New hens and bees at Fortnums

There are three new hens in the garden. Two Marans and one CBT. Now the farm labourer at Haydon Bridge Hens called it a Canadian Blacktail but the only reference I can find on the web is to a Columbian Blacktail which is a hybrid between Rhode Island red and Light Sussex plus some other hardy birds. Waitrose sells a lot of CBT eggs. So whether this is the same bard or a similar cross I can't tell but it is pretty. The hens are generally just known by their breed so it makes it easier not o be attached to them. They seem to be settling in well, but it remains to be seen if the old French Maran does her usual trick of guarding the hen house and forcing the hens to have alternate roosts. This in turn forces me and my eldest to pluck various sleeping hens off hedges and low growing branches and put them in the hen house. After about a week of the game, the Maran tires and the hens become one flock.

According to the Telegraph, Fortnums has installed several very posh beehives on the top of their store. They have kept bees since 2006, but this is the frist year, they have had had them installed on the top of the store. They are charging £10 per half pound jar. There is a waiting list. I suspect the honey will be excellent (not because of the beehive) but because they are in a mixed flower area with lots of flowering trees. There is also a webcam so you can observe the comings and goings of the bees.

They are using Greek bees which are very non aggressive. Greek bees tend to be good producers of honey. At the moment there is a move back toward the native English black bee as being more ecologically sound but personally I have no problem with Greek bees as that is what is we had for awhile.

The main thing is to get non aggressive bees. Luckily, my current hive is beautifully tempered, despite the run in with the puppies earlier this summer. Unfortunately, I do not think I will be getting any honey this summer as the hive was only installed at the end of June and July was a very patchy month weather wise. The colony though is doing well and I saw the queen bee on Sunday. She has a bright yellow spot.

Unusual Historical

I am blogging today at Unusual Historical about the Thingvellir. It is for the Humans in Nature month.

Hooray for India Grey who won the RNA Romance Prize yesterday for her lovely book Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure. It made me cry when I read it. It is a bit hard to direct the putting in of a bookcase when you have tears streaming down your face and all you want to do is to get back to the book. Luckily for people in the US, the book is currently out there. Read it with tissues handy.

My youngest has stayed well. Obviously know that he does not have a temperature has done much for his ability to stay at school.

Have pointed out to the youngest that it has been so long since he last rode his bike that the hens have started using it as a windbreak for a nest. He remains unconvinced by this. He did go down and retrieve the eggs though.

Harlequin is 60

Yesterday the venture that the Bonnycastles started to keep the presses rolling turned 60!


To celebrate Harlequin released 16 books from its backlist as FREE downloads. One book from each line currently published in the North American market. I found it impossible to get on yesterday and thought that people from outside North America could not download the books, but this morning, it was not a problem. The list showcases books that the editors feel represent the Best in the Line from recent years. So for historical, there is Elizabeth Rolls His Lady Mistress. For Superromance there is Janice Kay Johnson's Snowbound which won the Rita last year. For Kimani, there is a Brenda Jackson. I am looking forward to them and to trying a few of the lines that I have not tried. You can get the downloads here.


All sorts of other events are planned, including the draw for a Diamond necklace to celebrate the Harlequin Romance Diamond Brides series.

In other news:

I fond a hen's nest yesterday. A dozen eggs. I tested them -- dunk in cold water, see if they float. All stayed firmly at the bottom so all are good. It is a matter of a surfeit of eggs again. Baking appears to be the order of the day. The children have not had egg salad sandwiches recently so this might do as well. I forget if they like egg salad sandwiches. They did once but may have rebeled. The problem with a surfeit of eggs is that you know the hens and ducks will keep laying given the time of year...

The mole continues to elude me. The mole hills are less frequent. Sincerely hope that this does not mean the mole is preparing to give birth...apparently they go deeper then...Much easier to think of the Mole as a he than a pregnant she.

The Jamie Oliver Effect

I understand from yesterday's Sunday Telegraph that do the high profile campaign by Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley Whittonstall against battery chickens, houses where chickens can be kept are becoming more popular.
I have kept hens and ducks for about ten years now. The difference in egg quality is astonishing. Hens who are able to roam have far darker yolks. Nothing beats a freshly laid egg gently poached. Supermarket eggs are a watery pale yellow yolk and don't really taste of anything.
I noticed that the latest Waitrose magazine was offering duck egg recipes. Hooray say I. Other people are realising that duck eggs are good to eat. They suffered in reputation after the war because ducks were fed on fish meal and surprise, surprise the eggs tasted of fish. Feed ducks on corn and poultry layer pellets, and the eggs taste great.
Duck eggs do not keep as long as hen eggs by the way. You want to use them within 2 weeks, where as hen eggs will keep for about 3. Both are best eaten within a few days of being laid.
Mostly you can substitute duck eggs and hen eggs. But scrambled duck eggs tend to be rubbery. Poached duck eggs are wonderful though and they have several recipes for baked duck eggs including one for duck eggs baked in a tomato with a dash of Tabasco.
So are hens and ducks easy to keep? Yes but you have not mind the cleaning out of the houses once a week. The manure is good for the garden. Because my hens and ducks are free range, I have made sure that the vegetable patch is fenced off, and during the summer, we do put netting up to prevent any rogue attacks on the vegetables.
We also have a large enough garden that they do not seem to do any real and lasting damage. They do add character to the undergrowth and I have not seen a slug in years. they are fed twice a day -- poultry layer pellets in the morning and mixed corn in the afternoon. Eggs are collected once a day. Hens by in large are creatures of habit and do lay in the hen house...although I do have to go searching on occasion. Ducks tend to drop their eggs where ever unless they are broody.
Currently I am hoping we will not have ducklings...it is getting to be that time of year...
But hooray that more people are coming to realise the value of keeping poultry.