The Dog Flap – most ingenious

Because we are fast approaching the time of year when there will be lots of green and other coloured vegetables flourishing in our orti, we have decided to put up a barrier between the top garden and the middle one. This is to keep out the hens, of which more later. Last year the hens did start to make an inroad to some of our vegetables but it didn’t matter too much as we got the hens later in the year.
So, that’s fine. We’ll put up a fence. Hang on. Slight problem. Yep, the Bert. How is he going to be able to wander freely around the gardens if there a fence between them? We’ll obviously have to have a gate for our own use, but we don’t want to have let him in and out as he needs. Hmmm.
Bingo! I’ll design an outside Dog Flap to go in the gate.
Brilliant.
So, here it is.

The first picture it looks just like any old garden gate. However look at the second and you’ll see that in fact it has swing gate built into the lower section. Bertie will easily be able to push his way through, but the chickens won’t. Neat, eh?
There is only one possible drawback. We are going to have to teach Bertie to go through it by himself.
No doubt I’ll be reverting to this topic later in the year, hopefully with good news. But then, Bert can be a tricky bugger when he wants to be…..

Speggtacular!

Yippee! The Three Degrees Mk II have finally started laying – well one has. Yes we have had our first egg on the 31st March and here is a picture to prove it. To date we have had three eggs. La D used the first one to make lovely spinach and ricotta pancakes with, of course, our own fresh pasta. It was truly gorgeous. The second egg is going to make some Hot Cross Buns (without the Cross). Hmmmm. I’m beginning to feel a bit hungry.

Italian Politics – How does he do it?

Good old Silvio. Battered, beaten but definitely not out as he has just increased his electoral share when everyone, well political commentators and pundits, which by this standard are about as good as their financial brothers and sisters at getting things right, thought he’d be out on his ear. Like football, strange old game.

Ciao, mantenere la fede