Happy Winterness!

'Put me down immediately!' says Primrose.

I am holding her aloft and singing, 'The Circle of Life' from the Lion King.

'I am not a lion cub and you are not a Lion King!' shrieks Primrose. 'Plus I am getting vertigo and I may just be sick, which, from up here, will not bode well for you.'

I place Primrose on terra firma. I carry on singing though, because I have had a jolly good week. Heeding the advice of a friend, who knows and understands my disposition of becoming miserable in mid-winter because it is cold and wet and dark, I have made determined attempts to 'keep cheerful' and 'fight the S.A.D' by a) making myself go for long walks and ruffling the heads of dogs that are walking in the park b)enjoying some unexpected temporary part-time tutoring work that has popped up from a school I used to work at and c) knitting of an evening, and listening to entertaining stuff on the radio.

Thus, I have made it a week closer to Spring with a smile on my face, half a stone lighter, a few quid richer and a frog and half a woolly hippo in hand.

Yesterday, before I went off for a spot o' tutoring in a nice warm room with lovely people who make me tea on a regular basis and provide me with pleasant, but disadvantaged children who need a bit of extra help with English and Maths (yes, I have even been tutoring Maths - would've have thought it?!) I collected an egg from the pod. Primrose usually does her egg first thing, and Daisy does hers mid-morning. Anyway, I collected a Primrose egg, and went off to work.

Arriving home just after lunchtime, I went to change the hens' water as it has been freezing over during the day and needs constant attention. And there, beside the water bowl, was an egg.

'Who has been laying eggs alfresco?' I said.
'Wasn't me,' said Daisy, and I was inclined to believe her because her eggs are slightly larger and much paler in colour than this one, here by the waterbowl, sitting in the snow. Primrose looked sheepish.
'Well, ' she said, 'I inadvertently sat on the freezing ground and it startled me and one popped out.'
'But you've already done an egg today,' I said.
'I know,' said Primrose. 'Aren't I good value for money?'
'You are,' I said. 'Well done, you!'

And I collected a Daisy egg from the nest box and thought, 'Two hens + 24 hours = and 3 eggs = excellent and probably an omelette!'

So today I wasn't expecting a Primrose egg...BUT...she did one anyway, same time as usual.

What a gal!

At the moment they are both pottering around the garden in the pitiful layer of snow we've had in the last 24 hours whilst the rest of the country is floundering in several inches of the stuff. Andy is v. upset and is offsetting the disappointment by going on a baking spree - bread, and a banana and butterscotch cake. They (the hens, not Andy) are rejecting the fresh bowl of wobbly water I provided in favour of the bowl of stiff water aka ice, which they are pecking at with great intent and no doubt suffering brain-freeze as a result. They might have good egg laying power, but I wonder and despair of their brain power sometimes.

And I am off to do some more knitting, listen to some more radio, maybe read a bit of a book or two. Wherever you are, I hope you are keeping warm and happy, too.