broad beans in flower

My broad beans are flowering already thanks to my dad for building me loads of cold frames and cloches. Normally they wouldnt do it for possibly another month so I am happy cos we may even avoid the black fly. I have had to plant spuds in the middle garden where I was intending to plant the meadow cos the allotment is impossible to dig and get ready in time. They need to be in the ground this month When I rented the power digger last week to dig the allotment it hardely even touched the grass and we took the grass of with a spade but even then it didnt dig. Complete waste of £50! Still we did dig the meadow to be but now I am doing the best thing that never expected to have patience for and growing spuds there to clear the ground. Mainly cos there is no where else to plant them! They do say tho if you have time and patience you will get a better meadsow if you grow spuds on the land first. Fate has taken a hand here cos I am now growing them and will plant the meadow in the autumn. Its also the best time to plant really cos the frost makes more of the unusual flowers germinate so all in all we should get a better meadow and still have spuds this year. One of my lovely girls died. She had cancer. MURIEL my beauty. She died on 23rd of March. The vet was vile because she is an ex-batt. It was like racial hatred. I will not go to him again if I can avoid it. He didnt like ex-batts and kept on and on which is not what you need when they are putting you bird down. I loved Mureil. I know you are not meant to have favourites but she was mine. I meant to blog it but then had a crisis with another hen and she has had egg peritonitus. She started off with diahorea- vet gave anti biotics, then got sour crop- vet gave nystatin, then she passed an egg like mucus and when I explained to vet he realised she had egg peritonitus. Apparently normal or at least common for an ex-batt so I must expect with the rest of my girls. Gwennytoo is now doing fine and has put most of the weight she lost back on. All she ate the first week was yoghurt I forced down her through with a syringe and the second week we managed to get chick crums soaked in water down her the same way as with Walter when she was a baby pigeon. I will put her in with the rest tonight so she has time to fit in before I am away at Rushden Steam fair. She may need antibiotics every couple of months and probably will not lay again but I will keep her alinve as long as possible. The vet seemed surprised I wanted to keep her when she is unlikely to lay now. I tried to explain we do not eat the eggs anyway and had her to give her a life. We are all vegan so who cares about her eggs anyway. She is a pet not livestock. Also since I last blogged Gwynedd now lives with the rest of the flock. Muriels death has allowed her to integrate tho it is still tricky. Muriel was a very big bully to Gwynedd and to everyone else. We are now going to join together the two old houses to give extra rooms so she can get away from the rest should they start to bully her. Once Gwennytoo returns she will need the extra room. Gwennytoo has not been in the run with the flock since Gwynedd integrated with them. Time will tell if this works ok.Hopefuly Gwyneddd will survive. I would hate them to kill her when we are at Rushden and am wondering if she should come out again then but really I prefer for her to live with the rest. Pet sitter Nicky is brilliant but I cannot expect her to let my girls out at dawn which is what I do so they will have to be inside for longer and I worry if the others will take it out on Gwynedd when they are locked in. The always lose a few feathers( due to feather plucking each other) when they are left as it is due to the frustration of being inside longer in the mornings.
My car had to have new tyres and has something wrong since they are wearing very unevenly but the tracking was not far off so I have to pay out and get this sorted! Not good. Its all pay pay pay isnt it.
Mice- we have mice outside the back door which is very freaky. I think they are living under my shed. I am sure they can use the humane traps cos they continue to steal the bait and not get caught. Very frustrating and really I do not want to kill them but we are going to have to do something very soon one way or another before we are inundated and get them inside the house.
And now Walter, I saw her sevral times at the end of March. She is now very much a wild bird and not at all tame which is what we aimed for so that is success. Infact that could be why I have not seen her for at least 3-4 weeks cos you cannot get close. Or maybe she has gone or is dead. I really do not know. Last time I saw her she was a fully grown pigeon and if not for her leg ring I wouldnt have known her. I have not caught a glimpse tho for so long I am worried. I still put the food out and the peas and lots of pigeons come to eat - hence have to use protection on all my small veg I grow else they will decimate it! But I have not seen her. Some pigeon does come every day for the food but they also come at the top end of the garden next to the house so it could be I have just not seen Walter. I will keep looking for her- after all wood pigeons get to around 17 years. But I am getting less hopeful every day that goes. Maybe she has been squashed on the road. People in cars do aim at woodies when they warm themselves in the morning sun on the roads. Or has she just lost her leg ring in which case I will never see her again. Its a spiral so if it got caught in something it should come off rather than get her leg broken so this is possible. I do hope not tho cos then I will never know her again. It is a terrible thing not knowing if your bird is still alive. I know she is wild but she will always be my birdie. And really that makes it all better. I have had cockateils and budgies, canaries and zebra finches, dogs, rats, hamsters, rabbits but never have any of thenm been able to be free and Walter is. I do want her to survive. Ofcourse there is also a possibility she could be sitting on eggs. In which case eventually she will turn up. Still maybe I will see her today?