added bonus to the day.
And now Mici (newly nicknamed 'Posh spice' thanks to her incredible slimline recovery from pregnancy) is claiming her authority once again with her newly formed support.    
At the same time we have chicks hatched in a hole in our cottage wall chirping constantly to grab the attention of mother blue tit. The timing could not be better for the arrivals in the hen house!

   

Oil, rat and our cat

A less enticing day to work in the garden yesterday thanks to the less than normal climatic conditions, so a good excuse to start motoring through the remaining stacks of wood with the chainsaw..well at least I thought I would be doing so..
What we can only presume was a very thirsty rodent has found its way into the yummy lubricant and left it nearly dry. 
As the saw has only a spit or two left in its tank the wood stacks will remain for a day or two until our next shopping trip. 
What this oil will do to the creature is a mystery, can't be any good for them you'd think. And judging by the hole left in the container this animal was definitely desperate and had big teeth. 
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Before I go on some breaking news today, a new arrival in the upstairs of the old hen house, Mici our cat is now a mum...more news later...

Back home

It's good to be back after ten days away. After all the hustle and bustle it has been back down to the nitty-gritty tasks of weeding and cutting grass. Yes, it's that time of year again. The endless mowing up, down and around, pushing the ageing Briggs Stratton engine to it's limit. An estimated €4 of petrol guzzled up in a day, looking good though maybe..
Once upon a time I was simply just a photographer and didn't have worries about which weeds should go on compost, what insects vegetables do and don't like, how much manure to add to stone pointing mix and what decor will camping guests see in the tipi. Worries that I don't mind having right now when the sun shines.  


  

Project A3S

If we didn't have enough to do already, a new project to work on if we get bored over the summer at Havran. 
More news later on this...

April

Exhaustion and dirty finger nails, the traditional 1st of May potato crop is finally laid. 
April's wild transformation from knee deep snow to gloriously summertime sunny weather has kept us out of the confides of the cottage to the essential weed exterminating and precise sowing of seed for a new vegetable garden year.
I have to say I actually started writing this blog entry in April and only now on May 3rd with a little more time thanks to a morning thunderstorm that I am writing more!
Actually it is quite reassuring as I look out of the window that the garden is getting some essential rain. It also gives us both a little respite from the beautiful warm sunshine and April suntan.
Back to potatoes; Nine rows, twenty in each every foot apart, bed of ash for each and some scrumptious leaf mulch mixed in under each raked back heap, hay coverage on top. And now some more sunshine please.