The chicken sheds

A friend and his son came to lay concrete in the shabby chicken hut area.

Last week I removed the dangerous pile of lengths of wood that filled this area, saved for kindling wood. The wood is too thick for the hand-axe chopping method. I acquired a good one in UK for £2.  I own a small wood saw but my arms are too weak.  So, a Scorpion electric saw has arrived and I just need a sunny day to start creating kindling wood to be bagged up if I can find enough plastic bags. In the deepest depths of winter I need kindling wood on a daily basis!

This week I managed to empty the very dry chicken shit (pardon me!!! manure) out of the hen shed. This job has waited three years.  I bagged it up, as the wheelbarrow wheel was caput, then spread it onto the potager.  Maybe there is too much!!!! I wonder what will grow next year?

After that I tackled the soil in the exterior chicken run.  About 20cm below the soil surface there was rubble, not concrete.  I sliced the compacted soil loose with the garden fork and spade, then proceeded to sieve some. It was hard work though good for the waist line!  That idea was abandoned. Gradually, with the rake and bare hands, I developed a technique for picking out the chicken bones, mussel shells, oyster shells and rubble from the good soil.  The oyster shells and stones were bagged to be used as rubble for the concrete. The bones, plum stones, mussel shells and roots filled a compost bag, destination dechetterie.  I also weedled out broken glass, metal nails and blue poly garden string. Then I levelled what was left with the rake as that area will be laid with textile fabric and small stones.

The new concreted areas are to store GOOD surplus to requirements roof tiles once they are removed from one of my roofs as well as to store kindling wood or lengths of good useful for diy wood. 

As a treat I decided to cook the men a nice meal. It's nice to have people to cook for but also I was keeping an eye on proceedings as I always do and helping where I could, getting the electricity cables, using my 50m hosepipe ... good job I have these things!!!!

I'd bought 30 euros of vegetables and fruit from Ile de Re market on Monday as it all looked so fersh and delicious. I made a Cauliflower Cheese in pastry. I was first introduced to that idea by a school cook.  I thought it strange but it's an excellent idea. It's delicious cold the following day.

For dessert I made Mirabelle Shortcake.
Measure 150 g butter, 75 g sugar, and 225 g plain flour into a bowl Crumble together with fingers. Press the mixture into a 20cm diameter glass flan dish. Whisk an egg with a fork and pour over the shortcake.  Bake in oven 190°C for about 5 minutes. Remove.  Arrange pre-stoned mirabelle plums on the top leaving no gaps. Scatter with sugar, and a small smidgeon of dried lavender flowers. Bake  for about 30 minutes. You can serve it warm or cold, with a dollop of crème fraîche, yoghurt or cream. As a variation use fresh stoned apricot fruits.

No photos of the food as it was so hectic. It was more important that the men ate as they had to dash to other work!  Here are before / after photos:

 The chicken run looks slightly neater ... but still the textile to lay,  roof to fiddle with, guttering to be redefined when better plastic guttering is released from the house roof.