A lot of rain and a lot of sunshine

It has been a real mixture of heavy rain and warm sunshine this week.  A couple of days of heavy rain turned the brook next to us into a proper river, which Alfie thought was great fun! Show him water and he is in it!

The heavy rain also showed us where the leaks are in the various buildings we have here.  Most of the leaks we have already fixed, but it takes seriously heavy rain to know where to find all the leaks! Actually, there weren't as many as we thought there might be, but today we are repairing some holes in the stable roof (aka the workshop), and the (soon to be) chicken coop.

Whilst Alfie was investigating the river levels, he found the biggest stick he has ever lifted, and insisted on bringing it back home.  He knows we are always on the lookout for any wood! We never turn any wood away, and I'm sure his stick will come in very handy one day!

The chickens visited the cottage garden a few days ago, always on the look-out for something new and interesting to eat.  We have just discovered that they do enjoy their fruit!

We give them their feed near the main house now and are trying to encourage them into the back paddock. We are repairing the larger chicken coop there, and want to move them to that to make it easier to look after them.  Although they do visit the back paddock from time to time, because they are 'wild', they don't consider it is somewhere they want to roost at night, and have never been put inside a coop.

 All the hens will be laying eggs somewhere by now, but we have no idea where, apart from two of the hens, who have made nests next to each other, We are collecting bedding for the chickens this week, and we will clean out the coop ready for them. Then, it will be a simple matter of waiting for them to move in! (That was a joke, that last bit!) Watch this space!!!

The first eggs we collected were enjoyed by all of us. We had eggs on toast, the dogs had one each in their evening meal, which they woofed down, and even the cats enjoyed one as well!

The biggest treat for Steve this week was the sighting of an African Goshawk in one of the blue-gum trees behind our property. Not an uncommon sighting as such, but it is not so easy to get a good photo of one. It sat in the tree for quite a while and, after taking about 100 photos, he got this one!

 We are still trying to dry out the cottage so that it can be painted, and we are getting there slowly.

In the meantime, we have been working on the climbing frame for the cats! Oops, sorry, I mean...

... the lapa!