The big chickens, Sage and Onion, may be about to start earning their keep! There were 2 soft-shelled eggs this morning; one on the drive and the other in the chicken run. They have yet to learn where to lay and, presumably, how to produce eggs with hard shells, but it’s a start – watch this space!

The nuggets, on the other hand, won’t be laying for some time yet; when they do, I wouldn’t be surprised to find eggs on the kitchen windowsill, since as soon as we open the shutters in the morning, they all hop straight up there, tapping on the glass with their beaks. I think they’re pining for Kieran as he used to feed them there; you’d better pass your motorbike test and come back soon, Kieran, or they’ll have forgotten you!

After all the rain, and now the warmth, the garden is going mad; weeds are springing up faster than we can pull them out and the potager is looking good. We’ve planted tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes and peppers, have eaten most of the first crop of radishes and sown some more and have enjoyed spinach and rocket in salads. Tomorrow we can cut the first lettuce. Can’t believe I’m getting excited about such things; I really must get out more! I was told off for having planted stuff out so early, by the gardeners at the walking group yesterday; apparently it’s quite common to have a frost for the feast day of ” la sainte de glace” (or that’s what it sounded like!), which happens next week. We might be lucky, though, as no frosts are forecast yet.

Apart from sitting in the sunshine, watching the lettuces grow, I’ve lasured (glossary: lasure – French wood treatment, somewhere between creosote and varnish) the new shutters and Nick has bought a load of wood to replace the cabanon roof, which leaks badly.

I can’t believe it’s nearly a week since Kieran left; we don’t seem to have achieved very much, but yesterday was walking/cycling clubs, today was patchwork club, tomorrow is a bank holiday, so the cycle club is going out, Wednesday is the usual club bike ride and I’m teaching to cover someone’s absence…… And I thought retirement was supposed to be a time for slowing down and doing less!