The heat is beginning to take its toll, the Blommehöna are laying less, I really feel for them they lay in the shade looking for all the world like some demure matron on a beach somewhere skirts all akimbo. Elsewhere there are still three ducks sitting, though they are not the same three as late last week. Some have been evicted and their nests co-opted. I’m still hopeful for ducklings at some point.

Webster continues to grow apace. He has doubled in size in the last week and is making a real character. The goose eggs I had in the incubator failed, so I’m just left with whatever the two geese outside are sitting on to get a few young playmates for Webster. I hope nature can do better than I when it comes to hatching goose eggs.

The starlings in the old apple tree have so far, fingers crossed, managed to defend themselves from the marauding magpies and jackdaws. They have a very noisy young brood in the hole and I’m hoping to see them fledge soon.

The goats are doing marvellously; we are now up to around a gallon [UK] of milk per day. Bluebell has become the rising star of the milking parlour, and is now our top milker. Her heritage and breeding on Hven has come to the fore: many thanks to Ninna and Glenn at Hven Getost for breeding such excellent goats and allowing us to have some.

Of course the increased amount of milk means more cheese making. We’ve had to invest in a much larger saucepan so we can do it in larger batches. We’ve doubled the size of the cheeses we produce from one pound to two pounds. We’ve also just about perfected making yoghurt of just the right consistency. I still have a hankering to try soap making but I think that will have to be put on hold for now at least.