Mavis, one, two, three and four

We are now the proud owners of our first chickens, we've called them all Mavis, or in Rick's case Old Mave!
They seem to be in good health and are quiet and friendly to each other.
Hopefully they will start producing eggs soon, better had or they'll be in the pot!

Still very cold here at nights, frost all over land by the time we arrive in the mornings, usually about 11ish, but once the sun hits us very warm, infact we get so warm we end up taking off most of our fleeces (i'm wearing three at the moment and three pairs of socks!). Managed to have several bonfires to get rid of vine prunings and Rick has finally finished brushcutting the meadows. Hoping to get a local to rotavate 2 of the meadows this coming weekend. We have decided to keep the top meadow for growing animal feeds and I have already planted out 40 brassica type plants for the chickens, bought them in a bundle at the local market for 4 euros, they are about a foot tall. Rick watched them coming back to life this morning as the sun heated them up.

Our neighbour came to the land today and has advised that I take more off the vines than I had, so having thought I'd finished, I now have to go back and do them again......live and learn.

Rick has been clearing out one of the outuildings for our goat.........we think we've ordered one from the local butcher and we think he understands that we want it to be alive.............should be interesting.

Language slowly coming along, the Portuguese speak so fast and rarely finish sentences and mumble alot so makes for interesting conversations.........I just stand and smile and say yes alot and then they go away and I feel like a complete idiot! oh well.