I absolutely promise that this is true!
A couple of years ago Mrs Downhill decided she wanted to keep a few chickens - Pekins and Bantams - as they would be nice pets and we could eat their eggs. Anyway, I'm married to her so I couldn't say no.

We found a group of black Pekin hens and a cockerel, which we duly bought and installed in an enclosure here at Downhill Towers. All was well (apart from the cockerel crowing at silly o'clock every morning) until one day when the kids opened the enclosure to get a better look at the pets. Of course, once they'd got bored of them, they left..leaving the gate open so all the chickens escaped.

Because Mrs DWB is a soft hearted sort, she'd been cuddling and handling the chickens, so rounding up the hens was easy - the cockerel was, however, fond of his new freedom..he gave it toes and disappeared into the mist. Mrs DWB wasn't happy and went to look for it around all the neighbours' gardens. She eventually found the escapee and returned it to captivity where it lived for another couple of weeks before the fox found it and ate it.

Anyway, the day after the chicken was returned I heard the neighbours sniggering and laughing - not unusual as all of our neighbours are great friends and often share jokes - so I popped my head over the fence to see what the joke was. It turned out that My beloved wife had gone to my neighbour and told him that "I'm looking for a black cock, about 'so high' [imagine her indicating about 8 inches high with her hands]. I had it earlier but it slipped out of my hands and now I can't find it...maybe it's in your back? The kids want it, too, so I can't go home without it"

She hadn't realised how it sounded until I told her...still makes me laugh now...
(downhill without brakes . It was the worst day of my life, Thu 19 Jun 2008, 9:54, Reply)