it's here

Bird flu has arrived just when it seemed we'd escaped the virus and the hype for another year. Sad pictures of a horrible building housing thousands of turkeys tell me a great deal about why we are in such a bad place: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6327877.stm
'Bernard Matthews' seems such a euphemism for cheap meat where the poultry pay the price. I hope people give up buying from such producers and buy local, free-range birds when they want chicken or turkey, but then this virus is going to affect us all potentially. Feeling weary with the threat of it but so much more so with the likelihood of weeks of media hype.
An action for us all: buy free-range or organic poultry raised locally if you can. Buy eggs that are free-range or organic and local. Encourage your friends to do this too. Poultry producers will suffer from the public's anxiety and the stupidity of the public fearing to eat well-raised meat and eggs - please act boldly and help! And if you can pray for them and their birds.

a gentle end

the old brown leghorn recently named 'Margaret' died today at 3.30pm sitting in a tray of straw in the corner of the kitchen. She'd collapsed again in the garden this morning and looked dead till I picked her up when she stopped playing possum and began to eat and drink again. She came inside and seemed quite happy. She was lovely and is now in the garden waiting to feed a fox who no doubt will come by later on.