We live in East Kent, where our water is very hard & chalky (picture the white cliffs of Dover: that's the kind of ground that our water is naturally filtered through). It's natural mineral water on tap and means that very few people around here suffer from osteoporosis. Soft, naturally acidic water...

I love the idea of saving the water that you run off waiting for the hot water to get to the tap, & putting the "waste* water into the water butt. I'm going to do that!

There was a fox dead on the road a few yards from my house this morning. Ten years ago I'd have been really sorry. These days I'm grateful that it's one less to try to get at my girls...

Yes, I use one too. I've had a VSB for a number of years (though it doesn't work so well with the Green Frog coop- it prefers a door that opens vertically). You can set the light sensitivity so that it closes at or after dusk & lets the girls out in the morning while I'm snuggled under my duvet!

I buy my whole spices mainly from the supermarket. As Margaid says, you can buy them as a blend, though these days I tend to make up my own combination. I like coriander seeds, black peppercorns, fenugreek & the aforementioned cardamom pods. I'm not a huge fan of cloves, which tend to feature in the...

I've only pickled hens' eggs, not quails' eggs, but I start by sterilising the jars (I use Milton tablets, then rinse the jars & lids & dry them in a warm oven). I then boil the the pickling vinegar with the spices & let it cool a bit while boiling the eggs. Hens' eggs are easier to peel when they'r...

I've heard a few reports of speckledies being a bit less friendly than ISA Browns, gingernut rangers (another name for the same thing), Columbian blacktails etc. ISA Browns including ex-batts are naturally laid back & friendly- they're bred that way & tend to be quite cuddly. Leghorns are not usuall...

Mrs B- I was thinking warbler too. Though I have to admit that most warblers come into the category of "LBJ" (little brown jobbie") to me! :lol: I've got several bird call CDs with which I keep meaning to use to learn their calls. A lot of LBJs are easier to identify by their song than by appearance...

A Chinese philosopher once said "A man who's afraid to take the first step will spend his life on one leg"...

Go for it!!!

So sorry Rick. Hold on to those happy memories...

Icemaiden