I'm off school again.  There are so many bugs going around school and I've picked one up.  I had such a busy weekend planned and I've spent it in bed instead.  On Saturday, we had to go shopping to buy food to feed 70 a Christmassy dinner at church on Sunday, prepare as much as possible at church, practise music for a special music evening at church on the Saturday, do said music evening, get up early on Sunday and cook the meal, clear up, stay awake during the church members' meeting in the afternoon and come home to put our feet up in the evening before going back to work on Monday.

Well, I stayed in bed and wrote lists and my poor husband had to go and do it all.  He was tired when he got home on Sunday!

And now the good news - the 7 new hens that I got in mid-August laid 5 eggs today for the first time.  That is the most they have laid yet.  It has slowly crept up to 3 or 4 each day.  My older set of hens and the even older ones have virtually given up laying for the winter so these hens' arrival was timed to cover the shortage of eggs from the older ones.  Best laid plans of mice, men and me...  The other five hens that I bought at the same time for a friend have been laying a regular 5 a day for weeks.  I don't understand why mine are so far behind but I'll be happy if they just catch up a bit more.