Now it's a bird in the dining room

Posted by Simon

I have decided to finish the projects that I have been doing outside before I start the building works. This includes the boules area and the ongoing saga of the boys play tower. The boules area is nearing completion and now needs the final top surface. And I am going to start the play tower very soon - I promise - if only to keep the boys out of my hair when I'm doing the building works!

Of course all this has to be done between everyday chores. Grass cutting is back and it's growing with a vengeance. Plus we got 8 new small chickens this morning (eventually for the pot) and these needed a separate area fenced. We already had a house for them and it made sense to use this and fence around that. Easy? Well first I had to move the sheep. Usually not a problem but the ram is starting to live up to his name and a butt up the bottom is not much fun. And I know, the bugger got me yesterday. Then I had to move tons of old stone which, I would think, has been piled up over a period of many years. All this done I could get round to the fencing. No, the lorry arrived from the quarry with the stone for the boules area and that had to be unloaded. Well I did get the fencing done to keep the chicks in, but I've still got to make it to keep the sheep out. Anyway the chicks are settling in now.

Whilst levelling out the sub-surface on the boules area this afternoon the boys called over and said did I mind a bird being in the house? What! Feeling that a wind-up was in progress I went up the house to find a swallow perched on the clothes airer. Sorry swallow you need the barn next door! We opened all the windows for it and off it flew. I don't know how long it had been there because the boys had got it a bowl of water for it and another bowl full of grass, sheep's wool and hay for a nest. Aah, bless! Well it kept them amused for a while.

And it reminded me off the time when I came home (still living at my parents house then) from the pub one evening and found a sparrow in my bedroom. I asked my dad for some help getting it out. It wasn't until the next day when dad was talking to a friend that it clicked why he was so amused as I heard him say "Simon came in last night and said he had a bird in his room and could he have some help!"