Slip Sliding Away

Today the weather was fowl....excuse the pun.  Really nice weather for ducks.  Talking of which, we have decided that the chickens need a run which is covered by the weather.  We have been plagued by mud for most of the winter and yet the poor chickens still don't seem to mind it.  Our current run is just about big enough for them to shelter from the rain but when it is muddy outside we like to keep them off the mud, but what do we do? We need to get a bigger run which is covered, that we can walk into without having to bend double and stop ourselves getting lynched by the various useful hooks screwed into the roof supports. Its bad enough most times but when you suddenly get cramp in your legs, there is definitely no getting out in a hurry unless you leave clumps of hair wrapped round these useful hooks and catch the middle of your back on the door. No more mud is our aim.  The bigger run ends just by the pond so this means we have to move the pond, or find some way of nimbly shimmying our way past it without falling in.  This is turning into a big job.  Today we decided that the next phase after shuffling the old run out of the way was to move the pond. Trying to dig a hole when the mud is sucking onto your wellies and the rain is seeping through your coat is no fun at all.  We got thoroughly wet through and hours later I am still cold.  The ducks loved the rain, no chickens to get in their way, and free access to all the worms that have foolishly tried to pop their heads above the soil.  Tomorrow there should be a hole big enough for the pond or maybe the husband.  Who knows?