Jemima's back in town!

There we are then!

At the duly appointed time, Jemima returned - complete with her bespoke bedroom, buckets, spade, bowls and food for the week.

Did she rush off to greet her old friends? Waddle around saying 'Hi' to everyone?

No. Without so much as a 'by your leave' she was straight in the pond, nudging everyone out of her way so she could have a much-waited-for swim and dive around.

Well. Can't blame her really. Dying for a ducking obviously.....

We're told she's been behaving strangely at home these past weeks.... continuing to hide her eggs and 'sit' on them for hours on end. Even went "Missing" for three whole days - in the garden if you please. Which would suggest that the Morris's plot is rather overgrown and neglected - well, how else could a full grown white duck go missing. But that is seriously not the case, so Jemima was clearly making an almighty effort to stay out of sight. It's all given rise to some very anxious moments in the Morris household and some equally determined efforts to shut her up in her boudoir in good time of an evening........

Anyway. It's nice, if somewhat noisy, to have her back for the week. In putting her to bed last night she had the cheek to 'squit' down my trouser leg! So this evening I gave her the option: Poultry Palace or Jemima's Boudoir? She went to the steps of the PP and looked in and round for quite some minutes.... then, perhaps considering it all a little cluttered, waddled out and allowed me to put her to bed!

Meanwhile, it would seem as though maybe the rest of the poultry party are not entirely overjoyed to have her back again. Gunner, Lancer and I have been spending many a happy half hour rounding up a gang of the other young ducks who have suddenly, for no apparent reason (???) taken to flying out of their pen and wandering round the Church Field --- and having great difficulty then finding the way back to their pen again without considerable direction and prompting......

Nothing to do with Jemima I'm sure........