A Chair

Yessss!!!!! and it's Welcome to my new(ish) Hypnotherapy chair. M says it looks more like the Mastermind chair but that's just silly. It will be fine. In fact, it will be great. Now, just imagine yourself sitting in it, and slowly allowing all the muscles of your body to relax...(starting with your feet...think of your feet relaxing...) See? It's easy!

In the meantime, Frank is waiting by the wheelbarrow for me to join him in the garden for another digging session.

Yesterday, I unearthed all these potatoes left over from last year. Fantastic. Free food. And it's just as well because since I started writing today's blog, M just phoned to ask me to make today's tea stretch around an extra guest.
My larder is beginning to make Mrs Hubbard's look like a branch of Tesco's Extra.

Cat Yoga

Today's entry is particularly aimed at any readers who might be a little stressed. (I know there is at least one harassed banker who will be looking at this). This advice and guidance comes care of my cat, Mackerel, who has studied Cat Yoga for pretty much all of his life. As you can see, Mackerel does not have any money, or even any testicles, but he doesn't let that bother him. So yesterday, he found a nice sunny spot on this barn windowsill and proceeded to demonstrate 'The Cat Stretch' which can be achieved by placing all fours on the ground, and arching your back towards the ceiling/sky.

2-The Cobra. Placing your head on the floor, stretch your bottom as high as you can towards the sky/ceiling. Repeat facing towards the other side.

3-Rest. You have earned it. It's not good for anyone to work too hard. Besides which, you're looking gooooooood just as you are.

Tinchebray

M has returned...so now there is a chance to fill up my little car with petrol and escape to somewhere else for a while. After two weeks, it doesn't much matter where-as long as it's elsewhere. It's an overcast day but to me, it's like Spring due to my slightly giddy mood as I look round the local town of Tinchebray, making my usual odd assortment of sights I found interesting... For example, this raspberry-coloured handle on a closed-down shop doorway. There are lots of closed-down shops in Tinchebray.

This cafe has lettering which reminds me of old Mabel Lucie Attwell books.

70's style tiling (exterior) on another shop front. Reminds me of the era of 'macrame' and 'The Good Life'.

Chickenism (Day 4)

With Wellington the cockerel elsewhere, the chickens have time once more to give free rein to their creative whims. Tonight, they staged a fairly impromptu and improvised play entitled "Chickenism". Whilst Joan and Bianca (white chickens) acted out the more dynamic roles, illustrating the little appreciated roles of Famous Chickens in History, Hilda (brown chicken), kept silent and still on the perch throughout the performance, a vigil which was apparently intended as testament to the effort and suffering of chickens valued for nothing but their egg-laying abilities...

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...then, as dusk fell, the harsh electric light illuminated the coop just as the play reached it's climax, and Joan and Bianca leant over Hilda, forming a perfect arc, in a moving tribute to all that chickens have achieved. "Bravo!" I cried as I crouched uncomfortably in the coop doorway, and threw in handfuls of the finest chicken corn.

Star Crossed Lovers (Day 6)

I have separated the lovers. Hilda and Wellington make a fantastic pair but Big Boy Wellington has been becoming a little over-amorous of late. I gather that most cockerels need a harem of a least 5 chickens and Wellington only has 3 here, and the two white chickens we have have had enough-so I've put Wellington out on his own-and Hilda, who is his soul mate as well as a similar breed, just has to gaze at him through the fence now. Methinks I have seen a similar expression of the faces of some ladies who are out on the town on a Saturday night...Perhaps I shall let him loose for a little while on Valentine's day...!

Meanwhile, the pets have rested this afternoon whilst I did some indoor tasks since my back has been playing up a bit again lately. You would not think that they each have their own bed to get into. Looking at this, I am reminded how nice cuddling up can be. Perhaps I am finally missing Martin now. Only 6 days to go now...

Yellow Dog food (Day 12)

It's not possible for one person to eat the produce of three chickens and two ducks. So yesterday, i scrambled some of the eggs and fed them back to the chooks. Today, it was the dogs turn-and I scrambled up 5 duck eggs and fed them the result...then stood back and waited for any ill effects...and there were none! Marvellous!

Been keeping the cat in the house at night since I think it's tooooooooooo cold to shove him out. He is still enjoying his day-time naps...

Dogs Have No Dignity (day 13...)

M has gone back to England for a couple of weeks to do some work. So it's just me and the animals for a while...Aaaaargh...I give it 5 minutes before i start going a little crazee......Didn't like the quietness of the house today (no more than the chaos as he left anyway) so took Frank the teckel for a walk along the voie verte/old railway line. A cold winter's day-with excitable little flocks of blue tits squabbling in the trees, saw pussy willows dangling on another tree...

and a buzzard-or was it a kite?-flying over another silver birch type tree. Meanwhile, Frank occupied himself at ground level trying to eat as many different kinds of animal excrement as he could get away with.