Growing in the Fens

Early posting tonight whilst the folks are out. The FH has taken the FGs to band practice tonight, telling them that he is going to sign up to learn the trombone - it will have to be seen to be believed, but I wouldn't be surprised at anything!! The YFG and I cycled to school this morning and then I went back to pick her up at 3 so I have done four miles today, two of them into a head wind, so I should sleep well tonight.

I am cooking the tea whilst they are gone, and I do hope that it is a good meal - it is the first cockerel. We are slightly disappointed with the size of him as once he was "oven-ready" he only weighed about three and a half pounds. That made us decide to grow the rest of the flock on longer - we'll try another one in about three weeks' time and see whether they are heavier, perhaps. We might also reduce the size of the run that they have as they are perhaps exercising too much - although I don't want to make it too small as to be cruel. I am not sure about that - I would rather try to give them more in the way of kitchen scraps and food to fatten them up a bit!

I have had a sort-out in my book stock room this afternoon so that I have tidied the books up and put them all back on the shelves. This makes it a lot easier to see what I have and what I need to order. I had a small order from the school this morning, which cheered me up no end. On the other hand, the pet bantam seems to have spent the night in the room by accident, and I have had to remove several of her deposits from the carpet. That wasn't so good! She seems to get everywhere, but she is so tame that she follows the FH around the garden and is very much loved.

Dilemmas - I have been asked to help with a once-a-week afterschool club at the church. I have never actually been to this club before as the FGs haven't been to it, and I don't really understand at this point what would be expected of me. Trouble is, I have a hard time saying no to anything people ask me to do. BUT it is going to eat into the only day we don't have an after-school activity: Monday is band, Tuesday is gymnastics, Wednesday the EFG is doing a fitness course for 8 weeks, Thursday is free but would be this activity, Friday is gymnastics. We then have gymnastics again Saturday mornings and church of course on Sunday mornings. The FH could do the Monday and Wednesday taxi-duties, as that is really all they are, which would help. I could cook that night's dinner in the slow-cooker, so that wouldn't be a huge problem: I am talking myself into this! I guess that just now I need to ask more questions about it and make it clear that I can be a helper but not a leader as I don't have time to do much preparation for anything in advance.

I had better go and check on the chicken!