Mabel with her friends

It's broody time again and, like last year, Mabel is the lone candidate for 'Mother of the Year' at Cosy Cottage Coop.

To be fair, she deserves a rest after a hard-working spring and summer, supplying delicious eggs nearly every day.

But head girl Jemima does not approve (despite going through the same process herself a couple of years ago).

When I take Mabel out, Jemima saunters over to give her a sharp peck to tell her off or maybe it's to try and snap her out of her grumpy dreaminess.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck," responds Mabel.

Back in the coop, she is accompanied by Ava and Dottie, two ladies who have never felt maternal in this way. They have sympathy for her plight though.

Not so Jemima, who keeps a beady eye on proceedings. She does not want the rest of her flock to go the same way...

Jemima keeps an eye on the situation
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