We've been beset by bugs the last couple of weeks - the dastardly gastro bug and then the vicious cold virus... so sorry I missed a week again! Anyway I have a couple of pics for you of our back yard being dug up - the last remaining bit of lawn left on the property... In one of them you can see the mountain of 'sediment' our neighbour complained about. The idea is to hook up the existing house's storm water to the new pipes and pits along the driveway. Up until now the storm water has just been dumped down the back yard - which wouldn't be any good once the new house is built.

One of our hens has gone broody and sits on the nest all day. Sometimes we have to pick her up bodily and toss her out to make sure she has something to eat in the mornings. I found her sitting on a stash of 11 eggs the other day! Because we let the hens free range around the yard during the day, they have started laying eggs in different spots, just to keep us guessing. Some days we don't find any eggs and think they're having a break and then we find the hiding spot. Apparently hens go broody when they're happy so it's a compliment to our hen keeping skills. However they do also get a bit aggressive - I've noticed a couple of the hens fighting - they fluff up their feathers, jump up in the air and fling their claws at eachother. The best way to cure the broody hen is to isolate them in a wire cage off the ground with only water for 3 days and no cosy corners for sheltering. It sounds pretty mean, but once they feel uncomfortable again, they forget about being broody and go back to regular hen behaviour, scratching in the dirt for grubs and whatnot. Here is a picture of our 3 non-broody hens stretching out in the sun...