Well I spoke too soon about the fact that 2015 was off to a flying start.. can you believe that we had oil spill number 2.. they say lightening doesn't strike twice.. well that's rubbish because one freezing night at the end of January I smelt the horrid smell of heating oil and when I went to the tank found it flowing from the bowl underneath the valve.. Brilliant. I am ever grateful for amazing neighbours, the fact that the tank was almost empty and the fact I have a sense of smell otherwise it could have been a complete pa-lava. As is my luck these things always happen at the end of the day but thankfully when I called the oil supplier we were in luck and the amazing Robert came an hour later with new valve and in less than an hour had it all replaced.

Between the time I called and his arrival I was busied with catching the leaking oil from the tank whilst dashing off to the lake to catch the oil coming out of the pipe which comes from our ground water. At least this time I had a vague clue what to do. Mr Waen was away bless him and 21 missed calls later (a long meeting) when I was up to my neck in oil filled buckets, and the snow was falling, I am afraid he took quite a bit of abuse. In my defence it is fairly heartbreaking to watch something slowly being ruined that you spend so much time looking after and it was bloody snowing and I was very cold. 

The oil catching went on much of the night to prevent any more hitting the lake and then the next day I called our lovely farmer chums and that very evening I had a dumpy bag full of straw delivered.. time to clean up the lake. 

Some ingenious chicken wire baskets and a considerable amount of straw later we were starting to mop up.. its taken 2 weeks to get to the point where we are now, which is looking fairly good.. the weather was an amazing helping hand (thank you mother nature),.. just the right amount of rain to wash through the ground water and get it all out and the freezing over happened just at the right time :-) so alls well that ends well and so the frogs and ducks can now crack on with making me babies with no fear of poison.

straw oil catchers

and more

the clear up was finished off with the professional blue oil spill mat... I am like  a ginger version of Red Adair now with my knowledge  oil clear up :-)

Anyway I mustn't grumble too much .. poor Glenda has had a much much worse time than me.. brought on, we suspect by rooks or crows.. she has been plucked to an inch of her life.. this is the state she was in when I found her, a very sorry mess.. she has been cleaned up and sprayed with special chicken fixer upper and is on the mend but still fairly bald.. Mr Waen is now on high alert shot gun at the ready. 

So to counteract all of this gloom and doom I have been on a making spree, new frock for me, new cushions for our new seats (a Welsh and an English couch) you will note by the worded cushions and the start of the Xmas jumpers 

The lake is still frozen.. Blueberry is managing fine however, and little does she know we have a surprise for her this weekend :-)

And my most major plan for 2015 has been decided.. I will entice a hedgehog into my hedge hog house.. I have cleaned the house.. added a lovely straw bed and purchased hedgehog bites.. surely thats enough to make them want to come and live with us!