He was always up early with his father, to do his farm chores and attend to his hens before he went to school.
His father never had to do his farm work or look after his hens. He loved the farm and the whole aspect of hen breeding and showing them.

His mind came back to the present. He and Martha had eaten his sandwich and he had drank a cup of coffee. It was time to resume their journey.
He got bsck on the motorway, where he drove at a steady pace in the inside lane. They all bounced around as they drove down the motorway.

The hens eventually stopped clucking and closed their eyes and took a nap. He didn't want to disturb Martha, who was on her cushion beside him, so he refrained from humming.
He chuckled to himself as he imagined the reaction of the drivers and their occupants, who sped past him, seeing Martha sitting next to him in the front seat on her cushion!
She was nestled down now sleeping, so she was below the the window level. Sometimes when she was awake, she would sit up and flap her wings and look out the window, sometimes pecking at it.
What a picture it must provide for the cars' speeding past. Martha was a real character, more like a dog than a hen!

There had always been a few dogs at the farm when he was growing up. When he took over the farm, he bought 2 Border Collie pups. He raised them and became very fond of them.
As the years rolled by, the dog's would grow old and pass away. He would then acquire 2 more which he would raise.
He would always have Collies through the years. Very smart and obedient dogs.
His last two, Corky and Archie, lived to be 18 and 19 years old respectively. Archie passed away 2 years ago and Corky just last year. He had taken their passing very hard and decided no more dogs!
He had his hens and of course, his beloved Martha.

Corky and Archie and the hens were the best of friends,including Martha.
The 2 dogs would round up the hens if they strayed too far and were always near to protect them.
He was now too old to start raising pups,and besides that, he would worry as to what would happen to them when it was time for him to go.
He constantly worried about the welfare of hens if something happened to him, especially Martha. He could only hope to live long enough to see Martha go first. He would be devastated but only he could provide his hens and Martha with the good life they all lived.
As he drove down the motorway, his Land Rover eating up the miles, he glanced at his watch.
It had gone 7:00 and was beginning to get dark.
Some of the hens had woken up and were clucking away,
Martha was still asleep. The engine purring and the tyres humming, rocked the hens to sleep.