Delectable fat hen

The kids were here, the kids were gone. It happens so quickly. A week passes, filled with fresh acquaintance and, watching them sharing, caring and getting on, you smile inside and out.

Forgot to mention: HMRC repaid us all the VAT we claimed.

It wasn’t quite that easy. A month after uploading copies of the ten receipts, I got an email to say I hadn’t uploaded them. I phoned and was urged to have another go, so I did. Although it seemed to work, there was no automatic confirmation, so I phoned again. Either out of desperation with their system’s failure or pity for me, I was given a back-door last-resort email address (“…not really supposed to do this but…”) to send the receipts to.

I expected a follow-up with some probing and nit-combing but, after a further few days’ silence, a surprised Tash announced that the full sum was in our account. Blimey… and HOORAH!

Can’t quite believe it. Break out the hard stuff.

Natural: Gannets: an exhilarating feature of our last ten days – the kayak trip and the week the kids were with us. On several occasions we watched seven or eight birds, instead of the one or two we’d got used to seeing since avian flu first hit, engaged in constant and dramatic diving.

When Tom, Bex and Arlo had left, we took Jessie on our circular route up and around Dun Skeig. It’s an engagingly varied walk, usually with some good wildlife and stunning views: open pasture; distant hills; the precipitous Dun Skeig with its three ancient forts; a linear hazel woodland on the drovers’ track to the ferry; a stretch of coast; a beach and a return beside the river.

Our wildlife sightings were not wild; not even an otter print on the wet sand. No big birds until, driving home, Tash spotted a large bird overhead. I pulled off the busy road as soon as I could and we got out to scrutinise the bird through binoculars. It was B.I.G! A white tailed eagle circling, low at first but riding a thermal steadily higher, up and up on chunky, unflapping, fingered wings.

A small detour completed our homeward journey with a view of an osprey on the nest and a second bird flying in (no supplies) and then away again.

The plot: I’m about halfway round the house with the slate and timber kerb. The new wood store is on hold while the swallows are nesting. I’ve resumed work on the final kitchen shelves.

Scythe: I couple of weeks ago I took the scythe out for two hours, felled most of the bracken beside the shared track (on our plot) and cut my shins to ribbons on brambles and severed stems. The scythe is a joy to use, making short work of brambles and rushes, though I’m constantly fearful of damaging it on one of our many hidden stones.

Although I bought the heavier ditching blade rather than one especially for grass, I’m still surprised how light the blade is; much lighter than my grandfather’s scythe or the blade of my old sickle. Following the ‘mast year’ of 2024, there are a surprising number of small oak trees around the plot, between six inches and a foot tall, and several from previous years that the deer have not nibbled; yet.

Hedge/fence: part practical measure and part symbolic gesture, I made the beginnings of a fence-cum-hedge across the bottom of the plot, at the foot of the firefighting path. More seedling oaks down there.

Swallows and others: I’ve seen our swallows mating; very quick. Does each new egg have to be fertilised separately? I assume the act signals completion of nest building and the hen is now sitting. Meanwhile up to eight blue-tit babies are being fed by seemingly inexhaustible parents, a male and a juvenile great spotted woodpecker visit regularly, and our family of great tits has moved on from the nest box.

Building: a rainy day prompted me to cut beading to cover the corner of the bathroom where tiled wall meets sloping ceiling; fiddly cuts to make tidily. But how to fix the bead? Superglue failed completely so, with a series of props and Tash’s help, I applied some ‘sticks anything‘ type glue/sealant and wedged it in place. So far so good.

Last larch shelves: I’m back on it. I’ve cut the warped bottom shelf straight, losing a little depth front to back, and I’m slowly working out the details of what follows.

I now have one complete vertical support in place (not fixed), a couple of temporary props, and half a dozen shims and wedges. Together these hold the shelves in place, acceptably straight and level. Before this, everything was fluid and movable, making it impossible to tell exactly what shape the vertical support should be. The shelves’ varying thickness from front to back didn’t help, and next time I’ll use only timber that’s been through a thicknesser.

Hopefully my next blog will feature finished shelves… in the meantime here are some Paps to be getting on with.