And apart from a heavenly afternoon in Southwold with my mum - which began with a picnic on the deserted beach - I was mainly at home with the menagerie. In between my two long dog walks each morning, first with German Shepherd Darcy (above) then with the two chocolate Labs, I enjoyed sitting by the chicken run with a coffee while the large Buff Orpingtons and little Araucanas scratched about.

Naturally enough, the fine spring weather has turned the Buff cockerels' thoughts to love and I witnessed a series of rather clumsy attempts from these gentle giants to mate with their far more delicate Araucana female companions. When the boys steamed towards the ladies, all the girls needed to do in order to foil their admirers' advances was to nimbly side step out of the way with the most economical of movements; their suitors crashing into the chicken wire or tumbling along the ground.

It was embarassing. I began to feel a little sorry for the Buffs who remained persistent despite their somewhat hopeless situation. Still, I'm not sure we want Buff-Araucana crossed chicks. What on earth would they turn out like?