Don't forget the birds...

We spent a couple of hours at the weekend making some seed cakes for the birds and they have not gone unappreciated. They are full of fat, nuts and seeds and have so far been the cause of quite a lot of activity and a few fights too!

Recipe:

1kg lard
1kg peanuts
1kg wild bird seed

some yoghurt pots or similar containers and / or half coconut shells
String for hanging

Melt the lard, stir in the seeds and peanuts until there is still quite a lot of the fat in liquid form as this will ensure the cakes set hard.

Cut the string into 6" lengths and tie the two ends to a match stick or small twig, this will help to make sure the string doesn't pull out of the cake when it is hanging up.

Dangle the string and twigs into the pots and containers and then fill with the seed mixture.

Allow to set solid and then remove from the pots and hang out for your garden birds.

If like us you couldn't bear to stick the christmas tree onto the compost heap just yet or the council haven't been able to collect it yet put it to good use and turn it into a fantastic feeder for the birds, to add to the decorations we also hung up some pieces of apple which have gone down a storm

The next chapter...

What an interesting start to the New Year! With resolutions coming out of our ears, at the top of the list was getting pony home. Little did we think it would happen quite so soon! On New Years day we set off home for a little day trip to graze the patch of field, only to get caught out by a swift but heavy snowfall. 4 days on and he's still at home. It's lovely having him here, and its just too icy out to take him back up the road... But we still don't have the space to keep him here year round, and he still needs a field buddy. Watch this space...

Despite the snow we've made good progress with the chicken enclosure. We just have to sort out some sort of roof and then its the grand opening!

We did so much in 2009, but are sure the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead in 2010 will be even more exciting!

An almost white christmas

The week leading up to christmas looked so promising, with lovely snow all around.







Clun started to look decidedly christmassey, despite the lack of decorations (somehow it all just crept up on us this year!), although Tom was not too impressed...
except for the large volume of food it meant he was supplied with.