Sorry for the long gap. Been rather unwell, but am getting better now.
DH decided to mow the grass today. The back garden instantly looked better and, to top it all, the sun came out when he had finished. It felt instantly like Spring.
I can't stand the smell of freshly mown grass. It reminds me of school - when we were made to have lessons outside, and I associate it with ending up itching and sneezing. It sets me itching and sneezing as an adult too, and marks the beginning of the hayfever season.
Even so, it was so lovely to feel the sun's warmth on my face, hear the little birdies cheeping, that I decided to move the Girls' free ranging area around. The area around the Pampas grass has now recovered, and i know they love the shelter that the Pampas gives them, so we dwecided to give it back to them.
As soon as they saw the first post being moved, theyknew that Something was Up. They weren't sure whether Something was going to be a good Something, or a bad Something, but they all decided to watch. This meant that 5 hens crowded around each piece of netting as we tried to move it.
This is always highly amusing, whilst simultataneously being a little stressful. The Girls get very excited, and have a tendency to get very underfoot. Near misses are frequent. Eventually, we just shooed them out so they they were on the outside of the fence and had the run of the garden, and they all bolted for the Pampas.
Once it was all finished, we found them having a bit of a Mothers Meeting in the shady bit (of Pampas) nearest the house. They're having a pamper session under there at the moment, and what looks like a good old telepathic chinwag (should that be "beakwag"? Or perhaps "cropwag" is a better approximation.
I've got the backdoor open to let in the sounds of birds (and aeroplanes, sadly), and to let the Spring light flood in.
DH decided to mow the grass today. The back garden instantly looked better and, to top it all, the sun came out when he had finished. It felt instantly like Spring.
I can't stand the smell of freshly mown grass. It reminds me of school - when we were made to have lessons outside, and I associate it with ending up itching and sneezing. It sets me itching and sneezing as an adult too, and marks the beginning of the hayfever season.
Even so, it was so lovely to feel the sun's warmth on my face, hear the little birdies cheeping, that I decided to move the Girls' free ranging area around. The area around the Pampas grass has now recovered, and i know they love the shelter that the Pampas gives them, so we dwecided to give it back to them.
As soon as they saw the first post being moved, theyknew that Something was Up. They weren't sure whether Something was going to be a good Something, or a bad Something, but they all decided to watch. This meant that 5 hens crowded around each piece of netting as we tried to move it.
This is always highly amusing, whilst simultataneously being a little stressful. The Girls get very excited, and have a tendency to get very underfoot. Near misses are frequent. Eventually, we just shooed them out so they they were on the outside of the fence and had the run of the garden, and they all bolted for the Pampas.
Once it was all finished, we found them having a bit of a Mothers Meeting in the shady bit (of Pampas) nearest the house. They're having a pamper session under there at the moment, and what looks like a good old telepathic chinwag (should that be "beakwag"? Or perhaps "cropwag" is a better approximation.
I've got the backdoor open to let in the sounds of birds (and aeroplanes, sadly), and to let the Spring light flood in.
DH has been clearing one of the bed by the fence so that we can sow a wild flower meadow. Well, it's a small bed, so its more of a "m......" than a "meadow". He uncovered a tree branch in there, which I think we had used to give last year's chicks some amusement.
I thought it might give a bit of interest to the Girls, and put it under the Pampas. If they sit on this, they might not destroy the bulbs that are trying to poke through. Not quite sure what the Girls thought it was, but they ran away shrieking. Hopefully they will find it less threatening when they come back. Maybe.
Four of them still aren't laying. I thought that the combs of Roobarb and Florence looked quite red, so I did take a walk around their free ranging area to see if I could find a nest....no luck.
Think I might take a book outside and read. I just need to go and find my Beconase spray first.
