‘Grand Auld Stretch’ in the Evening

After the Winter Solstice in December, the evenings gradually start to get longer, something we Irish people have been calling “the stretch” for years. “There’s a grand auld stretch in the evening” is a phrase that might seem odd to anybody new to Ireland, but it’s a firm part of our lexicon now.

Here in Fangorn, it means the chickens are coming out of their winter break and will soon begin laying again. Although not all chickens stop laying each winter, most do. They generally slow down or stop in late summer or early fall when the annual molting season begins, and then shut down their egg factory until the following spring.

Unfortunately, that means we have to get up earlier to let them out. Daylight savings be damned, if its getting bright, the girls want out.