Which came first?

Another one from the random list this week and today it is the turn of the humble chicken! With regards to the title, I'm not absolutely sure. According to my mum my very first sentence was poultry related, but whether it was uttered as a result of loving chickens more than eggs well, the jury is still out. Sitting on the farmhouse kitchen floor, playing with an empty egg box I uttered the profound words - 'Chooky egg goes in 'ere,' and when it comes to all things fowl I haven't looked back since!

I love boiled eggs, coddled eggs, scrambled eggs and fried but nothing compares to the comforting cluck and scratching from a few hens at the bottom of the garden. My husband and I have had a variety over the years; feathery white Silkies, robust Rhode Islanders, a pair of bedraggled, but immensely grateful, ex-battery girls and my absolute favourites, Buff Orpington Bantams. Not the most prolific layers, but when it comes to feathery, ginger fluffiness they simply can't be beaten!


For a couple of years I even wrote a 'hen keepers diary' for the local parish magazine and ran an accompanying blog sharing the exploits of Babs and Ginger, but at the moment we are without fowl and I find our current garden rather sad without their clucking and drama. For decades I yearned for a smallholding, acres of land, an immense garden at the very least, but now, as middle age kicks in, I am happy to settle for less, rather than more, space. A manageable plot to potter in rather than be a slave to, somewhere to grow a few beans and herbs, but the one thing I refuse to compromise on is space for hens. So if anyone asks what I want for my birthday next Spring, a trio of downy little Lavender Pekins might just find themselves top of the list!

And finally,  last week I promised to tell you how I found Dead Letter Day by Indie author Keri Beevis. Compulsive, captivating and more than a little creepy! A truly great read and I can't wait for the sequel.    

H-J