Archie Archer Chick-tastic

I've just cleaned Archie (who is now twelve days old,) and Mummy Hen's coop and run. I transferred them to a holding run while I worked; a perfect opportunity to snuggle Archie. He's gorgeously warm and peeps loudly when I take him from mum even for just a few seconds but is blissfully happy when I deposit mum back beside him again.

He has a new game, he hops up on to her back and she gives him little rides around the run before tipping him off again. Hilarious to watch, hope you can see him from my kitchen window.

My own chicks are at a sleepover tonight, the 6yo's first. He's blasé and therefore I'm OK too, happy that he's happy.

To take our minds off the abandoned nest we, the parentals, are off for a Chinese meal. Freedom for one night is so sweet, but then I want my babies back please...... Dinner with hubby is so rare these days, I'm so looking forward to it.

Running a few errands in Ludlow today was wonderful. The town was Dickensian, cloaked in a gentle fog. I thought I'd stepped back in time passing the book binder store front with its panelled bay windows and ancient machinery within. Sometimes I draw up in the car at the traffic lights, often for longer than I should, just so I can watch these craftsmen and women, busy repairing leather-bound volumes.

All the butchers have their game hanging in the street now too; cock pheasants hang their heads, vibrant feathers wasted on shoppers. If I didn't know how good they tasted, I might feel sorry for them. I ordered a good sized turkey for next week, my nod to Thanksgiving, I've a lot to feel thankful for.