The Livestock.

So livestock. Yes we have live stock. We have Ben, our gorgeously stupid labrador x retriever x bloodhound x convicted thief and dirt bucket. He's had his moments like today when I arrived home from work and realised I'd shut him in the dining room and in his panic he's clawed a hole as big as good sized frizbee in the dining room carpet as he tried to dig his way out under the door. My fault of course for shutting him in but he was laying in the sun very quietly and I didn't realise he was there.



We have cats too. Just the two now. Our cats never seem to like living in the same house as each other and we never seem to have more than one at home at any one time. All we have now are Arthur and Marthur. Both white with dark tabby patches on their backs like saddles for elves and both as daft as each other, brother and sister. Both of them are accomplished cat burglers thinking nothing of pouncing on whatever is lying on the chopping board and running off down the garden with it. I've stood at the kitchen sink, mouth open as I've watched one of them jump over the fence with a chicken breast in its mouth wondering which neighbour has lost their dinner.



Chickens. We've had them on and off for a few years now. Unfortunately we lose a lot of them to foxes who blatently walk into the garden and pick off what they fancy in broad day light. I've hatched the last lot myself, a batch of Cream Legbars of which 8 hatched, 5 girls and 3 boys. The boys went off to live on a farm in darkest Dorset, 2 of the girls went to live with a friend up the road and the other 3 are pottering around in the hen house as we speak. I'm not letting them out, not my babies that I raised from an egg. I have one dear little chick all on its own in the broody, the only egg to hatch, it's a black Australian Buff Orpington or an Australorp I'm told. In the incubator at the moment are 3 Buff Orpingtons which are due to hatch next week. It's an amazing thing watching new life hatch out of an egg.



We also have a hamster somewhere or other in the house. I noticed it missing in action this morning. Don't think the cats have had her because I've not found her anywhere which is a good sign. Well a good sign unless she's hiding in my ironing pile nibbling through my knicker elastic.