This being Wimbledon and all that, the Bossy Rosecomb organised a game of tennis. It was mainly them against us - quite a manic affair. Mandy, Mrs Pippy, Mrs Black, Alice and me on one side and a whole bunch of Them on the other side. Truffle, Mrs White and Harvest were the umpires - not wanting to move so much (not at all in fact).

I am still not sure which side won, but we celebrated with strawberries in the traditional manner, which made everyone quite jovial and the tensions of the tournament were quickly forgotten.

Harry was in a huff throughout and wouldn't even be Ball Boy- apparently someone had quoted him a piece from the Stones of Venice, by John Ruskin: 'Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless; peacocks and lilies for instance'.

It is lovely and sunny again today and Lois was enjoying munching in the morning sun. The wheat in the big field next to her is a beautiful shade of mossy green and a perfect place for Peter Rabbit and Philip the Pheasant, not to mention the Fox Family and the Roe Deer, to play in.
We are lucky to have deep hedgerows around most sides of the fields on our farm.

Our field opposite the yard has a rew on all four sides. I suppose they were originally man-made,  planted with a wide range of native trees and shrubs, and many would have been cut down to make way for additional grazing or crops, but we are lucky enough to have ours intact! They are full of wildlife, lots of  woodland birds and insects - and we love going over the lane and scratching around in the old leaves for grubs. Lois, and her family before her, take shelter in here from the rain or sun and it is a perfect place for them to have hay in the winter. There are big oak trees full of tiny birds searching the leaves and bark for insects right down to the wild rose with petals that fall like nature's confetti - each a perfect heart-shape in white and pale pink. G & S x

We woke up to a wet and rainy day - the first time for weeks. Alice came out of her box at a hundred miles an hour and Harvest, still on a high from Pour Moi winning the Epsom Derby, followed at quite a pace - considering she is very, very old.
"Il pleut! Il pleut!" she gasped breathlessly. We weren't nearly so enthusiastic and loitered in the barn doorway for our banana and bread. Slugs appeared as if by magic on the top of the grass and the branches of the trees bent low under the weight of the water on their summer leaves. I think we will stay inside today - or at least whilst it is pleuting.

A few of the chicks went exploring in the cottage yesterday afternoon. They had great fun playing under the ironing board and were very tired when they went back to their house after such an exciting time.

Mickey told us how he defeated a Killer Rabbit and a Host of Rooks with 9-inch long beaks today. We think he is very brave.

Mum found some strange droppings on the footpath near to Mickey - even smaller than Honeys - and asked Dad what they were. Dad suggested that we send them to Chris Packham to identify.
Last night Mr and Mrs Fox were in the Meadow and this morning Mrs Roe Deer was in our field right by our gate.  From the amount of flowers on the blackberry bushes and wild plums on the trees there will be a good autumn feast for all. And hopefully the autumn feast won't include us! Gordon

We are being pestered by the jackdaws and crows and rooks and magpies. They come and pinch our tasty bits as soon as Mum and Dad turn their backs. They took my Dr. Oetker's Pizza Mozzarella almost out of my beak this morning. The scarecrow is adorned with carrier bags and CDs and he flaps around at the barn door doing his best, I'm sure. But still they swoop in and steal our breakfast. They seem to disappear at the end of June - but that is still 26 days away. What menaces! Gordon

Aah-haa! I have found a recipe for Rook Pie! I shall get Kizzie to print it out in large letters and hang it around Scarecrows neck!
It says it is a popular dish - as they have a gamy flavour and can be quite meaty. But remove the backbone as this makes them very bitter.
Skin the rooks (do not pluck them), remove the heads and backbones and draw them. Cut the birds in half and arrange them on thick pieces of braising steak in a pie dish. Fill in the gaps with quartered hard-boiled eggs, season well, add a little gravy or stock, cover with a rich shortcrust and bake in a hot oven for the first half-hour, then lower the temperature and leave to cook for one and three-quarter hours. 
I wonder if it is like the Blackbird Pie in Sing A Song of Sixpence? In fact, perhaps they weren't Blackbirds as we know them today, but rooks and crows and jackdaws? Sylvia xx

The wild honeysuckle is in full bloom and smells (so Mum says) beautiful. If Mum could bottle smells she says it would be the honeysuckle and the musty smell of the inside of our old farm Land Rover.  I'm not sure that I would choose either personally. A manure heap or freshly dug hole in the earth would meet my olfactory demands more suitably.
Anyway, talking of roses and smells - here is something for you to try out as a dressing on your salad -
Ingredients: 350g/12oz rose petals (pick ones that have a strong perfume)
                           300ml/half a pint white wine vinegar
1. Lightly rinse and dry the petals ensuring there are no insects or bugs (I can help out here)
2. Place in a sterilised 300ml/half pint glass jar with a screw lid. Do not pack down too firmly.
3.Cover with white wine vinegar and leave in a sunny place for at least one month before using.
Enjoy! Love Sylvia x