Friday 24th January 2025

In anticipation of national bird watch this weekend, we have been making fat balls for the birds here at Foxton.  Whilst you can buy them, they are surprisingly cheap to make.  We used just two ingredients: porridge oats and lard.  I have to say that it wasn’t the best aroma in the world and the children used various adjectives to describe the mixture: greasy, fatty, gross!  We melted the lard and mixed it all together then packed it into some plastic tubs with string in to firm up in the fridge.  We had a chat about why the birds needed a helping hand this time of year and the dwindling supply of berries and wild food.  It was my intention to put the balls out today, but I think we will wait until the storm has passed.