All through the summer our lovely guests ask us how we spend our winters. Well, between wine-making, repairing the house, looking after hens, dogs, cat and garden, catching up with friends, travelling and so on, the winter seems to pass very quickly.

This week we've been trying to find a pair of iron 'eyes' that we can cement into the wall upon which to hang a heavy old gate. We're trying to keep our chickens apart since one of them has become seriously picked on by several of  the other hens. Hanging the gate will allow Darling (the hen-pecked hen) to have her own area away from the bullies. Finding the hinges has proved a hopeless task and has used up a good two days of this week. It seems we'll have to have a pair made. I'm making a last-ditch effort to find them at the flea market this weekend, before commissioning a pair.

Meanwhile Darling has a temporary new home outside the back door in a small courtyard. She now has a ton of leaves to kick around and no big girls to worry about. In fact she seems to have forgotten she's a hen and follows me everywhere, watching my every move through the office and kitchen windows, leaping into my arms the second I go out to feed her. It's all rather flattering.

Here she is in her new billet.