Today was fairly productive really, all things considered. I headed into Hobart via various Freecycle pickup and delivery points - jam jars from Pontville, stuff for eye patches to be delivered in Glenorchy - then on to Bunnings where they have three pots on a tray suitable for kitchen bench herbs. Very useful as i recently purchased some packs of herb-and-soil-in-foil as a fundraiser for Rural Youth. So I now have three pots of basil, dill and coriander planted up, and three more to go tomorrow when I am feeling slightly more energetic. Also bought two tomato plants - no idea what these varieties are but they looked interesting and they are grafted plants (though one graft looks most unusual) and some seeds for Grosse Lisse and Roma to be planted tomorrow in toilet roll tubes for growing on.

Then I went into town as I had it in my head I needed to go to Spotlight, but whatever it was I needed there, I forgot so I came away with some Christmas flat quarters and that was it. One is an exceedingly hideous glittery fabric, but yesterday at quilting someone had some patterns for Christmas decorations and it should look good as a component of those. Still convinced there was something I needed I headed to the Needlewoman but she didn't have what I wanted either (or if she did, I failed to recognise it) and so onto Spice World for some black mustard seeds and some curry leaves. But they didn;t have black mustard seeds, so I bought brown ones instead, curry leaves as per the schedule, mace blades, because you can't get them anywhere else, and a couple of packages of dried mushrooms for adding to casseroles when i have forgotten to get any and they are not growing in the back garden.

En route I passed a bicycle shop and out the front was my fantasy bicycle - a lovely solid Ladie's bike with a big platform out the front for a pannier. I got quite excited till I saw the price ... Oh well, may be I won lotto last week and can get it next time I am in town ...

Back to the car via Cat and Fiddle where allegedly there is a seconds shop but I am blowed if I could find it, so back to the car and out with the referdex to find my next destination. It was a house in Howrah where I had freecycled a guineapig cage which is just the thing for my broodies - a little raised front to hold the nesting materials in, wire all round, metal roof on the box and a flap at the front for food and water while they settle in, and for a ramp once they are herding baby chicks around. The ramp will not be necessary for the girls as they will be able to just step out when they want to take a consitutional while broody. They will be transferred to this palace tonight and their eggs given to them tomorrow. Tonight they will get three each of Rastus eggs to keep them happy and to add to their allocated dozens. I figure with two girls sharing a nest they should manage a few additional eggs.

It is actually not the done thing to have your broodies share a nest - they should be kept separate in case on hatching, one hen attacks the chicks of the other hen, but these two girls will not settle to brooding unless they are sharing a nest. I will just need to keep an eye on things when hatching time comes around and if there are problems, transfer one into the rabbit hutch.

Once they are done with the guineapig house I may just contemplate rabbit breeding ... or maybe not this year.

On the way home I indulged in a little impromptu sheep herding as a couple of lads had just moved a mob into a new paddock and the inevitable one lamb had become separated and run up the road on the wrong side of the fence. So I drove ahead and turned it so they could get it into the paddock with the rest of the sheep - loving this rural life! I had no idea I could run that fast! I certainly couldn't 18 months ago.

Then I called into Jeans with a ball of brown wool that she wanted for darning the arm of a favourite comfy chair, a cuppa, a chat and then home, finally to unpack the car and cut some wood for the fire.