One week on

So, what has happened since this time last week? I did finally go into Warwick Hospital on Saturday morning and had the operation. I almost fell at the last hurdle (maybe not the best phrase under the circs) when the nurse arrived to take me to theatre and declared that there was no way I could be operated on as I didn't have a wristband. Apparently the ward printer was out of action. Thankfully a working printer was found, I was retrieved and the operation went ahead. As it was a Saturday it was very quiet, only one other person in the bay, so we got excellent care. 

All the same I was ready to leave as soon as possible, and eventually managed to get out by Sunday afternoon, arriving home to a house full of flowers, roses and freesias. 
I am intending to write a list of things to do sitting down, of which there are myriad, including writing this blog, and another of them is taking cuttings. To that end John and I had an outing to Kings Hill nursery in Coventry, where John pushed me round in a wheelchair and we arrived home with a wealth of cutting material for very little outlay. 

We had another Leasowe Farm tragedy mid week, when Tom and Caz' dog Willow died. He had lived here longer than us, was so much a part of the scenery with his sister Gaia, sitting in our porch, bringing sticks to be thrown, rushing around in summer barking at low-flying swallows. RIP Willow.

Meanwhile, changes are afoot in the house. The 14 quail we hatched out 4 weeks ago have had to move out to the greenhouse to make room for the next hatching, who started to appear in the incubator on Wednesday.

Quail in their new home

First Barnvelder chick emerges in the incubator

We now have 5 Barnvelders and one Appenzeller Spitzhauben in the brooder in our kitchen, and at least one silver-laced Wyandotte in the incubator

 We each chose a breed and put 6 eggs of each in the incubator. Mine are the Barnvelders, described in the book I had for my birthday as "reliable layers, prized for their dark brown eggs", whereas Joe's Appenzeller whatsits are "kept for their looks, not their production value" So I'm glad we have mostly Barnvelders at the moment! 

Appenzeller Spitzhauben chick- already a poser

Today was taken up with my delightful granddaughter Kere, discovering what Grandma can manage on one leg. We baked gingerbread, visited my poultry flock (first time in 2 weeks), pulled rhubarb and picked flowers, eventually having 2 little posies, a courtyard one and a front garden one. It was a beautiful day, would have been perfect for a long distance bike ride, but for a broken leg and a granddaughter.

Kere's gingerbread

Kere was braver than me - I opted to go down the slope on crutches rather than wheelchair