Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Gardeners Delight - well it was mine!

I have spent the last couple of days in the garden – doing hard labour.

Yesterday we had torrential rain first thing – so I nipped up quickly at 7.30am to let the chooks out of the meadow to have the run of the allotment all day – they’ve got used to it now, and are doing a good job bug hunting – next year I might train them to have a go at rabbits.

Back home, help arrived to saw down what was left of one of the conifer hedges after I had sawn all the branches off it! Pat and Will carried the old fence panels , cut them up and heaved them into our giant skip. Each panel was 12 feet long and 6 feet high – just a wee bit too big for me to manage. But I did help carry and put up the 6ft x 6ft panels, help load the skip, dig, shovel, rake and sweep, until at the end of the day we had this.

To you it looks like a boring wooden fence – but not to me. I can already see a row of Ballerina fruit trees, under planted with spring bulbs and Forget me nots.



The banties residence will be moved underneath the overhanging oak tree – the run will be coveredm so no leaf or birds in trees problems – see I think of everything.

Today, after doing the morning allotment run, and dropping off half a dozen 4x4 fence posts (the ones we took out) which will come in handy up there, and a couple of long border planks that will make a couple of sides for a raised bed, I dashed back home for brekkies before starting work on the garden.

But first there was a trip to a town 15 miles from here for a bit of retail therapy – well sort of – I took the car into the car wash (car washes are few and far between in these parts) and I went to the farm suppliers for a bale of Aubiose for the chickens.

Back home and in my gardening togs I set too and cleared some more ivy and some weeds in what used to be the dark dank corner and is now a really bright and light one without all those conifers!

I have been looking forward to this day for so long now, and it has finally happened now that we have the fence done – look.



Yes – I could let the bantams really free range. They have a big pen, but I wanted them to have the run of the garden – and they looked wonderful.

They were a bit reluctant to come out into the big wide world, but I called them and with a bit of encouragement they ventured forth.



Not far – just under the pergola, and on the bottom lawn for a bit – I left them exploring and got on with things for an hour – I took a peek at where they were and look....

They had toddled back into their run for a bit of sunbathing and an afternoon nap! Guess there's no place like home.


Late afternoon Pat was in the conservatory having a quiet read, - he called out to me - not sure if he was panicked or shocked, but he did yell!


I don't know what all the fuss was about - Dilly did wipe her feet!


They are pets - but it is not a good thing to encourage them indoors, so they will not get fed anywhere else but in their run as usual. I don't want them free ranging in our home - you can't house train chickens - although I have seen a website where they sell nappies for chickens, and I did see a TV programme where a number of people have them as pets indoors, walking around with nappies on. They got bathed each night and some had little clothes.

I may be a bit soppy, but I am not totally daft, and as cute as you are, no way are you three coming indoors - with or without nappies - sulk all you like!

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:49 pm

    awwww, the silkies are so sweet and such characters, nice to see them free ranging :-)

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  2. the banties look so cute and i agree about chicks in the house if i had my way wouldn't not have a dog in the house.

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  3. I've had a bit of a lousy doay today, the pictures cheered me up....sometimes I prefer animals to humans!

    Lovely..thanks.
    Dxx

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  4. Thank Leonie and Patsy - one can get too OTT with animals as pets, but I tend to agree, the right animal in the right place is the best thing for them.

    D - animals sure do seem better than humans - and my few really cheer me up.

    Just give me a call if you have a bad day and want to 'get it off your chest'

    I can always call you back if I am out.

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  5. Lovely photos, they look so happy! This really cheered me up first thing at work :)

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  6. Looks like Pumpkin was just doing a bit of tidying up those little crumbs under the dining room table that the broom sometimes misses! Good bantie!

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  7. they look lovely, nice wee things.

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  8. What a cheery site/sight!
    Bet the chooks were dissapointed not to find any 'grub' in the house LOL!

    They looked so cute and carefree, bet they couldn't beleive their luck. Watch out slugs and bugs I say!

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  9. Your chickens are beautiful! That is so funny thinking of chickens with diapers on and getting bathed each night.

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  10. Thanks for your lovely comments - all much appreciated.

    Alas no crumbs in our conservatory under the table - we are on a mission to lose a few pounds - so bread, cakes, biscuits etc all banned for a few weeks for us!

    Dot the diapers are on a US website and the chicken programme was an American one too.

    People think that I 'dote' on my chickens here and up the allotment - but you should have see those wee pets getting fed, shampooed and nappy changed several times a day.

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