Julie, Adrian and their friend John arrived for lunch today, bearing gifts. Not just any old gifts, but Kieran’s and my joint birthday present; a baby goose. She was very nervous and unhappy when we put her in my workshop-to-be, where she’ll live until she’s old enough to be put in with the hens, but Nick and Julie managed to coax her into having a drink and some food. We hardly saw Nick for the rest of the afternoon, but Hermione, as the goose will be known, seems to have adopted him as a surrogate mother. That’s fine when he’s in the room with her, but as soon as he leaves she starts crying for his return! Hopefully she’ll settle in soon and he’ll be freed from fostering duties; we’ll have to build a house for her quite soon and enlarge the hen enclosure. Watch this space, I’ll let you know how we get on!