Jacqueline P Vincent

Baby Ducks Delight

Though I’ve always adored animals—especially horses—and have spent most of my life living or working in the countryside, Chris and Rachael’s twenty-hectare farm is on an entirely different level.Our grand plan is to build a two-bedroom lodge where John and I can stay every northern hemisphere winter. This will help stave off arthritis aches, asthma attacks, and keep us both fit.

The farmstead sits in the foothills of Mount Oxford in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, and with such breathtaking surroundings, there’s no need for a gym; we’re busy climbing hills, fencing vertiginous fields, and tending to livestock. Oh and building said lodge.By now, I’ve grown accustomed to eating my breakfast while gazing out at the horses grazing happily. Each day, rain or shine, this picturesque view sets the tone for the day ahead.

In fact, since we arrived, I haven’t managed to write a word in my latest work-in-progress, a Spellbound Sisters’cosy mystery book three –Midlife MisAdventures. Or even edited book two in the series. Shame on me! Though Book one , Mid-Life Manifestations is available to purchase via your local Amazon store.

Anyway, I digress. Around the house live numerous ducks and chickens, all owned by my granddaughter, who has established her own mini-empire of buying and selling fowl.One sunny morning, while enjoying my healthy bowl of porridge with berries, I heard a cheerful “cheep, cheep.” Looking up, I spotted a mother duck waddling past the window with twelve adorable ducklings in tow, making their way towards a puddle. The horses, after snorting a couple of times, returned to munching on the lush autumn grass sprouting in their paddock. Thanks to last night’s heavy rain and the sun now shining brilliantly, you could almost see the grass growing!I immediately called my granddaughter, who I’ll refer to as IG, and she rushed out to greet them. Apparently, Mum Duck had gone missing three weeks prior, and IG thought a possum had got to her. So she was over the moon to discover twelve ducklings had joined her mini-empire! Within moments, she was posting about her new brood on social media—I’m not sure what platform she uses, but she said Facebook is for old people. Hey, I’m old! Before we knew it, she had three prospective buyers lined up. Isn’t the internet amazing for connecting people?

While IG spent the day checking on her new feathered family and their mum, IG’s mother drove into town to get chick crumb, making sure the ducklings got off to a great start.

Though little did I know that the arrival of new animals would soon become part of my daily life in New Zealand!

If you want to read more about animals and their human slaves, sit yourself down, relax and purchase a copy of Midlife Manifestations.

Thank you for reading my blog and I’m so looking forward to publishing the next one.