Another chilly week.

We've had a week of very low overnight temperatures but lovely, sunny days following.   The trees are all changing colours now, there is a dusting of snow on the mountain tops so the views are lovely.  Sometimes the mist rolls in as in this picture but the boys are unconcerned by the colder weather.  Faro is in the middle of the shot, ears and tail up looking like a proper macho!

Fergus's No1 priority is always his belly and here he is getting stuck into some early morning haylage whilst the remainder of the gang are outside.

The boys love their early morning haylage in winter and, like Gaucho and Fidget on the right will often lie in the frosty grass, eyes closed and chewing contentedly.  Turnips are also on the menu now which keep their teeth nice and clean.

Things are changing in the chicken run as Hunkey Dunkey the Buff Orpington cockerel, the Maran (behind him in the picture) and Delilah the old hen at the feeder, are all moulting.  The henhouse is full of feathers and these three look more than a little disheveled.  The three new hens however are growing fast, they've started to lay and are beginning to look like adult birds.  They still behave like youngsters though as they chase each other around, trying out their wings and puffing out their neck feathers.  By the turn of the year the old birds will have their new feathers in place and Hunkey will be in his element again.

'Himself' is still snipping and cutting at the hedges for a second week and the size of the bonfire of hedge trimmings will soon be enormous.  The boys are protected in their paddock  from the west  by this high Leylandi hedge which has now had a short back & sides.

Here are two happy dogs who are well known to the builders on our house site as they pass every day on their 'walkies!'   Sydney (left) and Coles are brother and sister and belong to our neighbour Ann whose brother Robert and wife Carole paid a visit to the site yesterday.   Robbie was left holding the dogs, and as he had the camera with him took this lovely shot. 

And finally............speaking of the house site, this is our new build from a different angle.  This is taken from the south looking north with the boys in their paddock down to the left (behind the cement mixer!)  Work is progressing well, we are just hoping that more of the outside work can be finished before the bad weather closes in.