A Fruitless Chase

So here we are. Mid-May and the weather closely resembles the dark, rainy weeks of mid January. It’s so frustrating as this puts a hold on so many jobs on the plot. Furthermore, it means that the winter battle to keep the ground in the chicken coops from turning into a quagmire has returned. So abysmal is the weather, I dug out the stove and enjoyed a hot chocolate – a drink I only have in the winter. There really is a winter feel when the stove is on, a warm drink in your hands and being wrapped in layers of clothing.

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My husband came down with me this morning and helped me feed the chickens and collect eggs. Roxy was distinctly unimpressed when I reached into the nest box to furtle beneath her for eggs. Once all the chickens were fed and watered, my husband disappeared off home whilst I set up the stove and enjoyed sitting outside in the short dry spell between showers.

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After a while, I went for a walk up to see the four girls on Liz and Sarah’s plot. I bumped into Cliff and we were chatting about the weather and how it would affect the crops this year when he spotted a pigeon. For those of you who remember the escapades of Charles the Racing Pigeon from last summer, this will sound somewhat familiar…

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Grabbing a cup of corn, I tried to entice the pigeon towards me. Clearly it was a lost racing pigeon as it had two rings on. I knew if I could catch it, I would find the owner’s contact details stamped on the inside of the wing. However, catching the bird was altogether more difficult. I laid out the pet carrier and threw in some corn. It got unbelievably close to the door before it decided to fly off. Several more close attempts left me rather irritated in repeatedly being out smarted by a bird. I borrowed a bird net from Cliff and set up the ladder next to Mick the Greek’s chicken coop. This seemed to be it’s favourite place to sit. I popped up throwing the net ahead of me. The bird simply looked at me in distain and flew off.

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Two hours, and several more failed attempts later, I gave up and headed home. Hopefully the bird will still be on site tomorrow and I will bring back up to catch it!