The power was out from 9:30am until 6:30 pm yesterday. Both Doug and I had major internet withdrawals. The reason was that a power pole was being replaced and 39 customers were affected. I was just in the middle of working on a pedigree and had just enough time to save what I was doing.

The view of the crane that was used to hoist the power pole,

 from our garden.

The man who climbed up the new pole to put the wires in place.

An upsetting day today, as a certain person went into the house where Doug's daughter lives, and removed doors that were locked and loaded them into her boyfriends SUV. The police were called and three squad cars came. But nothing can be done as the ownership of the house is the subject of a current lawsuit. What upset me was the cuttings of succulents that I had been nurturing in planters by the front door, had been pulled out and thrown away.

The weather has become overcast and I am sitting here typing with two sweaters on, it is 59 F, cold for Southern California in mid May. Rain is forecast for today and tomorrow, but we shall see. Sometimes even with a lot of cloud cover there is no rain. The chickens stopped being broody but are either not laying eggs, or are laying them in a secret nest. All the eggs were broken by some animal, possibly squirrels as we have several. I have looked in all the usual places, as the hens stick with nesting areas that are dry and secluded. The dry areas are out of range of the automatic sprinkler system that waters the garden. That is alright because where we keep the horses is another flock of hens belonging to Doug's daughter. They are presently laying eggs in the hay that we feed to the horses, and I brought some home yesterday.

The three chickens

The Bougainvillea blooming away in he background and the Iceberg roses.

The garden is bursting forth with growth and we have two chickens who have gone broody, they are sharing the same nest. We do not have a rooster so the 21 days spent sitting on the eggs will be in vain. I could get Doug to get then off the nest. He does not mind having his hands pecked, but I am enjoying not having the garden in disarray from all the scratching of the hens and uprooting of plants and eating of choice vegetables. The one remaining hen who is out and about is much easier to cope with.We do not really have the room for a separate pen for them. Doug is off shortly to help his daughter sort some things out at her house. She is able to stay living in the house after a hearing in front of a judge to overrule an earlier judgement that was lodged by her own mother. I will be joining them after I go on Skype with my sister in England.

Smokey sleeping on my side of the bed

The fish pond

The vegetable garden with "mushrooms" that were the footings from the old deck

The table on the back patio with flowers from the garden nad the newly painted benches, table etc.

Kole one of our two Australian Shepherds.