This working hand

Dear Family & Friends

This girl is not into nail painting or is a fan of a beauty saloon.... but since we were at the mall meet up place early, she popped into a nail varnish shop who's encouraging customers to try on their product..so she decided to paint her nail for free to fill the time.

the manicured hands

This is a hard working hands...a hand that loves painting, yes that includes DIY wall painting, furniture painting and water colour paintings! But today she got the sense of humour of showing her painted nails to the chickens in our garden!!..perhaps to cheer up a dull and cold winter's day.

let's see what the chickens got to say about this hand...

'Come on chickens...have a look and let me know what you think about my painted nails.' ...the chooks are curious creatures...at least three of them came forth in response.

They were willing to engage in a conversation with the girl...it's all girlie talk.

I think they were impressed by it all

Judging by the look of this candid photo, I think they were fascinated with what humans can come up with....which they call: manicure:)

It's true there's nothing much going on in our garden at this time of the year...but having chickens in our garden keeps us entertained all year. Well, just some small talks to include in my journal. I'm afraid nothing's so exciting going on for the moment. Hope you have more excitement where you are and do keep happy:)

Yours

Our happy garden

Dear Family & Friends

First of all, I want to say that I'm proud of the Brits who made their brave stand for their own country! Blessings for the coming success!

It's summer time, the heat is increasing, the garden plants are all going crazy with super growth, lots of food and beautiful chaos. The bees, butterflies and all other beneficial garden creatures are all frenzily busy all the time. The new lot of chickens bought earlier in the Spring are now growing big. They too are happy as we move them about in the grass lawn pecking and scratching for food insects and clipping the grass and weeds, at the same time fertilizing the soil:) Yes, it's one big happy garden!

From under our grapevine area, you can view part of the garden where our chicken tractor is.

Yet, we find that the mobile home we made for the chicken is not good enough. So we recently made it higher for the chickens to be able to roost on at night when they go to sleep. It's now a two storey mansion...with a summer look, just by adding an old chewed up parasol!! Rustic look huh?!

This is our latest chicken tractor mansion - summer looking with a chewed up parasol for joy of the hens

As you can see, their previous house was just a tunnel made out of tubes...and as weeks pass by, we noticed they started flying to the roof top of the low tunnel to sleep. It's amazing that the tunnel took all their weight!!

Last week, the chicken mobile tractor was just a tunnel - and they all perch on top to sleep for the night!

Now, in their new mansion, there's perches to perch on...so far, they are not using it. The first night in their two storey mansion...they all flew up to the roof top and it collapsed. We fixed it again and hopefully tonight...they will learn to perch on the inside perches and not on roof top! Our silly chickens can really be silly sometimes!!

This week, the tunnel was rennovated and turned into two storey mansion...so they can have indoor perches

As a family, we all seemed to get entertained by the chickens in our garden from day to day...oh...it's never a dull day in our happy garden... We are still working on this model of a light-mobile chicken tractor..if I've got more updates...you'll surely be told.

For now, I wish you good week ahead and hope that it is pleasant where you are. It is very warm here and I'm literally wilting in this weather, but..this is summer and it is just for a season...I might as well try to see the joy out of it! Wish me all the best!

Yours

The garden is a big canvas inspiration

Dear Family & Friends

I've been out in the herb garden searching for the wild garlic that was planted next to Thyme...I'm so impatient, perhaps it's still too early for it.

wild garlic (ramp) is edible and beautiful

Wild garlic is a beautiful plant. I didn't know much about it when I planted it, but as I've gathered more information, I realized that this year I want to make more use of it in our meals...plus, propagate and spread it around as it's one of those perennial plants that requires no work.

A beautiful plant to paint onto canvas

It's growing time is short before they disappear, but before they go to sleep, they put out beautiful white flowers. I think it is nice to paint this plant onto a canvas.

The artist's gadgets

One thing good about living in the country is that there's all sorts of painting inspirations we can get just within our garden environment.

a section of our walled garden

This is a water colour painting impression of our garden done by my big girl.

Our free roaming hen checking on us

We used to have a free roaming hen in our garden. She likes to be near us...so sometimes she goes to the outside window ledge of our lounge to see us from the window.

colourful house hen

Here's my big girl's impression of this hen. She was a lost hen and we adapted her as our first chicken in our Bulgarian home. She lived with us for five years or so, till she was too old. 

Rabbit in the garden

In our home garden, we used to have pet rabbits. They too got their water colour painting made by the girls.

Another pet rabbit portrait

At some point of our life, my little girl got so attached to the rabbit's cuteness that when it was time for it to go, it gave us so much grief.  So, we decided not to have pets anymore...except for the one tortoise that is still with us. No regrets, we still treasure the good memories and have kept their portraits.

The girls' painting sessions are becoming less as they develop other interest like languages and more into IT. Perhaps, one day we will all restart our painting session once again.

Hope you are keeping inspired with your interest in life. Have a successful week!

Yours

Arrival of another birds in our garden

Dear Family & Friends

As you can see, our three Quacks have now grown so much since we had them in early spring. They look so happy and always hungry!

swimming and eating at the same time

Along with the ducks live the chickens and the tortoise too. Yes, this tortoise is not bothered being with the birds....he sleeps in their pen and occassionally get stepped on by the chickens too.

Can you see the tortoise along with the ducks and chicken?

This week, we got three quails to add the merriment:)

One of the three new quails

The new arrivals seemed to have settled quickly and are such calm birds.

quiet quail

The two girls have more chores added to their list ... these birds are constantly hungry and thristy...but the girls don't mind...the birds loves our two girls, that you can almost see them smiling every time the girls approaches their pen with scrap of food:)

Have and enjoy a wonderful day:)

Yours

The birds in our garden this month

Dear Family & Friends

Everything seems to flourish in the garden. That includes the birds that we are looking after. As for the three ducks we acquired recently...well, they are growing so fast and are getting confident in their new home. They eat a lot and are very thirsty creatures! They now discovered the joy of dipping in the wee pool we provided them...it's a joy to see them. 

Our ducks are growing fast. That's Quack, Quack and Quack:)

As for the neighbours of the 3 ducklings:Quack, Quack & Quack....well, they are all happy and silly as usual:) Here you can see them all anticipating the footstep of my little girl...she always brings and throw food scraps into their pen. That piece of bread will send them all silly...having these birds in our garden can be quiet entertaining.

Chickens are anticipating for that piece of bread to be thrown into their pen

That's how some of our time goes...getting free entertainment from the birds in our garden. Life need not be too complicated. Hope you are having and seeing fun entertainment where you are too:)

Yours

Sleeping Arrangements

Dear Family & Friends

Each of us have work responsibilities at home. The two girls were brought up to contribute their fair share since they're little. I don't feel guilty using child labour...no, in fact, doing so have made them responsible and happy in life! They are never afraid of work. Saying that, children are children...they're not perfect in all their ways at all times. 

My little girl has the responsibility of feeding the chickens, collecting their eggs, and locking up the coop at night. Since we got additional little hens recently, a special feed were needed for the time being. But my diligent husband found out that she was not doing it. So, he had to show her as she claims she doesn't know how or where to get the feeds from. But this was just an excuse. She did not want the extra hassle and wouldn't like to come and learn. Defiantly, she started giving reasons of toilet need first before coming but eventually also did her 10 minutes long brushing teeth ritual, while the father was waiting and calling! In the end, she was given the consequence..."father is not helping with the cleaning of the coop...for 3 weeks"  Little girl is all on her own.  All is OK...she's taking her sentence well and good afterwards.

We'll see who is who inside this chicken coop by their sleeping arrangement.

She does enjoy those chickens...they are entertaining lot! In fact, one night this week, she wanted to catch a glimpse of their sleeping arrangement with her camera....specially the "new arrivals". This was what she saw.

The wood perch in this part of the chooks house seems to be the prime location. The two Swiss chickens decided for the priviledge. Notice the new little hens perched at the rear end of the wall, that's the best they were given by the older chickens!

As you know, chickens are also chickens...they too have their imperfections. They have this hierarchy system amongst them...yeah...power struggle! Eventually, they all learn to live together happily.

The tiny Bantam rooster have to content sleeping on the ground...he arrived into the brood a bit later than these hens on the perch...they won't let him up on the perch! He seem to be OK with that and they have accepted him by now:)

Sometimes in life, humbling down is a  key to situation to live at peace.

My little girl has accepted her added chore for 3 weeks....she seem very capable and happy with everything for the moment. Later, her dad will be back to work hand in hand with her for further support.

Just an insight of character forming in our family and even amongst the chooks that we rear:)

Wishing you a peaceful and happy days for the rest of this week.

Yours 

Bathing Chicken

Dear Family & Friends

This is a story in the life of "Bubble & Squeak".   Two of our pioneer chickens. This is also my recording of Bubble who died a few weeks ago. We do miss her and her own chicken character:(

One summer's day, Our first chicken called "Squeak" decided to have her dust bath in my weedy vegetable patch! Chickens are very capable of keeping themselves clean. It is funny to our human eyes to watch them for they wallow on dirt, throwing dirt all over themselves, and they remain there for a while in full bliss!

No, this is not a tragic scene. This chicken is just having a dust bath to keep clean of mites

Her buddy, "Bubbles", went around the whole garden searching for her friend. She stood on my garden tile divider...hoping to see where "Squeak" is.

"Where have you gone Squeak?" Called Bubbles

When you first introduce another chicken to the flock, there's always going to be fight as they establish hierarchy... It's not a pretty sight to watch, but all you could do is to let them get on and hope it will be over quickly. Eventually, they all find their role and live in harmony.

"Over here Bubbles" replied Squeak.

"Hey Squeak...I've been looking for you all over the garden."

"I have to dust bath to maintain my pristine white feathers and maintain health!"

Later, Bubbles also joined Squeak dust bathing. Now, we have two clean and happy chickens. This is about a daily occurence in our little homestead:) Life is simple and fun.

Hope you have a good day too:)

Yours

Chicken Life At the End Of Our Garden

Dear Family & Friends

The following photos were taken by my little girl as she often goes into the chicken house to feed and collect their eggs. This one was taken early one evening, because she wanted to show me where and how they go to sleep. Yes, our chickens perch high for the night. I wonder if they ever fall off during their deep sleep?

A rooster and a hen at rear end are golden Apenzella Chickens..they like being high up!

During the day, they love having their dust bath. They clean themselves naturally that way...They look funny when they do that...rolling in the dirt blissfully. You can say that they're really enjoying themselves crazy!

Most of  the day, they just peck and scratch the bits of weeds, veggies and fruits that we throw in their pen to keep them busy.

Well, that's chicken life/living found at the end of our garden:)

It's such a beautiful day today...hope you also have a nice day where you are too:)

Yours

Olden Way of Making Chicken Food

Dear Family & Friends

As early as July, when we observe the neighbouring wheat field ripening, we have to start putting our order for grains...they are cheap at this point, otherwise, as days goes on, prices also rises. These grains are for our chooks! We have to buy a year's worth feed.

As you know, we do enjoy some aspect of a backward country village life...almost as backward as 18th century..just kidding! Even food for the chickens are all done from scratch!! We have to bring our sacks of grain to the village miller. Notice the weighing scale...yes, it is very olden but still working!!

Then, our mixture of grains are poured into this olden grinder...

Corn, wheat, and the sunflower seeds are all mixed in manually by our jolly miller.

The grinder is definitely not 18th century...it's powered by electricity and at the end of the funnel, we have to be ready to receive the grinded mix back into the sack.

Now, that's all done...one of our annual activity/responsibility for our chooks. From time to time,we supplement some special feed of calcium mix needed for egg production.

At this moment, our chickens are testing our patience with shortage of egg supply...(Do I sound like Miss Twiddy of Chicken Run??)... but that's another story for next time.

Yours

The mystery of the missing eggs

They used to own the whole garden...before we set them their boundary.

 

They were very entertaining as they also like going near the house to look at the people residing inside.

All day long, they spend their time in the garden. When it gets too hot, they go inside the barn under the shade. (yes, they are clever lot!) Sometime in the day, when they get the uge to lay their eggs, they simply go back to their hen house and come back to the garden when finished.

But one day and for many a days to come, my little girl, who is our egg collector, concluded that the hens just got tired giving us their eggs...but I told her it's impossible as they just started!

For a few days, we patiently fasted from our usual egg meals that we love! Till one day, our pet rabbit led my little girl into this bush! 

Voila! The mystery of the missing eggs was solved!

So, we went back to feasting on eggs once again.

Since then, we cleared up the bush of tall weeds! New and bigger henhouse was built for them and boundary was set. Egg hunting game has become easier to play too! 

The mission of a hen

 I'm off to the nest which is in one of those carved cubicle in the mud wall of the barn, to do my mission!... there's no elevator/lift or escalator, but we do have a posh ladder! 

Can you see there's some eggs already in the nest..? We all share this ward...

It's my turn after her....I'll either come back or wait here till she's finished....!

Well...this is the mission of a hen!