The Turkey Project
At last the turkey eggs have arrived. These are Spanish Black Turkey eggs. A very old heritage turkey. In fact one of the oldest.
The eggs came in the post and even though I ordered eight the very nice man sent me nine. So we have one more chance of getting it right. 
I also included the three freshest of the peafowl eggs. (Pania was gently directed back to the Peacock Palace after making a bee line for Our Johns vegetable garden yesterday morning. Peahens have long memories . We have made new laying boxes for them in the Palace because she will have to wait until the plants are a bit bigger before she is released again).
Aunty Del pulls faces at milking time hoping to attract a little more of the attention. 
I stalked Tima hoping to show you pictures of her burgeoning belly. But every time I turned she turned as well.
Not a show of getting her side on for the camera yesterday. Tane has gone over to join the goats for the duration. He is deeply unimpressed. But Tima has been growling at him a lot the last few days, trying to run him off so I need to pay attention to that. He is sleeping outside and she is in the sun-room in the barn. Her farrowing pen in there is almost finished. Just one more moveable wall and we are ready.
Poppy is postively svelte like in comparison. But she is not due until late June/early July so there is no reason to expect any changes in her belly yet. And like the Lady who knows Pigs said – it was such a dubious breeding there may only be one or two piglets in there anyway.
There she is again. Still hiding her bulges .
Here is Lady Astor licking her mineral block. Any other self respecting cow would reach in but Lady has to climb in. Very elegant. Often she is to be found just standing like this chewing her cud and looking around the boot. It is quite a comfortable position for a cow – helps her to burp. And with all this green forage I am sure she is in need of a good burp every now and then.
As the grass comes into full swing so is her cream. We are getting lots of heavy golden cream. I am making ice cream again today. Rhubarb and raisin ice-cream today.
Here we go again. Mark June 6th on your calendars.
Have a lovely day.
celi
50 Comments on “The Turkey Project”
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I still can’t get over receiving eggs in the mail!
Have an awesome day C.
🙂 Mandy xo
Mandy, I am smiling at your comment ‘I still can’t get over receiving eggs in the mail!’ I grew up in Dublin on the East coast of Ireland – a city girl. We had an aunt on the west coast County Clare and she kept hens and geese. About every ten days a couple of Egg Boxes, each with twenty four little compartments arrived by Mail. The eggs were so much better than any we could buy in Dublin, We knew they were fresh because they were individually wrapped in the previous days newspaper with a comforting layer of chicken compost around them! Once we unloaded the boxes we returned them by mail to my aunt.
Wow.. what a great story.. c
This has recalled another memory about Aunty Nancy, I must write about it one of these days! She was a real character.
Oh how lovely! What a treasured memory Grannymar! Amazing how different our lives can be around the world. I am still very intrigued as to how the eggs C has received will hatch! Such interesting and fun learning experiences. Have a super day. x
Thanks, Mandy. Having spent the first thirty years of my life in cities, I am intrigued by all that Celi does.
Me too!
I’m surprised to see that the peahen eggs look bigger than the turkeys – I hope they all hatch.
Lady Astor in the trunk is exceptionally funny 😉
Timas’ legs are definitely getting shorter 🙂 Laura
Tima The Tubby, Sporting Splendid Burgeoning Baby Belly, Still Smiles Sweetly.
Especially now that demanding husband of hers has been banished and she has the Whole Bed to herself.
A poet you are! c
No, I just love a little alliteration…
I’m devastated to learn I’ve been called for jury service for 2 weeks starting on June 1. I’m going to miss all the Farmy action! I won’t be able to spend my day glued to WordPress in the hope of a bulletin full of happy announcements. Grrrrr.
I too am in awe of receiving eggs in the mail! Good luck with the hatching.
Oh, to be able to lick one’s own nostril! ha I am in love with all the piggies, svelte and bulging. Have a wonderfull day…better get that last part of Tima’s creep finished. It’s getting closer!
My mother can! It’s her little party trick 😉 I’ve never aspired to be able to copy her but she says it is quite handy if you have your hands full!
Your mother!! goodness.. c
I am so excited about your turkey eggs! I do hope you get a nice little flock! Ben Franklin and I are very fond of the Turkey. Did I mention we have wild turkeys running around here were I work? My office is located on the banks of the Trinity River with lots of trees surrounding us. Sadly – development is really taking off here – and we will be loosing our wildlife soon….. This property was a huge cattle ranch for over a century and when the last rancher died, his kids sold it off to developers.
Sounds like a book.. c
Just love the ‘Lady Astor’ in the boot of the car shot! 🙂
I’ll bet you were holding your breath as you opened that “fragile” marked, yet banged up, box. Hmmm. The nice man who sent them knows how to wrap them for safety!
He certainly knows what he is doing – which reminds me.. i must write and tell him they arrived safely..
That first week of June is going to be a doozy! I look forward to it…Don’t tell the little turkeys, but I am rather fond of turkey!! Particularly the thighs.
New life and new hope everywhere. Exciting. Eggs in the mail? They can’t even get a card here without mangling it. 😦
Rhubarb and raisin ice cream! I’d love a picture of that! Is this your own recipe? 🙂 Have a wonderful day.
Hi Andrea, I make a French Vanilla icecream and go from there.. all my own milk and cream too – which makes it extra good.
Did you ever eat the Spiced Plum icecream (cinnamon and red plums) they used to sell at Movenpick on Leicester Square? Just THE best icecream ever! If I was still allowed to eat icecream I’d be conducting experiments to get the same flavour.
I attempted to eat my way through that whole shop! Over the course of four years! what a great memory kate!.. c
Oh, you too! It was a total drama for my social life when the place closed down…
This is so exciting its like being an anxious parent to be waiting outside the labour ward
Never thought that I would see a cow half standing in the trunk of an old car…this is priceless. Tima, the little mystery pig wants to convince all of us that her single-lady girlish figure is intact. She probably has been conspiring with another photography…learning the best angles and all to always present as slim and trim.
I didn’t know that cows burped. And I’ve always adored that you use the boot of an old Cadillac (?) as a feeding spot. I do love old cars. The shot with Aunt Del’s tongue out needs to go in the possible 2016 calendar folder. She does have a lovely tongue.
Rhubarb and raisin ice creams, can we have the recipe. I just read where pigs are smarter than dogs. Do you find that to be true?
Have you read Orwell’s Animal Farm? You’ll find the answer there!
None of my pigs are smarter than a dog.. though Sheila is pretty clever.
I told this to john and he said Tima might be brighter than Boo though.. ha ha ha
Each photo is more amusing and special than the next. ReCycler says Tima’s legs are getting shorter. Hilarious take! And Lady A may think she’s a goat. I guess burps isn’t the only thing cows emit. Hats off to Our John for lifting Lady’s tail on a regular basis.
Especially on a diet of good green grass.. though she does not make a mess in the milking shed.. thankfully
Sounds like lots of heavy golden cream, means the ice cream is half made before you start. Enjoy.
Poor Tima – no privacy on the Farmy: you tell ’em to stop following you about! Lady A, where are your table manners? Do you see Miss C with her feet on the table?
Good luck with all the eggs.
love,
ViV x
Lady Astor in the boot, love it!
Burping? Legs disappearing (Tima), and legs appearing (L. Astor), “dubious breeding”, and face pulling during milking?? It sounds like the best circus around! I want to know Tima’s secret for hiding bulges… but I’d be even more interested in a trick for getting rid of wrinkles!
Tima is dealing with paparazzi attention in good grace akin to Wills & Kate. And there’s near as much interest in the photos of Tima & Tane’s progeny I think.
I’m not sure I’d want to be in close proximity to Lady A’s burps even if she is a lady 😊
I am so bad at waiting for babies to be born.. I will believe it when I see it!.. c
Agree with Ella that Tima just feels this is ‘private time’: she’ll show us her svelte side when it is thus again 🙂 ! Wiils & Kate could buzz off to their Norfolk home to have time alone with their beautiful progeny . . . Tima can but play ‘hard to get’! Can’t wait to see the result of the ‘turkey experiment’!!!
Lovely. Ni Ni eha mama, off to bed for me! c
Ni Ni beautiful lady! Sleep well!!
I do hope the turkeys hatch. I can’t wait to see! Is it possible to candle the eggs?
YES. I will wait until day 14.. so we see something worth seeing.. 12 more to go!
How exciting – am doing the Turkey Trot!!
Oh, Aunty Del, you will get your share of the attention soon enough. Tima knows the camera adds ten pounds, so she’s not letting you get those belly shots.