A Duck's Diary from the Jinney Ring Craft Centre

Just some of the stuff that I see here!



Monday 29 March 2010

Quacked to soon!

Well, the mud puddle is back, and it appears we had a false Spring.  I am not worried about it but the humans are a bit fed up!

I am going a a bit further afield - yes, litterally "to the field" for extra excitement (and bugs) at the moment and my friends and I keep getting chased back inside the fences with mutterings of "for their own safety" - I don't really get it at all!

Talk about ducks making a noise cackling - on Thursday last week you should have heard the shieks - there were a group of very happy ladies enjoying the wine tasting!  Kept me awake anyway.

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Easter is coming - all those good eggs

It has got a lot busier in the garden now that the weather has improved a little, our 'mud hole' at the bottom of the garden is, sadly, drying out and not nearly so much fun for paddling.  'Mothers day' here was an especially busy day with loads of bread being shared with us.  Everyone seemed in pretty good humour after carvery lunch which went on all afternoon.  People also seemed pretty happy that they had not had to queue again for their puddings as there were waitresses to look after them (only on busy days they say). Most people came out afterwards for a gentle stoll around the ponds and a look around the craft units.

Lots of people are buying the raffle tickets for Chocolate Deli's big egg (raising funds for the Urology department of Redditch Hospital), seems like a lot of chocolate for just one person to eat!.

Rachel, the Gardener, has been working pretty hard digging and clearing - she has planted two new hedges in the last fortnight and laid a mountain of woodchippings down (which was a pity as the pile was ideal for nesting in and one of my friends laid an egg in it before she could move it anywhere!) One of the hedges which is next to the overflow carpark is a wildlife hedge and should be pretty interesting for insects when it grows up a bit.  The other one is in the wooded area (Sophies Wood), this is where the local school children come for their 'forest school' lessons and the shelter has just been rebuilt and it is really smart now.



The daffodils are coming out now and some of my duck friends have started sitting on nests all day - should have some new ducklings soon!

For Easter the girls who are here every friday doing Millinery (the Hattery) are bringing lots of  'Easter bonnets' (well, it's a Hat sale really) - lots of hats at silly prices (2nd and 3rd April),  On good friday, Fish is on the menu in the farmhoue restaurant and on Easter Sunday it is another all day Carvery (Turkey & Beef this time)- great news, the more people the more bread for me!!

Thursday 4 March 2010

How about this for an Egg!

Getting on fine out here in the garden, and it is even getting a little bit warmer (I have now seen the sun for the first time!).  We, that is my duck friends and I, have been hard at work creating a really lovely "mud hole" at the end of the garden by the rose arch,  we love it but Rachel, the gardener is not so keen, she keeps shooing us off........ but we will win ultimately as she is not here after 5pm or on weekends !   Sadly, one of my new friends has disappeared and rumour has it that the Fox "dun it" so we are now being more careful at night.

I am told that we have a lot to look forward to this Spring, not only are there many frolics on the pond ahead but there are eggs........ Walking round to the front of the craft centre, I can now see a large sign for a "Big Egg" this one is made of chocolate and is taller than a window pane and it is in the window of Chocolate Deli.  They are raffling it for charity (£1/ticket) and it is being drawn on Good Friday (2nd April) by "Helen" from Radio Wyvern.

All I can say is that I hope all eggs are not this big, otherwise it could be a very painful process indeed!

The Big Egg!