Chicken Coop Disaster

The hen enclosure did not fare well in 85kmph winds yesterday.

Shredded

Of course I was out when it all happened, so the ladies took foul (heh) advantage of the situation to rape & pillage my newly replanted lettuces.

They were then placed under house arrest in their coop.

Hubs and I won't be able to even start rebuilding this mess until Sunday, so I have spent the morning devising temporary accommodation for daytime foraging.

Taa daa.

Why no, I never thought the fire-guard would be so useful

Whilst not ideal, the dog can't get in and the remains of the lettuces are safe, and they're digging in my green manure for me.

NB: When I took this photo I had managed to capture the two Australorps, but the Rhode Island Reds were still running around like... er headless chickens, but with heads.  With the assistance of the wretched bloody dog and the kids we eventually managed to catch them as well.

:)

Mondayish

Cold wet and utterly utterly miserable today.  A 50kmph freezing dry westerly (which caused me to be zapped every time I touch any metal surface) was eventually overtaken by an even colder rainy southerly.  I put the chooks to bed early, well, they were already in there, and I just shut the gate of their pen.  Our two Australorps like to roost on the top of the door to their little coop, and in this wind they are presently spending the evening being blown briskly back and forth, back and forth.  They seem deeply unimpressed by this, but are hanging on for grim life regardless.

Well, at least the poo will be evenly spread over the floor.

Bit of an end of an era in the Nicholas household this weekend.  Miss 6 has moved out of her car seat and into a booster seat. She was having too compress her spine and sort-of wedge her shoulder blades into her rib cage to sit in it. I also realised that once I'd clipped it shut she couldn't really draw air into her lungs properly - which was why she was always so quiet in the car.  Alas now she is a lot noisier when travelling, and prone to criticising her mother's music selection on the iPod and demanding I play the 'shut the damn door song' - I have no idea which song this is.

Speaking of outstandingly slack parenting, I also realised today that Miss 4s feet were physically larger than the school shoes she was wedging them into.  Ah yes.  This morning she looked at me with a pained expression and said 'please may I have some new shoes,' (imagine Oliver Twist asking for more porridge).  Naturally it was the first I'd heard about ill-fitting shoes, and it was just before we were due to leave for school.  So, I advised her to take them off as soon as she got there and we'd get some more asap.  Glancing in the rear vision mirror as I drove out of the carpark, I saw Miss 4 sitting on the footpath removing her shoes and two bemused car-line supervisors trying to figure out what she was doing.  I went just a little bit faster.  Needless to say we've been to visit the wonderful Jill at the shoe shop this afternoon, and Miss 4 is now fast asleep in bed wearing her brand new shoes.

:)

Garden Harvest

Was fossicking around in garden this morning and gathered the following in my pockets...

Two eggs (yay), carrots, sweet potato, desiree potato, erm some other little potatos, and tomatoes.

War on Clutter continues.  Kitchen now cleared out, today will tackle pantry - or maybe just go hunting for more Tim Tams, how much incentive is THAT??

War on Clutter - Day Seven + A Big Surprise

Well, War on Clutter kind-of moving forward.  Cleared out dresser filled with china, teacups, pizza stones and about a ton of random electrical wires, old mobile phones and batteries in all sizes.  Then moved on to the pantry... where I came across a packet of double choc Tim Tams... and it was Oprah on telly... and I had a cup of tea...and it was peaceful and sunny... and... well, you get the idea.

The War sat down and had a lovely rest before rushing off to pick up the children and figure out what to cook for dinner (tacos; very nice).

But, being the non-stop, high adrenaline, house in the burbs that this is, of course that's not the only news...

We have our first egg.  Hurray :)

Weighing in at 43g it has been admired by the entire family and has been the subject of phone calls, group emails and facebook status updates, all day.  We're waiting until we have one each before we eat them.

New Muse

Was writing outside this afternoon...

Frankly the way this book is going I need all the help I can get.

:)

The Kitchen

So I cleaned under the microwave on Sunday morning.  There were Things under there. THINGS.

Then I decided that the microwave was annoying in its present position - it was hard to open the door without swiping, oh you know, a cup, a plate or a stack of pasta dishes off the bench-top and onto the very hard slate floor.

One thing led to another and four hours later I'd re-arranged the entire kitchen and decided on a new colour scheme.  Oh how I am tired of living with the previous owners horrible taste in wall colours.

So now the microwave has a new home, and the toaster is where it used to be.

Have been baking. Lemon cake for Miss 5 who brought a cook book home from school last week and is still miffed that so far I've only cooked macaroni cheese out of it.  Note charred edges on cake on left, will have to use lots of (curdled) lemon curd icing to cover them.

I also realised that I own an unseemly amount of tea.  Every single canister in this picture has tea in it, except for one with hubby's coffee bags.

Work is coming along on the new chicken coop.  We ran out of nails yesterday and after another awful night (involving a husband out partying until 2am and children with nightmares, leg cramps and 'itchies') I am not venturing up ladders or nailing anything into anything else.

Sigh.

Strawberries, Snakes and Firemen - Just another Saturday really

So it was one of those days that began quietly enough, tidying up the strawberry patch -

Which looked like this...

And now looks like this...

Found quite a few strawberries, not that anyone else in the family knows that.  The snails have been making off with a lot of them as well, so have sprinkled snail bait about the place.  I am organic in all things but when it comes to snails I have to put out bait (also use Round Up to kill couch grass and oxalis) otherwise I'd never get anything at all.

Mornings jobs ably assisted by Miss Pepper or Empress of the Front Garden as she prefers to be called...

And somehow ended up with a visit from the Firies.

OH OKAY, technically they were next door, but it was us - well more specifically me - who spotted the 1.5m red bellied black snake making its way from our chicken coop through a hole in the fence to next-doors yard.  Perhaps spotted is putting it too casually, I was contemplating the planting arrangement for my new bed under the liquid amber when the snake glided past, not two metres away from me.  I'd been standing very still for quite a while and the snake had no idea I was there.

I watched to see where it went, then sent hubby next door to make sure Louise got Ebony (her Kelpie) in (though in a fight my money is on Ebony to be honest).  Louise rang the firies - our local ones are all trained snake-handlers and they turned up within a few minutes to check things out.

Of course no sign of the snake. SIGH.  Bloody hell I wish they'd got it.  But they did check under our cubby and other likely places with no luck, so chances are the snake is making its way back from whence it came. I hope.

The main consequence of all this is because the snake was attracted to rodents, which in turn have been attracted to the chook food, we have to come up with better chicken accomodation.  Funnily enough we were planning to move the chooks into a new palace this weekend anyway.  Presently their coop looks like this...

Yes, an eyesore.  The whole arrangement hasn't been working for me for a while.

But, hubby had a brainwave.

You see we have this useless gazebo by the pool. This morning it was filled with empty paddling pool, inflatable pool toys and gardening tools.

But it is being converted. Oh my lordy yes.  This will be the chooks new home. Today I've been putting in top to bottom vermin proof mesh, plus shade cloth along two bottom sides so that the chickens have a nice protected area.  The best bit is that they'll be under cover. AND I'm going to turn where the coop used to be into a lovely new garden.

I'll post finished pics tomorrow.

:)

The Chook News - Edition II

PRODIGAL CHICKEN RETURNS

In news just in, there is rejoicing tonight at The Coop. Pecky, The Prodigal Chicken, has returned.  Thus far she has refused to comment on her whereabouts though a close personal friend has suggested she may or may not have been hanging out at Robbie Williams house.  Local F-list celebrity and relieved Landlord, Caitlyn Nicholas said, "Wait a sec, four chickens? What the ... ?"

Ms Nicholas then rang The One Who Forgets To Shut The Coop At Night to check that one chicken had indeed gone missing the previous day and a comprehensive search of the property had been carried out.  When this was unequivocally confirmed there was much head-scratching (Nits have been ruled out as a cause). It has been concluded that when Certain People water dowsed on the weekend they opened up a hole in time and Pecky fell through it.  There have been unconfirmed reports that she gave Bird Flu to everyone in the future and we are all DOOMED. DOOOOOOMED I tells ya.


HEARTFELT APOLOGIES TO NEXT-DOOR KELPIE AND LOCAL PIGEONS OF PREY
Relieved Landlord and local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas said, "Er, about that whole murder accusation yesterday.  Bygones? Yes?"

A member of The Coop who wished to remain anonymous doubts the washing will ever go un-shat-upon again (by the birds).  The Next-Door Kelpie was heard to mutter that she was a patient dog. A very patient dog.

CHICKENS FOUND LIVING IN SQUALOR

Caught here running for cover, members of The Coop were ashamed to admit that they live in a compost heap.  Somebody was heard to mention that they only stayed around for the Day Old Bread with  buttermilk/whey that arrived around about lunchtime.  Local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas said, "What? I do the poo-hosing and compost digging on Saturday, if you don't bloody like it then do it yourself."  Unconfirmed reports suggest that she then stormed off in a snit.

:)

The Chook News

Chickens Sprung by Paparazzi

Notorious party animals, The Chooks, were spotted after dark hanging out on TOP of their coop by the Paparazzi last night.  Worried that them camera things might Steal Their Soul they refused to sit still and look cute, and threatened strike action. However, Landlord and Local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas, pointed out that it was past their bedtime and that the foxes would eat them if they didn't get in the damn coop this instant.  The chooks responded with complete ambivalence and had to be persuaded into bed with a humane catch and release program.

Chickens Deny Claims of Racism

Appalled Landlord and Local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas, claims that The Chooks dislike interracial relationships - despite being assured by the chook-breeder fellow at Barter&Sons that chickens are NOT racially intolerant.

It has been observed that The Chickens, whilst having no overt difficulty with Chooks of Other Colours, prefer to hang out with their own colour and rarely spend time with non-matching chickens.  However, should there be a threat to the coop in the form of a salivating spaniel then its every chicken for herself and colour be damned.

An educational program is being put in place.

Chook Cracks Under Pressure

Hormones are stirring down at The Coop.  Today, for the first time, one of The Chooks was heard to cluck.  Up to this point there has been much cute but immature cheeping going on. Landlord and Local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas said, "great, puberty riddled chickens, next they'll be laying eggs."

You are now up-to-date with The Chicken News. Watch this space for updates As They Happen.

Breaking News: Snails Rain From Sky

Earlier reports that The Apocalypse was upon us may have been slightly exaggerated.  Instead of a biblical storm of snails falling from the sky as first assumed, it turns out it was just Landlord and Local F-list celebrity, Caitlyn Nicholas, "getting the damn snails out of the damn strawberry patch and feeding them to the damn chickens."

Apologies for any confusion or panic-stricken fleeing in the family car without the family.

:)

The Ladies

I've done my sodding back. Am in a sizeable amount of pain and unable to bend or even pick up so much as a laundry basket. OH okay, it was just twinge-ing but then we got Wii Fit plus and I spent half the afternoon beating the kids into a pulp on the Wii Fit and now I cannot move. Woe. Is. I.

This has led to me spending the other half of the afternoon parked on the couch watching kid's tv and periodically bellowing "Get the f*** away from the chickens," at the dog.

You see the chickens are fulfilling part of their role in the garden, clearing out the weeds and bugs from one of the vege gardens before I plant the spuds. We've set them up a mini-run which, whilst it is dog-proof, the dog can get quite close to them and they don't like it AT ALL - much squawking.  They go back to their proper run in the evening.

I'd like to add that the dog wouldn't hurt the chickens should he happen to get his paws on one. See, utterly harmless.

The chooks are settling in wonderfully and growing every day.  I'm completely delighted with them, the coop is working well,  they're not too much trouble, and its like they've always been here.

Miss 5 horrified her father this afternoon when he got home though.  She saw the dog sneaking up to the chook run and, without moving from the couch she bellowed, "Get the F*** away from the chooks Sebby."

I have no idea where she picks these things up from. No. Idea. At. All.

:)