Who needs a Xmas tree?!

Don't you just love surprises?!  I'm such a kid - delighting in the unexpected. 

I had to make a totally unplanned road trip back down south yesterday to pick up a Christmas present for The Boss.  While most people gift wrap presents and stick them under the Christmas tree, today I will put The Boss' pressy under Apple's bottom.

Yeap, my laying Light Sussex has gone broody. I'm finding it hilariously funny as I've never seen a broody chook before.  She's been puffing herself up like a fluffy white cabbage and making the weirdest noises imagineable.  After a few days of routinely evicting her from the nesting box she has claimed as her own, I gave in and left her to sit.

The Boss is an incredibly talented Southern Man, rugged and practical.  He's the sort of bloke who could sew his own arm back on and drive himself to hospital if necessary. For him to spot some psychedelic Golden Pheasants under a tree and fall in love with them is totally out of character.

Naturally when Apple announced she wanted to hatch some eggs, my number one priority became tracking down some Golden Pheasant eggs for The Boss for Christmas. That's what lead to my 450 kilometre round trip in the pouring rain yesterday. It was a long way to go for seven tiny eggs, so to make the trip justifiable I also brought home a hen with eleven Barred Rock cross babies.  These I will DEFINITELY be selling, no matter how cute they are.

Anyway, last night The Boss somehow found time to build Apple a luxury broody box in anticipation of the big event. Today will hopefully be the day I move her into her exclusive accommodation and get her tucked up on those precious little eggs.

What I've learnt today:

1. Pheasant eggs are notoriously difficult to hatch (typical), requiring very high humidy over their 21- 23 day incubation period.
2. We'll be having Christmas lunch with The Winemaker's Family.  Fingers crossed it doesn't turn out like Thanksgiving!