Broody Duck

I found Jemima, the one on the header above, in the nest box of the chicken coop we put in the corner of the barn to give the chickens (especially the Marans whose home it first was) another place to lay. Jemima is a large duck and the only way she fitted, and it was a squeeze, was to get rid of all the straw. I retrieved the egg later, we really don't need any more ducks right now. I thought the Marans, Sooty and Dusty, might start laying in their old home but no, instead two of the ex-batts, Gladys and Gen. Lee, tried to avoid detection and sleep in there tonight while Pecky was hiding in the nest on the straw bales.

Here's Sooty enjoying a bit of sunshine today. It has been really cold and all the chickens have spent a lot of time up in the barn. Snowy was seen sunning herself under a berberis bush by the pond sheltered from the wind.
If you are wondering, it's a feeder on the end of the chain with a couple of bits of celery to peck at, not that they do, it's not a very popular vegetable. Apples are good, occasionally carrots but not much that's green.

At the weekend the greenhouse moved into the garden proper, underneath what is now a pom-pom Lleylandi. It reminds me of those parasol shades you see on tropical beaches. There were several trunks that had to be cut down, one is a corner post for the greenhouse and two more are going to be used to put a seat on.
I already have my strawberry plants in the greenhouse along with my Lily bulbs and the Pineapple lily bulbs that had self seeded into the slabs of the last base.
Found a couple of ponies eating the lawn at lunchtime today. Somehow they had managed to escape through the door by the shelter. Lawn is nicely mown now, that's their purpose after all!