By popular demand

Today Dolly finally ventured out of the run.

She took quite a bit of time running up and down along the outside as Mary did the same on the inside

She even joined in the fun and games with Bluebell and Henrietta - acting as a lookout.

It's OK Bluebell - coast is clear - go over the wall - you'll meet Zola on the other side

It's OK Zola - Dolly's on lookout - no sign of Lottie, but you'll have to be quick

Allez-oop!  You did it!  Any really smelly water in there then?

Quick, before Lottie comes

Can you see her Bluebell?

Yep - she's just looked out of the window - I'd be off if I were you!

They all quickly flew off down the other end of the garden - except Dolly!

The others were catching some early morning rays

Gozzie was just dozing off when she saw me - so rushed back indoors

With the others in hot persuit for a spot of a late breakfast

Fresh picked lettuce from the garden, a scattering of corn (they'd already had some Garvo)

Mary doing an impression of a crash landed plane

Dolly proudly showing off her five toes to the others who only have four.

I left them to it whilst I went up the allotment.

Mary Mary quite contrary

I went out into garden before dawn today - it was hammering it down with rain so I had to wear my waterproofs - it was that bad - and is still raining now.

I checked all the girls were OK, and that the new girls were fine - which they were - all cozied up together.

Then I opened the door to let them out.  

Suzie Silkie - my new BIG  bantam, and Mary Mille Fleur Sablepoot decided that they wanted breakfast in bed before flying down with the others.

Mary Mille Fleur named after Mr Lottie's mother.  (She wasn't contrary but Mary Mille is.)

She gave me a real fright when I went back out an hour later to see if her and Suzie had ventured out.

Suzie hadn't bothered and was tucking into some rainbow Chard which I picked for them to have with their breakfast.  Mary was missing.

She wasn't in the nest box next door - I couldn't see her in the run, I looked and looked - even thought she was hiding in the pot so I turned that around to have a look  - no sign of her!

Do you ever get those moments when you think you are going mad?  I was getting drenched - but Iwas determined to find her. 

I kept counting all the bantams to make sure that I hadn't missed one.   It has hard to see clearly through the covered run with all the rain hammering down on it. so I crawled inside - still no sign of her.  I went up the other end, where thankfully I had made a panel that opens like a door under the Palace - and still couldn't see her.  By this time Dolly was there, so I moved her to see if Mary was underneath or beside her - as often happens with my others - but still no sight - nor sound of Mary.

Mary is about twice the size of the Sebrights, Snowy and Poppy (named by my grandchildren) and bigger than the modern game birds too - so not hard to miss. 

 I knelt there in the pouring rain totally baffled and getting soaking wet.  Then I moved Dolly again and saw a feather sticking out - just one - by the wheel of the run.   When I lay down to have a closer look, I spotted Mary crammed in between the wheel mechanism and the wire cage.  I really don't have a clue how or why she managed to get behind it - non of the others ever have, not even the teeny ones when being chased!

I couldn't push her forward or upwards because of the lever mechanism of the wheel.  I could only just squeeze one hand in there it was so narrow.  So carefully I found her two feet and gently pushed them upwards to make sure they didn't get trapped, and then managed bit by bit to gingerly pull her out.   I still dont know how she squeezed into there or how I managed to extract her!

I snuggled her into my jacket - she didn't seem too bothered, checked her over, and popped her into the run.  Then dashed and got a couple of house bricks, wrapped them up and put one behind each of the wheels to stop it happending again.  The gap is only the width of a chickens head!  The bantams love to perch on top of the wheels  to preen and sunbath, and do so throughout the day.

As you can see from the photo above - Mary hasn't a care in the world - and has just preened a few loose fluffy baby feathers out.

A little later nine out of the ten banties where perching side by side and I dashed out to get a photo - yes you have guessed - they heard the back door closing so some jumped down ready to meet me.

They are still a bit put out about the rain - but hopefully it will stop before the day is out and they can be off flying around the garden as usual.

Dolly Silkie at the back seems happy to just potter about in the run, eating and just chilling out in the Aubiose.   Apparently her hairstyle affects how/what she can see, but I think she is just acclimatising herself to her new surroundings.

Mary seems quite at home and I have been watching her practising her flying skills. She's been having so much fun flying from one roosting bar to the other - not caring if someone else is on it - she just plops herself next to them and snuggles up - it's a joy to see them all perched together

She's acting more like a canary than a bantie the way she has been flying.  The other girls usually fly around the garden.  Bluebell the red/blue game bird has been amazing Mr Lottie by flying 30ft or more horizontally and about 5ft high off the ground, to overtake the flock running along after something good to eat.

Must dash - I have trug loads of spuds to sort and put into sacks

One good thing about being old...........

You stop being so shy and get a bit 'cheeky' - well at least on the phone!   And you never know unless you ask - comes into play!

I left a message on Mr Chicken mans phone, to ask if I could go round there and catch the chickens myself - I'd got the box ready etc.   

He phoned when he got home from work - and half an hour later I was on my way.

Here is a very rare Lemon Sablepoot Millefleur

She was a bit shy about going out to meet the others this morning

So spent a bit of time watching what was going on.

It must have all looked a bit strange, as she usually spent her time with all her brothers and sisters and other babies in a wooden chicken house.

She took the plunge and flew down to be with Dolly Silkie - who is HUGE.

When she is standing tall she is twice the size of the other bantams.

Mr Chicken man was a bit concerned that as the Sablepoots were so tiny compared to his other bantam and standard size chickens, that this one might not be able to stick up for herself.

But compared to all my other rare breeds - she is head and shoulders taller than those.  And Dolly Silkie looks like Big Bird from Sesame Street next to the others.

I'll try and get some more photos tomorrow.

We had to dash up the allotment to get some work done - and my first attempt at this post just disappeared into cyber space so I have had to do it all again

Just this and that.

Well I don't have anything very interesting to show you, as I have been busy digging up more potatoes and weeding, up the allotment.

I had a great time meeting up with friends and flower arranging on Friday - more photos on my other blog.

Bluebell and Henrietta have settled in nicely, and spend their days free ranging in the garden - I expect they can't even remember a time when they didn't!

We have been working hard on the garden and at last have got the soil ready for turfing

I think that we must have moved more than 20 barrowloads of soil to change the steep steps and gravel into a gentle slope, and remove the big flower bed.

Andrew came and sunk the sleepers in for the raised bed and measured up for the turf

It seems to be taking forever, but I hope that it will be finished in this week or next week.

It'll be a lot easier for me to manage - as I am getting older and having the huge allotment too - it is all a bit much at times

I cleaned the chicken run out today - first time since I extended it.

I do Peckingham Palace itself every week.

It is so easy to clean now that I have made one of the side panels an opening door, and the perches fixed with curtain hooks so that I can just unhook one side and move them out of the way.

I am pining for my other two new bantams to come.

I see them every week when I go to collect my flowers - they are so cute.

I bought the run extensions to make sure there was plenty of room for them, added the larger drinkers and feeder - and now just have to be patient - which is hard for me!

Fingers crossed I get them before the weekend!

All back in one piece, the sun is shining although it is very cold, but it's a lovely cosy sun trap in the winter for the 'girls'

Tons of Taters!

I've been busy drying, cleaning, sorting and bagging potatoes.

It's a very rewarding job after all the planting, weeding, and the hard work of havesting.

It is also very satisfying seeing all the sacks of spuds hanging from the rafters in the garage - about 8 sacks so far - and there are still more to dig up too!

Daisy was dozing in the nest box.  Well it is a nest box but as she won't let another chicken in whilst she is in residence, I have had to put three big flower pots in there - this one is her favourite.   It doesn't matter whether I put it at the end it is now, or the middle, or at the other end, she always sits in the same pot - clever huh?  She's getting quite old now, so tends to just have a little siesta for an hour or so during the day. 

Talking of which - I just managed to get a photo of my girls all lined up in a row lying in the sun in the run.

Until one of them saw me having a sneak peek

Then they all jumped up

And ran out!

It's not often I manage to get a photo of my little flock

All together at the same time - they tend to fly off in all directions!



At last - an update!

I have been AWOL for quite some time  -  lots of reasons why - but I won't bore you with them.

I have had a number of emails asking after the chooks - they are alive and kicking and gorgeous.   Sadly I can't find my summer chicken images - but as soon as I can I will add some.

Andrew's allotment is still keeping me in wonderful flowers - for 50p a bunch,  but I doubt there will be any waiting for me tomorrow as we have had torrential rain today.

So I will update you with what I have been up to this past week - heavy work!

My gorgeous little bantams have spent a blissful summer in the garden freeranging, and still love Peckingham Palace.   So I have decided to add to my flock of rare breeds and am expecting quads!  Or maybe even quins!   The weather has changed and Autumn is fast approaching, so I have been getting on with landscaping alterations in the garden (in between harvesting and cooking, and freezing the produce - but that's for another day)

To make the garden more manageable and less work intensive, another flower bed had to go.

 

It has been jam packed with flowers non stop since spring to now - and also veggies, squash, courgettes.  I have been hacking back the foliage in readiness for turning it into a lawned area........and......

 

With the assistance of the bantam babes

We got together and decided that it was about time they had an extension to their palace grounds for the winter.

So I dismantled Peckingham Palace - work in progress above and moved it off the patio - in order pressure wash the slabs as well as their home and run.

 

So here it is all nice and clean.

 

And so is the patio - still drying out but it looked perfect when it did.

At ten o'clock yesterday morning I had two huge boxes arrive (I played truant from college as I so wanted to reveal what was in them. )

It was a giant jigsaw puzzle which took me from 10am until dusk yesterday to put together - there's a clue above.

Mr Lottie started on the heavy work.

 

You won't believe the hours I spent putting this all together.

I used lawn edging along the - well edges!

And it is held together with little green clips that really really hurt my fingers wrapping them around the wire and then squeezing them hard to click together to create the run.

Andrew arrived around 2pm to give us some much needed assistance and advice, as I was otherwise occupied building the extensions to the Palace

Yet more soil was dug out

Of course the girls were a great help as Andrew had to go.

And I was still clipping hundreds of plastic thingies around bits of wire until the  light faded - so I was out there at 7am this morning doing this

It's huge - and brilliant and I have made some adaptations to it so that I can open the front door panel and get in. Can you see all the little clips on the 'roof'?  The bar with a hook on the right is the food hanger.

Without crawling in through their door on my hands and knees!

I was able to carry a bale of bedding in and easily spread it.

The rain started.

So I had to cover it up as best as I could.

Luckily the tarpaulin I ordered arrived after lunch.

So as soon as the rain eased I was out there again.

And my girls really appreciated all my hard work - I think - and the happy chirping sounds they were making were a joy.   

The football was added as I have seen others with a ball in their runs - those with big chickens who stay in the run all day.   Mine free range - and were not the slightest interested in the football - they get all the exercise they need running around the garden I guess.

It was raining really heavily by the time I was finishing - just a few minor things to do.

For example to create a 'shower curtain' for the front of the run, and add some roosting bars.  

The middle panel I have turned into another opening 'door' for when I clean them out - and also at the back - so much easier.

But there is still all this soil to relocate.

But in a couple of weeks time this will be transformed into a gently sloping lawn and it'll be hard to visualise what it looked like before!

And after all this, I made my darling Mr Lottie and banana and sultana loaf for all his help - I could never have managed to move all that soil and lay slabs on my own.