Well, it's 25th December and I guess an update on the turkeys is in order.
Firstly, the two girls were very relieved to join the small group of their kind to have witnessed our human yuletide celebrations. After their day sulking and pining for their departed stag, the very next morning the turkey hens headed outside as if nothing had happened. They proceeded to hang around me all day in the garden, helping by uprooting the shallots I had planted the day before and stealing the garlic cloves which I was planting.
Since they are so friendly and due to their unexpected longevity, I have decided to give them names. They are to be called Ethel and Gertrude. For some reason, these names seem to fit them very well. It is unlikely that I will ever be able to work out which one is Ethel and which is Gertrude. I will have until about the beginning of March to achieve this, when there should be enough room to accommodate the pair of them in the freezer!
The boy on the other hand got all hot under the collar today, so to speak. As usual Sue and I have had a quiet Christmas day just enjoying each other's company. Boy turkey provided us with a veritable feast for two. Very tasty he was too!
He wasn't huge. We never tried to get our turkeys to an exaggerated weight. There was no point pouring expensive pellets into them to end up with a goliath which we became sick to death with by the time we were reduced to turkey curry on New Years Day. Instead we grew them slowly and allowed them to roam the smallholding pecking at this and that all day. They shared their food with the chickens, ducks and guinea fowl.
Anyway, I can't spend the rest of my Christmas Day tapping away at the computer. I've got a giant drumstick to tackle, followed by a mountain of mince pies and sausage rolls.
I hope you've all had a good one.
