Village news

Rapidly approaching the end of my part time week off and feel like I have done very little.  

Jason's Mum is coming 'doon' from Scotland on Sunday to stay for a few days.  He has his gall bladder operation booked for Monday at 12.30.  I am at work until 12, so can't take him to hospital.  Bloody work.  Couldn't get the day off.  

Anyway, the girls are fine and laying well.  Tucked them up earlier and read them a story.  I am joking.  They seem to be free from worms for now and Pru is looking perkier.  Shirley's feathers are nearly back to the original colour again and the rest are content with the bunch of spinach hanging from the gate.  

I am hosting another hen party this Saturday, 7 booked and should be a nice day.  Someone from the Omlet forum who is also running courses is coming to see how I do them.  Ooooh the pressure.  Tempted to get some cards laminated to look professional.  Then again, how professional can you look in wellies with chicken poo all down your front?  I have warned her to leave the red markers at home.  

Baked some 'hobnobs style'* biscuits for the party today and will bake some scones tomorrow.  All organised, just the house to vacuum and eglus to blitz in the morning.

* not Hobnobs, due to copyright law *wink*

Jason has been on the union forum and is getting worked up about people's English.  Lose and loose and his personal favourites!!!  "I can't afford to loose a trip this month" Its lose you moron!!!!  He gets so worked up its so funny.  I have to admit I am a stickler too.  Don't get me wrong, my spelling can be awful and I wouldn't leave home without a dictionary, but at least I try to spell correctly.  You have no idea how many times I proof read things before  I post.  

It has become an obsession, even asking Jase to read things before 'publication'.  I suppose some people don't care, but I like to take time with my writing and try to use correct grammar and punctuation.  

Oh and please no messages  if you spot something on my blog, okay?? Hee hee.

My back is so sore and I need to go to the doctors for more pain killers.  I find it hurts more when I stop.  If I keep busy it's alright.  I have visions of me in a back brace if I don't take it easier. *Yikes* 

Made several batches of chilli and beef olives for the freezer today.  Ready to defrost when Jennifer comes to stay.  Managed to get day trips when Jason is in hospital so I can at least visit and take the obligatory grapes and car magazine.  

I can't tell you how nice it is to have oil.  The satisfying click as I crank up the thermostat!!  We had cavity wall insulation done not long after moving in, so I dread to think how cold this house would have been without it.  Roll on summer.  

The sweet pea and tomato seeds I planted are doing well.  The little green house that next door gave me is wonderful, now that it is 'bungee'd' to the house.  No more flying seed trays!!  

I have started off some extra marigold seeds to take to the village fair in June.  It isn't our village (we have 8 houses) but a little way down the lane.  

The plant stand was a sorry affair last year.  A couple of straggly green things in pots and a 2 foot high runner bean plant!  Who buys one runner bean plant???  I might even grow some veggie plants for them.  The organisers are all very well to do.  Double barreled names and wax jackets.  They mean well.

The headline on last months newsletter was 'Bus shelter receives new thatch'.  Its a fast moving world, isn't it???

Off to bed soon.  Hot water bottle at the ready!!

Night night all

C x x x 

We have oil!!!!!!!

Back home and only one more day to go before my week off.  Sat here with a wild berry Lemsip and the sniffles.  The good news is that we have oil!!!!!  The delivery came a couple of days ago and I now have the thermostat cranked up.  Just for a little while to thaw out my body.

The girls are on a weeks course of wormer.  Its mixed in with their feed.  I gave the eglus a thorough scrub today as I have a hen party on Sunday.  The poo trays were filled with errr, poo and also a couple of dead worms.  *Runs off to be sick*

They do seem happy though, clucking away gently as I pegged out the washing.  I moved an old log in the run and they all scrambled to get to the woodlice underneath.  

I'm sure Winifred is getting bigger.  As she is my 'demo' chicken for the hen parties, she squats to be picked up every time I go near her.  She does enjoy a cuddle.  Pru still has mucky knicker feathers so will be having a bath soon.  If you have never bathed a chicken you haven't lived. Which reminds me, I need to get the wet suit out and prepare!!!   

They are getting used to being separated when we are both away.  Tonight they were even in the correct eglus for bedtime.  Bless them.  

Laverne laid a stonker of an egg today.  It is huge!  Beautiful pale cream.  She is looking gorgeous, especially when the sun hits her feathers.  Shirley is nearly over her moult and the egg laying is picking up.  Elsbeth is still laying like a trooper, maybe missing one day in every 14.  

A nice little Frankfurt and back today.  Not too taxing but delays both ends.  Nice crew though.

4 flights tomorrow, so praying for fog.  That should make Heathrow grind to a halt.  Shame if I had to come home early.  Hee hee.  Unlikely though.  Ho hum, only one more day.  Then its playtime!!

Chickens and the veggie plot....

Back home after an exhausting 2 day 2 sector trip to Geneva.  One flight out yesterday morning, all day there and a flight home today.  Quite full yesterday but empty today.  Had room service, a chill out and managed to finish part 2 of the Philip Pullman books.  Have the last book ready to read......!

On my way home, I picked up the chicken food that I ordered.  3 bags should last them a while. I raced straight out to see the girls.  They were confined to their run yesterday and even though they have enough room, I like to let them out asap.  I could hear their excited clucking as I pulled up on the drive.  

7 eggs this morning (well 7 since yesterday as it was too early to collect when I left for work). Still think Prudence will lay today as she was straight back in the nest box once she had said hello.

Picked up a copy of Country Living at the petrol station.  Filled up with liquid gold, sorry petrol.  £48.30 to fill my Mini!!!  I'm still in shock.  Mind you, I was on fumes.  Will light the fire this evening as its freezing again and we still haven't got any oil.  Trying to preserve the last few precious drops before the delivery arrives.  

Went slightly overboard at the local garden centre the other day.  Bought 5 beech hedges, 14 perennials, including foxgloves, lupins, poppies and scabies.  No, not scabies but something similar.  Light blue flowers that look very 'country cottage'.  Funnily enough, they are for the country cottage garden that still needs work.  

I planted up the black currant bushes that I got in Lidl and repotted the gooseberry bush. Planted some more marigolds as companion planting for the tomatoes and started off some free tomato seeds I had.  Bit early but will give it a go.  

The garden centre also had seed potatoes for £1.25 a kilo.  Bargain.  Bought King Edward as they store well.  Hoping for a better crop than last year.  

We let the girls out of their area in the veggie garden earlier in the week.  I fenced off the spinach and chard beds before they could decimate the lot.  Laverne and Shirley were old hands at the veggie garden, but the 'newbies' took some persuading.  Once they saw Shirley demolish a few strawberry leaves, they were out like a shot.

Sod it, I'm putting the heating on.  My fingers are numb and I can't type (thats my excuse anyway).  

One day off and then my annual check at work on Sat/Sun.  Pretending to evacuate an aircraft, smoke filled chambers and lots of bored looking crew wandering around the training centre. Should be fun!!  The 'exam' is now done at the end of day 2 when you have completely lost the will to live.  Lets hope I pass.

*clicks up thermostat*

Right, off to unload the chicken food and stack the fire.

TTFN

C x x   

 

Winter has arrived.

Christ, you can tell its February!  Funny what a difference a couple of days makes.  Its bloomin' brass monkeys out there.

Where have my days off gone?  I had 9 days off and now I am back to work on Tuesday!!  Haven't got much done really.  Bit hacked off at how little I have achieved this week.  There is always next month.

The log man didn't show up as planned as he couldn't find the house.  Understandable really, it was pitch black out there.  Anywho, he delivered on Friday night, so after my Hen Party on Saturday morning, Jase and I stacked the load into the

log store.

He loaded them onto the wheel barrow from the driveway and dumped them infront of me, whilst i stacked them up.  Bent over double to get to the back of the store, my back held up really well.  15 barrow loads!  They are now 3 deep in the store and look lovely.  There is something about it being full that makes me feel content.  Like having a full fridge!!

We plan to get a couple more loads this spring and that will hopefully last all winter (unlikely the way we always have the fire lit)!

Had to take an anti inflammatory this morning as my back has seized up.  At least I'm not hobbling around the house Mrs Overall style.

The hen party went well and 3 couples left with a good idea that they were definitely getting chickens!!!!  It was freezing cold but at least the rain held off.  Hope I didn't bore them with all my 'chicken chat'.  Thats always a worry when I start going on and on and on........!

The tea and scones went done well as always.  

I received a lovely email from one of the 'attendees' to say her husband said 'inspirational' twice in the car on the way home!!!  Think he was talking about the scones.  Or the jam.

The girls are fine, braving the freezing cold north wind that is buffeting the house.  They recognise their blue treat bowl and come running to the gate every evening, expecting a warming pellet porridge with sweetcorn.  Spoilt rotten. 

 

Here are Winifred and Elsbeth tucking in!

And a decent picture of Prudence!

Laverne and Shirley were hiding behind the orange eglu with their own special bowl of porridge.  Greedy guts Winifred 'the dustbin'  wouldn't let them have a beakful otherwise.  

They are still sleeping in one eglu at night, all cosy.  Shirley the bed wetter is getting better at not fowling the nest at night.  Do they do pyjama pants for chickens?

The garden is looking bare, but daffodils are out and already picked a couple for the house.  The hellebores I planted last year are flowering too.  Much needed colour at this time of year.

Mum and Dad came over with the rest of the clan.  Jase made a couple of salads and pizzas for the hungry hoards. 

 They left with 18 eggs to sell at work.  We are now up to £14 in egg money!  Enough for a couple of bags of layers mash.  Not bad considering we only started selling them a few of weeks ago.  Don't think I will be leaving work just yet though.

Off to lock the girls in for the night and light the fire.  Its 4 degrees C at the moment and plummeting quickly.  No snow forecast but it looks that way.

 

Mice in the house? *wink*

We have a waterproof roof!!!  Ok, not on the house but the outbuilding is now water tight!!!  The roofer arrived yesterday after the initial quote for the work in January 2007!  He has to finish off the mortaring (?!) and he is done!  Need the door fixing and we then can use it properly!  

We have seen a utility room type set up in Ikea that will be perfect and not too pricey.   Lots of shelves for my ever expanding jam jars collection!

Jase was up with the lark this morning, so i got up with him.  Had baked hobnob biscuits by 7.15am and done two loads of washing.  

I let the girls out when it was light and was greeted by an egg from Winifred and a filthy nest box, courtesy of Shirley.  She always sleeps in there and fills it with her very special 'egg' over night!  A quick 'poo pick' with some kitchen roll and all is well again.  

My hen party on Sunday went well, but i though it was 10.30am not 10am!  Luckily everything was ready to go as the guests arrived!!!  Nice bunch of people who seemed really keen on the girls.  Only Winifred was up for a cuddle.  Laverne and Shirley are getting wise to me grabbing them now.  Will have to hide my filofax from them so they can't see future course dates.  

My next few courses are sold out with only a couple of places available now.  Have added an extra date in March and will check out my April roster soon.   Oh, I wish I could do it full time!!!

After a quick, cheap (yer right) visit to Waitrose yesterday, I popped into Lidl (dark glasses and head scarf so as not to be recognised).  I bought another cherry tree for £4 and a couple of blackcurrant bushes for a £1 each!  Oh and a mini greenhouse with basil and pumpkins seeds for 69p each.  Bargain!

I have managed to lose a couple of pounds, but the biscuit making will put a stop to that.  The Christmas chocolate mountain is dwindling slowly (ok, really quickly) but as Jason can't eat fat, I am unsure as to where it is going??  I bet we have mice!  *sniggers*

We have a log delivery arriving this afternoon and Jason is away for 3 days.  I timed that badly! Looks like I will have to stack the logs this time. 

 Its cold outside but sunny, so will put on my woolly hat and potter around the garden later. Plant a few seeds and generally tidy up.  Might even let the girls into the veggie garden, once I have fenced off the spinach.  

C x

How excited am I???

A momentous occasion!!!  We had our first ever 5 egg day!!!  The girls are churning out the eggs daily.  Bless their fluffy knickers!  

They seem fine and are loving the new patio slabs as it gives then something to scrape their claws on.  It also makes it easier for them to pick up the bits of food they drop!  Quick scrape with the claws and a feast is revealed!

No sign of Mr Ratty, so fingers crossed!

My next four hen parties are sold out and I have added more dates for February and March. Roll on spring/summer to really show off the girls.  The chicken area is so wet at the moment!  Waterwings and a canoe are needed to top up their food and water and do the daily egg collecting.

Omlet have asked me to do advanced chicken keeping courses soon, so that will definitely keep me busy.   The plan was to hold one course per month, hen keeping for beginners.  

I have three course planned for February at the moment and don't think I can fit anymore in!

 

Shirley is still moulting, but looking better each day.  Her beetle black feathers are appearing through the drab brown ones and her neck it a shiny mass of black and ginger!  She'll be wanting a diamonte necklace soon!

Gave Mum and Dad another 18 eggs to sell at work, so the pounds are rolling in!  I can retire with the profits soon!  Hee hee, not!  The sales will cover their food so that isn't a bad thing.  We still have enough eggs for us and a few to give away, thats the main thing.

We had a lovely weekend last week.  It was Jason's birthday and we had a leisurely day before his friends came over for dinner.   Trout pate and beef casserole, delicious!!!  The kitchen wasn't in too bad a state either!!  Thats a rarity.  

He loves his Nintendo DS lite and has been doing the brain training every day!  I had a go and was appalled that my brain age is 50!!  *shock horror* I mean,  really!! I'm 33 years old! 

Ok, it was 70, but I don't really want to admit that.   I might have to get one too, just so that I can improve!  Thats what comes form serving chicken or cheese sandwiches all day long.  

Just can't work out how Jase's brain is younger than mine when he has been doing the same job for longer??!?  That's why I am enjoying the hen courses so much, it gives me something to think about and plan.   

I wore my contacts for the first time in weeks yesterday and have a really dodgy looking eye!!  Its all pink and yucky!!  I looked a real sight on the flight to Tripoli today!

(yes, Tripoli, bloody Africa)!!!!  On Short haul?? I hear you cry!!!  My point exactly.  

The flights were empty both ways, but they kept us busy.  More drinks, as Libya is a dry state and they wanted to get hammered for the last time before they got there!  The same for the return, we had barely taken off and they were queuing for vodka.  

Off to bed now, as reading and typing this is making my eyes hurt.  Squish squish.  Hopefully, i won't look like a rabbit with myxomatosis in the morning!

Night night

C x x x

38 eggs gone!!

Horrible blustery day!  I was woken up at 5am with the wind howling and the rain hammering against the windows.

When I got up at 7.30 it was still dark.  I trekked across the swamp (new name for the garden) and let the girls out.  They weren't impressed.  Nor was I.  It was blowing a gale and the privet hedge in the chicken area was taking a battering.

They didn't even come out of the run, which is unusual for them.  3 eggs this morning, courtesy of Laverne, Elsbeth and Prudence.  Winifred decided to lay after lunch.  You can't rush these things.  She clearly doesn't 'do' mornings!

Braved the elements and went to get my hair cut.  My all terrain Mini made it through the lakes down the country lane.  Only just. 

Finished off attaching the green house to the wall.  After the incident when all my seedlings blew across the garden, I am not taking any chances this time!  Rawl plugs, screws and a bungee cord are keeping it in place now.  Only takes me 15 minutes to get inside, but at least the plants are safe!

More bookings for the hen keeping courses!!!  3 courses sold out now and a couple of spaces left on one!  Thats wonderful news.  I had 13 emails yesterday about the courses!!

Not only are they advised to bring wellies and rubber gloves to the course, I think I might suggest a canoe!  The garden is so wet.  At least the grass is green!  

Mum and Dad came over for lunch as I haven't seen them since Christmas.  They needed some eggs too.  Dad called his office and asked if they wanted any?  4 people ordered 48 eggs!!

I only had 41, so have sent them away loaded down with 38 eggs and will let them fight over them!

£1.30 for 6, £1 for 4.  Bargain if you ask me.  I have never sold my eggs, but with the food the girls are getting through, it makes sense.  Think the Postie will be disappointed!

I did plan to make a 'fresh eggs' sign to hang up outside the back door and leave an honesty box out when we are away.  Think I will when the days are longer. 

Mum and Dad brought the girls a present!  One cabbage, turned into a state of the art chicken home entertainment centre!!

 

Take one cabbage and cut in half.  Make a hole in the stalk and thread string through.  Hang in chicken run for hours of fun!!

Jason is in Paris and has just text to say he is running late.  The flights are all delayed due to the wind!  He should be home by 6pm.

Time to make a few batches of chilli for the freezer, then light the fire and chill out for the evening.

Bye for now!

C x

Evening All!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, been busy doing not much.

The rats of Nihm are still at large, but I have completely slabbed the chicken area so both eglus are safe from digging marauders.  

The girls don't seem to mind their new concrete base.  They did want oak flooring, but the cost element was too prohibitive *wink*.  With a good covering of aubiose, they are happy enough, digging around for tit bits.

They are all fine and laying roughly 4 eggs a day between them.  Still waiting for that elusive 5 egg day, but soon, i'm sure.  They always share one eglu at night, huddled together like penguins!  Nice they get on so well.  It's like a mother's meeting at night, with them clucking away softly.  I wish I could understand them.  

Jase is still on his very low fat diet.  The chocolate mountain is slowly being reduced, thanks to me.  He is still losing lots of weight, not fair!!!! (Here I am typing and eating minstrels at the same time).

Last night, I was in Milan.  My phone rang at midnight.  It was a guy on the crew saying there was a fire in the hotel!  I checked the corridor and saw smoke!!!  I quickly got dressed, contemplated my outfit and legged it down the stairs.  After 2 hours in the lobby, with 3 other crews (4 Milan crews stay there per night), the hotel gave us new rooms.  The old ones still smelt of smoke.

I finally got to my room at 2.30 in the morning and pick up was supposed to be at 5.10!!  We left the hotel at 9am and delayed the flight home.  Pretty scary stuff to be honest.  Glad I always check the number of doors to my nearest exit.  You never know when you might need it! 

*Christian's top tip for the day*

My chicken courses are proving popular.  My Feb and March courses are fully booked and I have added an extra day in January.   I  think the current media coverage is helping the plight of the chicken, which can only be a good thing.

I hope the quagmire has dried slightly by the next course, as it really is grotty out there.  All attendees have been advised to bring a pair of wellies and a some rubber gloves.  It might be boggy, but that doesn't excuse them from helping clean out the eglus!!  I'll make 'em work!!

2 more days of featuring on european flights, then days off.  Sofia and back tomorrow.  Where is that????  I know that its a fair old way.  Eastern block somewhere!  Ending my working block on a Prague and back for Sunday.  Shortish flight and home by 3pm, i hope.   

Its blowing a gale outside.  I hope the roof stays on.  The roofer has finally got back to us about the outbuilding roof.  It will be fixed and water tight by the beginning of February.  Yay! 

That will give us a chance to sort out the fridge, freezer and space for my ever increasing mountain of jars!  Hee hee.  

Off to watch more gruesome telly about poor battery chickens now.  At least some people will make an educated decision based on these programmes.  Go on, get a few hens in your back garden!  

C x 

Well, my first post of 2008!  

I hosted my second Hen Party on the 5th, which went really well.  Over 2 hours of me talking chicken, can't be bad.  The weather held off for most of the day, but the quagmire of the chicken run was something else!  Luckily, I had started laying paving slabs down the day before, but more of that later! 

After an initial 'this is an eglu and this is how it works', I introduced the group to Laverne, Shirley, Winifred, Prudence and Elsbeth.  They were very shy.  The girls not the group.  One by one, with the aid of some mixed corn, they all came out to say hello..............Laverne first, bold as brass.  

Her reward was a quick cuddle with some of the group.  Shirley was next for a hug and was passed around like a well loved rag doll!  The others weren't having any of it and stayed clear, watching from afar. 

We then talked about general care and sat drinking tea and eating Jason's scones (well he made them they weren't his, you know what I mean).

Everyone was really nice and very keen to get chickens.   The attendees appeared to enjoy themselves.   Omlet should be getting orders for new eglus soon! *smile*

(Forgot to take pictures! Doh)!!!

Back to the slabs.  Mrs Frisby and the rats of Nihm is a book I read years ago.  Mrs Frisby, the field mouse has been mentioned by me before.  Her and her family live in my veggie garden. The rats are living under the shed I think.  These aren't ordinary rats, they are super clever, can't-be-caught hybrid rats.  

They refuse to be caught, so I have slabbed the whole area under the eglus, so they can't tunnel in.  I hope it works.  Fingers crossed.  

They didn't get in last night, but my garlic shoots took a munching instead.  Little buggers.

Jase is away at work for a couple of days, so I will blitz the house and generally tidy up.  Not that i need to do much.  My New Years resolution is still standing firm.  I am being tidy!

On my 3rd dvd for the evening and time to go now.

Another year! :o)

Sat here waiting for Jason to come home.  Been a busy day doing bits and pieces.  More bits than pieces actually.  Let the girls out this morning and was greeted with 3 eggs at 7.50am.  Bless them.  

They have a lodger with them at the moment.  Well more of a free loader.  Mr Rat has finally discovered the chicken area after 18 months of vermin free living.  Horses moved into the field next to us and suddenly we have rats.  Evil things.  

I managed to get a rat trap on ebay but so far, corn, peanut butter, chocolate and bacon haven't tempted the bugger.  He has dug a hole under the run and visits most nights to feast on chicken food.  I tried bringing the food in at night, but the Girls spill so much of it, there is little point.   Need to get a terrier.

Looking at putting the eglus and run onto paving slabs now, as that should stop the long tailed nuisance from getting in.  £80 ish so far for the slabs which we can't afford at the moment.  No wonder we are going through so much chicken food.  Mr Rat must be holding a banquet every night, inviting his ratty friends over for an all you can eat buffet!!

I spent yesterday and today cooking up nice things for tonight.  Nigella's ham in cherry coke, moonblush tomatoes, very easy, some prunes and cream cheese wrapped in parma ham and a very low fat banana cake.  No icing.  Well maybe a little bit.

Jase should be home by 10pm, so will light the fire shortly and settle down with a book I got for Christmas.  New Years resolutions are not one of my strong points but I have made a list (now there's a surprise) *wink*

1. Be tidy and put things away
2. Stop leaving half finished cans of diet coke all over the house........
3. same goes for cups of tea.....
4. and glasses of squash.......
5. Try and think more carefully about spending money
6. Earn more money (!)
7. Win the lottery (that overrules 5 & 6)
8. Be grateful for what I have.  
   

These should be relatively easy to stick to!  My life has changed so much in the past year or so, I am a much more content person.  Still would love to own more land, grow more veggies, make more jam etc but the little slice of paradise I have is more than enough for now. 

I have a little routine before New year.

I have a fiver in my wallet, the kitchen bin is empty, the beds changed and the washing up done (well dish washer full).  Stupid things I like to do before midnight, but that is me all over.  Crazy, barking mad, Loop the loop are all things I am called on a regular basis, but I am me.  

Wishing you all the very best for the coming New Year and thank you for reading my drivel, thoughts and ideas over the past few months.  I hope I have kept you entertained with my stories and hope you continue reading next year.  

Bye for 2007!

C x x x