2006
Early 2006 saw the long awaited arrival of our first cockerel. He was a Buff Sussex, extremely handsome and we called him Henry (because he had six wives). At the same time, we bought six Light Sussex pullets at 10 weeks old.
We had a couple of attempts at incubating eggs but our incubator broke down both times. Then Henry got eaten by the fox, so our chick raising plans bit the dust again.
We got two Tamworth boars in the spring. They did well and went off to slaughter in the autumn. We kept a whole pig and made more bacon than in previous years. We didn't make any sausages though - we're not very good at it. Instead we made pork burgers, which we think are nicer than (our) sausages. We also made white puddings, which Dan likes and I think are horrible.
We didn't make any major changes in the garden. The orchard did quite well. We had a huge crop of Victoria plums but after a sudden downpour just as they ripened, they all split. So I made gallons of Delia's Old Dowerhouse Chutney.
In February, Cassius had to have a broken tooth removed. We tried all summer to clear the subsequent infection - the hole was VERY deep - so he was on and off antibiotics for much of the year. In autumn, Copper was diagnosed with kidney failure and put on medication and a special diet, which gave her a new lease of life.
The dogs were fit but completely bonkers.
I decided to teach Smokey to drive / learn to drive myself.
The last few days of 2006 saw the arrival of our new cockerel, a Light Sussex called Hobbes.