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Just call me Hugh.Posted on Sunday 7 June 2009 at 10:27 - Post Comment
Fearnley-Whittingstall that is. As today, we completed the circleof life by despatching, dressing and then eating our not-quite-a-hen. You see, we have heard in the past that chicken sexing is a bit tricky. And it seems that the person who sexed our three hens had a 2-in-3 strike rate. Yup - one of our hens was a cock, and as they grew from sweet lickle chicks into somewhat more robust pullets, the start of a crow came to our notice. To begin with, we were unsure which of the three it was, but some close attention at sunrise (not much fun in the recent spate of frosty mornings!) revealed that it was Penni who was the culprit.
Oh dear - poor Penni, who was she - I mean he - to know that the crowing would be the end of him? We only want girls and eggs, not boys and girls and the chicks that result, therefore something had to go - and that was Penni.
T and I are big fans of the 'River Cottage' series, featuring Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall who leaves the big smoke of London to become a small-holder in Dorset. Part of this process involves growing veggies, as well as rearing chickens and pigs for slaughter and personal consumption. We love his relationship to the land, and the way in which seasons are marked by the foods that are available, and that his animals are both enjoyed in life and death. Being here in NZ has allowed us to really become more involved in this aspect of food creation that was alien to us in the UK. Keeping livestock in the UK was a big no no - both in law and in society. Here, keeping chooks (chickens) is normal, and the odd house with a pig run out back is not unheard of. The laws welcome both, and as a landowner here, you can have whatever you want so so long as the treatment is humane and the neighbours are tolerant!
Anyway, as Penni had stepped us over the good neighbour line, I despatched him with a swift neck wring followed by a throat cut today. He's had a good life, running around his run, and escaping regularly to poo all over the back garden with his 2 female friends. The brutal act itself was pretty full-on, but it was quick and after plucking and preparing, Penni graced our table for roast dinner this evening.
And actually tasted very good! Really (and excuse the phrase here) chickeny, if you know what I mean. He was only young, so didn't have a whole load of meat on him, but enough for the two of us with plenty over for a meal tomorrow.
All in all, most satisfactory.
In other news, Toni has just returned from a 4 day business trip to Queenstown to develop business relationships there. She got back to the news that she has just secured her first wedding to plan. Yep - the first is here, and she is on her way to global domination I'm sure! Queenstown went well too, and she sees a lot of potential there judging from the people she has been in to touch with.
Whilst she was there, Kel & Carl went away on a 3 day adventure to Rotorua, which left Uncle Andy looking after the home fires as well as Jack and Jasper. I really enjoyed playing uncle, spoiling the boys rotten, and doing all the stupid stuff that boys love no matter how old they are - we ran around the house like monkeys, ate loads of sugary foods, stayed up way past our bed-times, and generally had a great time. Now that they are 4 and 2, they are so much easier to have fun with that I love having fun with them! Kids are great when you can give them back, eh?
Finally, we are on the verge of investing several thousands of $$$'s into the house, which will see us remove all the ceilings and walls, then install insulation along with new dry wall throughout. It means that we may soon be in a house where heating input doesn;t have to be huge in order for us to not see out breath throughout the place! Then again, it may not. 4 weeks of pressure, mess and discomfort will tell the story, but it won't be for a short while yet. Let's see how we go.
Ah well, a new week awaits - hope you all have a good one.
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