Meet the Birds - The Chickens - Egg laying

Spot the difference. 3 eggs (on right) laid today, 2 brown from our Cornish ambers and the little white is from Squark, a brown bantam. And just to compare the difference on the left is an egg from the black bantam and a neighbour's duck egg (great for cakes), not hard to guess which one !?

Meet the birds - The new chickens are on the move!

So the sunny weather has sent the new chickens out up the lane, wandering around new territories and......laying eggs !!! But couldn't say which ones are laying eggs as they both produce brown eggs and that's what they are but not enough for all four to be laying, alongside the bantams.
Both the ambers and the speckleds have been joining the bantams on their daily adventures in and around Tredarrup. And we'll be adding to the flock as we're buying 2 or 3 more black or brown to add to the team ! Here's hoping we'll be able to supply you with our own eggs sometime soon during your stay at Tredarrup.

A great meal out....

Custard in Padstow, well worth a meal out...delicious !!!

Meet The Birds - our swallows are back

Yesterday, 16th April our first swallow arrived back at Tredarrup. Whilst walking the dogs I was treated to my own air display in the evening light, with the familiar chattering of our first male (they arrive first) back for the summer with others soon to follow. Last year's first arrival was 13th April (see April archive). They are a magical site and loved by many that stay at Tredarrup.

Some previous visitors in what is now Mill Barn's main bedroom

& hanging out on the telephone line

AGA baked chocolate cake

In our kitchen we have an AGA classic with 4 ovens. It was installed in the 40s when electric was put into the house and we love it....It's great for jams (made rhubarb and blackberry at the weekend), chutneys, drying tomatoes/mushrooms, the top keeps my teapot warm, the 4 ovens means juggling Sunday roast is easy and best of all it makes the best cakes ...as our visitors often tell me. It runs on solid fuel and provides our main source of heating in the house. There is a debate over how environmentally friendly AGAs are but they have always been made from recycled materials and now they offer many types of fuel - but for us the fact is it has been in for 60+ years, 1 AGA vs how many cookers that could have been, I don't use a tumble drier my AGA drys for me (if the washing line can't) and even helps with the ironing (a tip that I've been told my many including AGA expert Mary Berry).

Meet the animals - chicken update

So today's update on the chicken front...
Our 4 new chickens are now out and about, although they don't go too far preferring to stay around Mill Barn and my vegetable patch (not good news when it comes to planting out!). Organic corn in the morning is a big hit and they follow me whenever I go in the direction of the shed as could mean more food. The 3 remaining bantams are still venturing further going on their daily adventure (and at least egg laying in the shed for now) but they too are keen on the vegetable patch at the end of the day so what hope my young seedlings will have ? And none are sharp to go back in the shed especially if Jet fancies a bit of a play and gives chase !!!!

The weather - we're confused and so are the swallows!!!

April and no it's not April showers but just a bit of everything including snow and frost. No snowmen here but yesterday morning on the moor I almost became a snowman.. then the afternoon was t-shirt weather (well almost a bit of a cold wind) but not what you might expect this time of year but then last April did bring on a bit of a heatwave... And yes not only are us humans confused but our loyal swallows must have followed last weeks warm thermals as on Sunday we spotted our first - well first three - but they are yet to make a summer whilst the frost remains!!

For those that have asked for more pictures...we will aim to capture the cattle for their up to date portrait some time soon !! And the chickens if they ever go much further than their hen house !