Sherri’s looking a bit dis-chuffed with me for so rudely interrupting her quiet few minutes when she popped into the coop, settled down onto a nest box and laid us an egg.

I am still and will always remain, fascinated by this process. How do they do it? How does the egg come out without breaking? Why isn’t it painful?

The first eggs we had from each of the Light Sussexes were streaked with blood – though literally just the first one from each hen.

What’s odd is that she hasn’t given up laying because she definitely thinks of herself as a dog these days, hanging out with the pack and trying wilfully to sneak in and push the dogs off their food. We have to stand over the dogs while they eat, ready to chase Sherri off. She’s remarkably persistent and tries all sorts of ruses to get past us.

Yesterday, I was getting the wild birds’ breakfast ready and she was hopping around in the lobby waiting for me with Rosie and Archie. As I came out with the dish of ‘zuzzed’ peanuts, she started to peck Rosie’s bum because she thought Rosie was getting peanuts and she wasn’t. Rosie was, in fact, just being her usual mad self!!!

This is the first time I have shot a hen in action, though DM has done them before.

The stars were telling me I had a different future last year.