Six became five.
Then, just a a few hours later, we found Shaggy lying spark out under a tree. Dead as a Dodo. She had been running around, scritching and scratching like a good 'un that morning, no sign of a problem.
Leonie was a beauty but Shaggy was quite ordinary in appearance.
The loss of Shaggy hurts the most, she was a wonderful little character. The smallest of the hens, shy and yet friendly, she kept her distance but was always there first for treats, never aggressive with the other hens. Every night she was the first one home to roost, often an hour ahead of the others.
Our hens have a wonderful life roaming free in Owl Wood with good food on tap as well as all the insects and fun they can find in the woodland, they supply us with excellent eggs in return. I know they both had the best of chicken lives.
Four hens remain.
I don't think we'll replace them when they go.
Apart from that, the weekend has been a good one. We took two grandchildren to visit the local donkey sanctuary. I forgot to take my camera, so I had to use my granny phone, which doesn't do much more than make calls, at least I got a couple of snaps - which was really lucky because I hadn't got my glasses either. It was very much down to point, click and hope.
Six buckets of carrots later we were able to leave, but only after promising to return.
I have done lots of walking around the fields and saw these little beauties as I passed through one of the farmyards.
Harvest is well under way, the landscape is changing as fields are being shaved, including the one in which Parsonage Cottage is sited. Dog walks will be easier, no need to take the lane for a few weeks, Dobson will enjoy cutting through the field.
Despite the heavy cloud, the skies have been filled with delight. The Red Arrows flew low over our home, in two 'V' formations. Unexpected, but wonderful. They were so low I could almost have asked for an autograph.
A couple of hours later there was a wonderful WWII plane flying overhead, a Lancaster, perhaps.
Much later and the fly past was a very noisy gaggle of two dozen geese. their 'V' formation was not as tight as that of the Red Arrows but the noise they made exceeded the decibels of the Hawk jets, or whatever they fly these days.
The barley field around the house has been shaved, the combine was working all day. The field is mere stubble until Farmer T and his mother come back to bale the straw, which won't be until they have harvested all their other fields of barley.
