Eggcitement on the Corner!

Now, if you read the title this week, you will think that here is another food post! Yes and no! It's more about the circle of life and the changing of the seasons and growing up.........and a bit about food too. But it all ties in as you will see.

All grown up!

I have written many times about Pieta the goose who lives on the corner. She raised the orphaned Egyptian geese and keeps her garden clear of weeds (and intruders!) Every day we look for the special 'dissels' or thistles that she loves to eat and we give them to her as we walk past with Alfie. She has become so used to our gifts that she gets quite excited when we call her and she knows that we always have a treat for her. Sometimes she comes over to our gate and then I let her in to find her own treats that grow between the stones.

Pieta and me, weeding!

We always look when she shouts, she is our early warning system and far better than a burglar alarm. She recognises people and cars and chases small boys on bicycles as they ride round the corner. With her wings spread and her neck stretched out, she is a formidable sight! And she will stand in the middle of the road for as long as she likes while the traffic ebbs and flows around her! Not that there is much ebbing (or flowing) here, a couple of cars an hour!

Basil is quite relaxed, but on watch!

She is finally accepting that Basil is part of the surrounding countryside and hasn't chased him for a while! Alfie is less trusting and tends to keep out of her way!

Then, suddenly, she grew up! Literally overnight she decided that it was time to lay eggs! She gathered nesting material and made a nest in the middle of her run, in amongst the bushes. And she sat and laid an egg! And then another! And another! Beautiful white shelled eggs. But of course, because they are not fertile they will never hatch, so Phillip has been removing them and Marna has been baking! Scones I think.

See the difference!

Rob happened to mention that they make wonderful scrambled egg for breakfast, and are perfect in an omelette, so Phillip gave us one to try. I must admit that I was a tad wary in the beginning as I was under the impression that they had a stronger flavour than a hen's egg.

Beautiful orange yolk.

But I was wrong, they are delicious! And then Phillip gave us another one and Rob made an omelette. (You may have gathered by now that Rob is the breakfast man in our home!) One goose egg and a hen's egg is enough for us!

A tasty omelette!

Then Phillip brought some (hopefully) fertile eggs from the nursery and swapped them under Pieta who was not impressed at first judging by the shouting! But she is sitting tight now and we are counting the days.According to Google, the eggs take between 28 and 35 days to hatch, so she has a time to go.

Nicola with her beloved goose.

We haven't been close to her in case we disturb her, so I have been throwing the dissels over the fence to her and she eats when she can. I took some over this morning and they are in the fridge for later as Nicola had already been out to gather a large bunch for her.

And, I am so sorry to end in this way.............but we are all very EGGcited and EGGstatic here!!

Please don't think that we are EGGcentric!!