Tuesday 21 July 2009

Egg - cited!!

Today we had a second egg. When I went to check for eggs this afternoon it was being sat on by Valentine - who is the lovely brown chicken who nearly had her throat ripped out by NWD last week. The injury clearly hasn't done any long term damage - but I'm not going to set NWD on the other two chickens in any vain attempt to 'hurry them up' a bit. She obviously lays her eggs around lunchtime as it wasn't there first thing this morning.

Today's egg is slightly larger than yesterdays - so hopefully in a few more days they should have evolved to normal egg size.

If they all start laying soon we will have 21 eggs per week. I shall have to set up a mail order egg business!

Small, but perfectly formed!


Yesterday was a day of great excitement here at "Free Range Towers". I went out to muck out the chickens in the afternoon - and found our first egg!!! I was so excited!!! I have no way of knowing which of the girls laid the little miracle! I went rushing round next door to tell Lisa as I was so keen to share the news. Posselq was in a meeting and had his phone switched off - so I had to find somebody to tell!
I have duly cooked said egg for Posselq's breakfast this morning before he set off to work. So today - he's gone to work on an egg. I don't think he'll get very far as it was a small egg - (as you can see from the 'comparison with Tesco egg' picture) but it fried perfectly, and tasted delicious. The adjective used to describe the taste was 'Yellow'. It tasted very yellow. Hopefully it's the first of many.

Friday 17 July 2009

Dogs and Chickens don't mix :(

Last night we took Millie into the garden to introduce her to the chickens. The lady at the chicken place had told me to hold the chicken above the dog's head and slowly bring her down to the dog's level - all the while keeping a strong hold on the dog. Apparently if the chicken comes at the dog from above - the dog is more likely to be wary. Great in theory. However - very naughty white dog (who was being held very firmly by Posselq) - quick as a flash - grabbed a big piece of the chicken's skin and ripped it straight off. It was awful. The poor chicken now has a completely skinless breast (I know - you can get a skinless chicken breast in Tesco), and is feeling quite sorry for herself. There was a tiny bit of blood - not much - but now the poor thing has literally no skin on an area of about 4 square inches. 

I felt soooo guilty. This morning I have got her out of the hen house (I thought she may well be dead by morning) and she is free-ranging with the other two. But she doesn't look happy. We shall have to wait and see how she gets on and if she makes a full recovery - which will involve re-growing the big piece of skin that is now missing.

Bad Dog !

Thursday 16 July 2009

Chicken update

After their initial 24 hour 'settling in' period the girls are now officially 'Free Range'. I am sitting here at the kitchen table watching them ferret round the garden - and Viola has just eaten a worm!!! Viola is the little white one - and I was told by the lady at the chicken shop that she was the most timid - yesterday that was true - but today she was first out into the big wide world that is our garden before the other two could shake a leg!!

Esmerelda (the black one) quickly followed her and then came Valentine - down the ramp and away. I let them roam for ten minutes then put Millie on the lead and took her for a little walk round the edge of the garden so she could see the girls and they could see her. Millie just wanted to play with the new friends but the girls were having none of it!!!

I can see that the chicken / dog integration thing is going to take a wee bit of time!

Tuesday 14 July 2009

The girls are here!

I fetched them from the chicken shop this morning. Along with the 3 girls pictured here I also got two huge sacks of feed, a feeder, a waterer, some louse powder (!), a feed scoop and a book that should tell me all I need to know about having happy healthy chickens. I also got a china egg which you pop into the nesting box and apparently it encourages the girls to lay their eggs. Fab Fab Fab!!!

No names yet as that job is going to Posselq - he has the honour of naming them when he returns from his travels tomorrow.

The white one is apparently more 'flighty' and timid than the other two - and that seems about right as she disappeared into the hen house and hasn't come back out yet!!! Later on I have to introduce them to the dog!!! - according to the lady at the breeders they will peck the dog once and then she will know that the girls aren't to be messed with! Poor Millie :)

I had the honour of cutting their flight feathers before transporting them home. Once I was shown what to do it was just a case of 'snip, snip, snip'. The flight feathers will grow back but by that time the girls will have forgotten that they can fly!

They should start laying eggs in about 2 - 3 weeks...so then it will be omelettes and scrambled eggs at every mealtime.

Postscript.....have just taken Millie outside to say hello to the chickens. I now totally understand the phrase 'shit hitting the fan'. It flew everywhere!!!

Monday 13 July 2009

Building the Hen House

This is the new hen house. Posselq built it on Saturday. As with all flat pack items the instructions were poor and we were left with a funny little fastener that we didn't know what to do with. Eventually we worked it out - and there wasn't that much wailing and gnashing of teeth. The entire build took about an hour and a half and he was ably assisted by moi. That in itself is enough to turn any grown man into a raging steaming neanderthal version of himself - but Posselq coped admirably with my comments and helpful suggestions.

Now all we need are some chickens to put in there!!!

Oasis

Last night we went to Wembley to see Oasis. They were good - I think - but that Gallagher bloke is so miserable and narky that I find it really hard to summon up any enthusiasm for their music - if he can't be bothered to be cheerful about it - then why should I?

It was however nice to meet some of Posselq's friends :)

Pardon?

My bloody ear has blocked up again. This is becoming a regular thing now - is that the way my life is going? Plagued by middle aged ailments and ridiculous visits to the surgery to see the nurse? It has happened three times in as many months...and it's so infuriating. My ear itches - I poke it (from the outside only) and then - lo and behold - it blocks and I go deaf on one side. Janet (the practise nurse) did say that I have a narrow ear canal on that side the last time I went to see her - I suppose I must just accept that a monthly visit to the surgery to be syringed is just going to be part of my life from now on. Next stop is support tights, varicose veins - etc etc etc. Can somebody just shoot me now!!!!

Friday 10 July 2009

Hen House

The lovely man from TNT (note - not shitty link) has just delivered the hen house!!! I just need a screwdriver and an assistant and by tea time it will all be built. I will post pictures later. I am soooooooo excited :)

Thursday 9 July 2009

Update

Well - it's been a while! What's been going on? I've been a bit busy is what! Last weekend I went to Wembley with Posselq to see 'Take That' and it was fantastic! There were ten of us altogether - and I only knew two of the others so it was really great to meet new people. The concert was amazing - really amazing and I had a ball - dancing and singing and all that doodah. This coming Sunday we're off to see Oasis - so I'll let you know how that goes too.

We have decided to get some Chickens for the garden. I have ordered the hen house - and it should be here in a couple of days - that will need building (flatpack) so no doubt there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth....and eventually we will have a cute little wooden hen house in the garden with two little hens a laying!!!

My cousin's wife has just given birth to a little girl and they have called her Viola Valentine - which I think is a wonderful name - so I feel we may have to christen the chickens with the same names....can you imagine? Chickens called Viola and Valentine? Christ - this mid-life crisis is really taking roots.

Other news - I got a new laptop......for nothing because I signed up for mobile broadband internet. Sorry - I know that's a bit dull :(

Lisa from next door and I went to do the pub quiz last night and after a tense tie-break situation we were rightfully crowned the winners!!!! The old grey matter isn't completely defunct just yet... It just feels like it is most of the time.

Later....

Friday 3 July 2009

Surprised?

Yesterday I bought some new tweezers. Because I don't get out much that kind of thing tends to make a bit excited. When I came home I set to work on my eyebrows. However - because I tend to be a bit over enthusiastic sometimes (what? you? Never!) I may have gone a bit too far. So just to let you know - No - I am not surprised!!!!

They should grow back in a couple of weeks.

Reasons to be cheerful - Part one

I've just been trawling through facebook. Quite random - I don't have that many friends but the ones I have are sometimes quite funny. I like the comments and quips people leave on other people's status posts. I love my friends - and miss the ones that I don't see very often. 

Life is short - and unfortunately none of us know when our appointment with the Grim one is booked for. It's not like a hair appointment is it? Can you imagine making that call....... "Oh hi - it's Tracy here. I have an appointment for 3pm today and I need to change it as my car has a puncture"..can you imagine? That would be cool!

Once we've gone - that's it. There's no coming back to fix something - or make amends. No second chance to tell somebody that we love them because we were too busy to say those words that last time we saw them.

Our time here is limited - so I think we should grab every second by the throat and shake it until it gives us joy, laughter and love.

I'm not quite sure what's come over me this morning! (and if that's not an opening for a double entendre I don't know what is!)

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Posselq? - A demi-god? I don't think so.

Posselq is away this week. Not in Leeds, or Gateshead where he usually goes - oh no - this week he is India. Apparently it's almost as hot there as it is here at the moment:)

Because he's quite important at the firm where he works - in India they are treating him like a kind of demi-god. "Meeeeester Johnson, Meeeeeester Johnson" - he said they were only one point short of strewning rose petals beneath his feet.

I have told him to get back here sharpish as the grass needs cutting and the gutters need clearing.... and to bring his head down from the clouds in double quick time - there will be no strewning of rose petals in this house!

Beautiful New life