Meanwhile, Robert has decided to dig up the last of the potatoes before the frosts strike hard. On such occasions he is never without the help of his farmyard companions.
Mother chicken, still very attentive to her brood, brings the chicks over to snap up any worms and tasty bugs that might be turned to the surface.

Truffles the kitten is never far away causing mischief with the chickens or, as today, chatting with the sheep as they look on as Robert digs away.

Tom leaves his bean bag in the house to see what’s happening and for a roll in the warm soil in the sunshine.

This year we planted oka (or is it ochre, ocha?). If I don’t know how to spell it, I can still tell you that they are delicious little morsels that grow like potatoes underground. An excellent accompaniment to a roast, such as we are having this evening, I particularly like to briefly sauté them in butter and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley.