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!