St Patrick's Day!

It was Irish Stew and Soda bread on the menu for this last week on the menu in the restaurant to celebrate St Patrick's Day, also Team leader Mandy got creative and decided to decorate the counter a bit - we were short of leprechauns but we do have a fair selection of green Gnomes so they just had to do....

The weather this week was so lovely that Dayel the Centre Gardener worked hard with us all week putting homemade compost on the gardens and digging it in - we all pecked in to help...he was thrilled (well I think that is what he shouted....!).

Dayel the Garden with diligent helpers!

With the nice weather we also saw the return of "Little Black Pig" Farm Stall at the front of the site - they are selling all sorts of farm meats, including home made (award winning) sausages, hand made pies, vegetables from the farm as well as milk, cheese and other bits and bobs.  It is great to have them back - they will be here for at least 6 months on weekends and possibly a bit more too.

Dragging my webbed feet!

It has been quite a while since I have written in the ducks diary and I have made a resolution to stop dragging my webbed feet and get back to keeping up to date with the comings and goings here more regularly. My excuse is somewhat feeble - we have just had an amazingly busy time since the last post back in summer 2014.

Early in the summer the Jinney Ring restaurant buildings became licensed to hold Civil Ceremonies (in lots of different ways) and during in august/September the first two were held in the barn building, these were both really lovely events and involved garden marquees so we saw everything that went on and were part of the wedding party (of course!).

A Civil Ceremony for the marriage of Geoff and Carolyn 

We had a garden full of weddings and some brilliant parties throughout the summer, I don't think there was one where we did not get corn provided and some pictures with the guests.  Here is is a picture of the last one celebrated here - it was a barn dance in a lovely marquee.  What do you think of this photo of the first dance? - pretty special we thing (it was taken by Frank Wood)!

Belinda and Michael our last wedding of the season in 2014

In the Autumn we also had our Annual Sculpture Trail to look at during its month long exhibition - we have lots of chance to review these pieces and unlike the children we even climb on the pieces occasionally (and no one shouts at us!).  We even had some pieces in the water so we were able to swim around them.  It was a great show and we love having these big pieces of art here.

At the end of the Sculpture Trail we had a day of Apples and Apple related things going on, this was run with Avoncroft Museum and the Transport Museum in Wythall. Visitors were able to travel between Avoncroft and Jinney Ring on a nostalgic old bus - we don't get many buses in Hanbury so this was a huge treat!  This day was so nice that it is being repeated again in 2015 on Oct 4th.

  

Christmas was then upon us with some super parties, lovey atmospheric decoration and village carol singing in the lead up.  The New Year Eve party was a 1940's theme and the staff dressed up as land girls for the occasion, the entertainment was provided by Sylvia Starlight who was a terrific singer. 

The 'Jinney Ring Land Army' with Sylvia Starlight

Since The start of the new year we have had Valentines Day with a fully booked breakfast and a smoochy romantic evening for couples in the evening, the first pudding night of the year and last Saturday all the  "Mum's" and their families came to see us.

Busy, busy - and now it is officially spring it is time to look around for a mate in the garden - I hardly have time to quack!!

Hedgehog and an umbrella Wedding

After a couple of dry weeks, yesterday saw some serious "weather for ducks" at the Jinney Ring, the forecast 'showers' translated into thunder, lightening and extremely heavy down pours.  All this did not manage to spoil Lucy and Andrews wedding we are happy to report, even though they had some outside activities planned into their day.  The gardens were set up for the event with an array of gazebos and they had skittles, horse-shoe throwing and coconut shy, just like a village fete!  The big garden marquee was also ready for them after they arrived (in their lovely Rolls Royce car) for their pre-dinner drinks and photos.

The highlight of the evening (from a ducks eye view) was watching bridegroom Andrew pick up his new bride and run up the garden to the restaurant to stop her dress getting too wet....wow, we were impressed!

Andrew and Lucy just wanted a really relaxed wedding breakfast with food that everyone likes so went for a "grazing" style BBQ meal - just as well it was cooked in side in the restaurant though as a BBQ outside would probably have made it a very damp affair, as it was everyone stayed warm and dry and had a really "chilled out" time with some lovely speeches at the end of the evening.

Behind the scenes making BBQ super

The Bride grooms father Mark was spotted in the children's activity area on his PC during the evening! -- no he had not got bored  - he was checking the couple in for their Honeymoon flight!

Aside from the wedding which was great to watch from the gardens, we also had a visitor in our duck pen - this hedgehog.  He had been found in the gardens rooting about and the gardener suspected he was not very well so gave him something to eat and drink before letting him back outside in the pen for a while.  There are so many slugs about at the moment in the garden it is difficult to think that we was just hungry, but he did seem to perk up a bit when he had been given some cat food!

 
Busy weekend ahead in the gardens - The Roving Crows on stage tonight we hear - surely not more birds!

Lots of celebrations

Gorgeous weekend for a sunbathing and splashing about, we have had a great time with tons of duck food, (although we will always make you think we are never fed!).  It was a good weekend for celebrations too - on Sunday we had three separate events going on at the dame time:

Firstly the Cain family came along for lunch and to plant a commemorative tree in memory of Christine Cain who was a regular visitor and loved the gardens.  They planted a lovely crimson decorative maple next to the bottom pond.

Second up was a "big birthday for Claire Parry - Claire and her husband have celebrated with us for other occasions as well so we were delighted when she asked us to look after her and the family for this "unmentionable" big birthday (she certainly does not look it!) Shirley also made a cake for the party - lovely summer colours!

Claire and her family

Having her cake and eating it!

The final party was held in our meeting room and started with Kir Royale in the gardens enjoying the lovely sunshine. This party was to celebrate the confirmation communion for Maud.  She looked pretty as a picture and the whole family turned out to celebrate with her.

  

60th Celebrations

After a very wet week we were worrying ourselves about how Christine's 60th birthday party was going to come together yesterday.  Christine and her husband are regular visitor to the Centre (we normally see her husband when he has been cycling - we did not recognize him with out his lycra!).  They put a lot of work and effort into their evening and it would have been a shame if the weather impacted it --- but happily the sun shone at the right time and the party had an opportunity to enjoy the early evening in the gardens with us whilst enjoying their canapés and drinks.  after this they moved into the restaurant which was all decorated out in blue and while, they ate, drank and danced the night away - it all looked and sounded lovely!

We have had a number of daytime parties lately too - some high tea, some special lunches and have also had some smashing people staying overnight through a group called Britstops, they park up their motorhomes in the car park over night and enjoy the Centre during the day before moving on with their travels.  Without fail they come and visit us in the gardens and are very appreciative of everything.

Out on the ponds the newest ducklings have now been let out for their first "swims" - they did really well and took to it like ...well you know what I was going to say!

Unfortunately we lost two of the earlier batch of ducklings when the weather was so wet on Wednesday - they were allowed to stay out because their pen was waterlogged and a fox took two of them and left a third with a nasty gash on his neck - we think that they must have been all huddled up together on the grass and the fox could not believe his luck - it is very sad, but hopefully the others now realize that they need to come to the islands like us.

The next thing on our agenda in the gardens is a wedding followed by the have a go craft day and the Roving Crows in concert (28th June)- we are really looking forward to hearing another bunch of birds "singing"!

Bulldozers in the garden!

It has been a noisy week in the gardens - very difficult to take 'forty winks' but it was interesting watching the activities going on.  There have been two mini diggers and a dumper truck working on the paths and the top pond.  The old paths had got into a bit of a bad state and were proving very painful on our webbed feet as we crossed over so we are glad that they are being taken up and relaid with better materials, it is a bit too soft at the moment but we overhear that the roller is due next week to bed the new surface in.  There is a new path being laid around the whole of the bottom pond too so walking around the garden will be much better for ducks and humans, especially those who are in wheelchairs or on sticks (the humans that is!).

The work on the top pond is pretty interesting too -- we are being partially blamed for the serious erosion that has gone on in the pond (I seriously doubt that my dabbling can be blamed?).  There are now a line of boards around the edge of the pond and these have been back filled with clay which will be planted up with new pond plants very soon.  The only problem is that it is now very hard for us to get out of the pond - we hear that a new ramp is in progress..

New Paths and Pond repairs - work in progress 

It has been an odd time for all of us over the last few weeks - 9 of our Drakes frineds have been found new homes with caring families, so the garden does feel a bit empty.  This has at least taken the pressure off the girls a bit though, and they are much happier! The Drakes look pretty content in their new home too (they are on a large pond in a lovely area near Ullenhall), they took to it all "like ducks to water!"

There are 14 "teenagers" in the rearing area who will be out and about very soon and yesterday another 6 very small ducklings appeared too - they will stay under a lamp for a couple of weeks as they have only just hatched.  These ducklings were hatched by the children from Hanbury First School, they were well looked after (as always).  We are not quite sure what they will become when they grow up - it is possible they will be Call ducks, which will certainly add to the noise in the garden!

A big 'Quacks' 'to Habury School children - great job!

There are more eggs in the incubator so we are expecting it to be a busy pond very soon!

In the Centre we have been seeing lots of visitors for all sorts of parties, courses and activities and plans are hotting up a a big events summer.  We hear that the Animals R Magic event will be bigger than ever this year - lots more animals - we are not that keen on all the attention that the other critters get at this event, but it is for charity to we 'quack and bear' it! 

Next on the agenda is a couple of children's plays in the gardens - 21/22 June - the Meanist Genie and Little Green Fingers - sounds like fun and as it is in a tent in the garden we will get to listen in!

The Big Dog is back

The Big dog was back today for this year's fundraising walk event "Go-walkies" in aid of the Guide Dogs for the blind.  What a lovely day they had for the 50 dogs who took their owners and friends for one of the 3 marked walks 

Here are two Guide dogs 'workers' behaving really well.  One is a brood bitch and the other is potentially going to be a guide dog.

Also today there was a very special occasion celebrated, a ruby wedding party.  They celebrated with bucks fizz followed by high tea in the meeting room which was all decked out in red!.

There has been quite a lot going on generally since a really busy mothers day - we have seen such a lot of old friends in the gardens.  the weather has helped considerably and the lawn was mowed this week which shows how much it has all dried out.  Some of our friends have been going off to new homes too - there are just too many drakes in our crowd and they have been found new homes - just in time as there are also some ducklings in the pen that have just been incubated, it is all change on the ponds!