It was only last week when the friendly postman brought a fist full of mail (the one who hasn't had a mention in the Gazette for a fortnight and was getting withdrawal symptoms and the same one who just happens to be a ripe old 60 next month. He handed me my mail and took another glance through the mail and jokingly said there was something wrong as there wasn't one from the queen).
Positioning the cards on the kitchen table, some being cute, some funny, the one from my dear uncle, I think he would get a laugh sending it, with a big wily old fox on the front.
I smiled and laughed – it must be that one which has taken all the hens this winter and is still taking eggs he finds before I do.
It doesn't matter to him whether they be goose, turkey or duck as all are laying all over the farmyard at the moment.
The ministry's egg man came and passed the egg packing station after he had seen the full authority from the environmental health officer, so now we just need some new labels to stick on the pre-pack boxes – with all our numbers on, the environmental health number, the packing station number the best before number, free range, name and address etc.
The guy quoted me 13p a label so after I picked myself up of the deck, I told him to send some samples first.
After last back end having to throw away 300 dozen eggs due to not having the correct paperwork and facilities on the ground, minor they may have been, but all still needed doing to pass, now we are through all of this the hens have just about packed up laying (sod's law).
We have known in the past cows being out at grass by now – just opening the gate for them to go out is a big relief for them and me.
Last week was absolutely gorgeous – we got most of the fertiliser on as well as the basic slag (which adds phosphates and true elements to the soil, which helps plant vigour and growth).
The cows were stood three deep at the gate waiting – you could just about smell the grass growing.
But today with snow and hailstones coming down, the land is absolutely saturated again and the cows have all retreated back into their cubicles.
Maybe next week we will get them out if the sun shines and the wind blows to dry the land.