Oh Bless!

Yesterday, Wednesday, John and I were on luncheon duty.  Afterwards we went to DoorsPlus to choose our new front door which our nice builders are going to fit. The owner of the company lives in a cottage next to our little Bakehouse [and is supplying a new stable door for that foc], and it turned out that he, his wife and John knew a great many people, also in our Heritage Group, and we spent quite some time chatting.

When we got back home everything seemed quiet  -  we had supplied all three groups of ducks and drakes with plenty of food before we went in the morning.  Taking a look out of the upstairs window I thought I was seeing things: there was Bless in amongst the 5 boys!

                                                                                             She is behind black Jay-Z in this picture ......

             ... and here she is in front of big white Jedda [who's hurt himself today somehow, he's limping a bit]

You may remember that she was the one who broke the quarantine after my first effort at separation by squeezing out in between the fence and the garage.  Where she got out this time I have no idea, I thought the old chicken enclosure was safe.

I couldn't see her being bothered very much by the drakes; thinking about it, she was hardly marked at all when I separated the girls, she must have a way of telling the boys where they get off.  Here she is asleep among them, third from left

Because we really didn't fancy another chase to capture her again, and as we had a Heritage Group meeting last night [and John had to go and leave it before 9 to put them all to bed and then return] we thought we'd risk it and leave Bless with the boys, also overnight [hoping she wouldn't be Fanny, Annie!].

I can report that all was well this morning.  I went into the shed, let the boys fly out past me and grabbed Bless and the egg she'd laid, then threw her back into the enclosure.

Billie-Jean came out again with the others, so I could see there were 7 eggs in the nest box she sits in all day now.  One of the other girls must be adding to the haul because John had emptied the nest box on Sunday.  Another little nest has been created behind the box, and I've been taking the eggs OUT of there every day leaving the nest box alone.  If she continues with her brooding, Gerd, let's hope they're all girls that hatch!