For the love of a chicken

I know we shouldn't have favourites.  But I can't help it.  Astrid is the most courageous amazing affectionate little chook you are likely to find anywhere.  She defends her flock fiercely against enemies like crows and owls (yes, owls!) and is always first to greet me as soon as she hears the car coming up the drive or the bolt on the back door being slid open.

This week she hasn't been so well.

I saw a few vets until I was happy with a vet that knew something about chickens.  Calling the vet was encouraging. The vet asked for my surname, then the name of my chicken.  He didn't ask for my name and just as he was about to hang up the phone, I asked how he knew I'd named my chicken.  He replied that no one would spend money on a vet for a chicken they hadn't at least named...

Tonight the vet has decided to keep her in hospital - I can only afford one night, not the week he recommended...just this one visit and one night stay has already set me back $220, I'm not telling Mr Bok! and those boots I was lusting after will just have to wait until next Winter.

We met an abandoned kitten at the vet.  SO want to take him home.  Maybe we will if he doesn't find a home...he's only 6 weeks old.

As soon as the vet saw us he wrapped Astrid in a blanket.  I just know she's in good hands...

The vet says she has an abscess that is jut one of those things, it's making breathing difficult and making her eye swell so that it can't open properly...he said she has 40% chance of surviving, it is silly to be so attached to a chicken so people say, I get lots of chicken soup comments from workmates but there you have it.  She's a loved family member.

I hope she'll be ok.

Apple Crates make me happy

 Miss Bok's apple crate vegie garden coming along nicely...

Arthur and Martha the blue ducks - Mr Bok got them for me last year seeing as he won't let me keep real ducks!!  Cloud Zen at the back under the citrus

We have had a crazy weekend of storm activity thanks to Cyclone Yasi moving inland. Flooding right thoughout Victoria. We have leaks all over our house, we live in a 100 year old place and she needs constant fixing.  My sister's place got completely flooded.  The weather really has been abnormal - whoever thinks global warming is a myth hasn't got their eyes open. I think of our farmers, for example our banana farmers who have been wiped out again for the third time in three years.  I don't know if I would have it in me to try again knowing weather events are become more frequent and closer together.  La Nina is really reminding us how powerful nature is and how insignificant and helpless we are in the face of it.  It is a miracle and a testament of the people of QLD that there were few fatalities.  No doubt evacuating early helped to save lives.  But now many face being isolated and without power or fresh food and water for weeks on end in hot humid temperatures.  My heart goes out to them.     

Today in Melbourne the storm has eased and we even had brief bouts of sunshine early in the morning!  Sunshine, rain, sunshine, rain, the bok flock don't know what to do.  One moment they are spreading their wings in the sun to dry off, the next they are huddling together in a tight bunch.  I've covered their hen house with tarp to provide extra protection from the rain and wind but they are always reluctant to go in there during the day, preferring instead to be absolutely soaking wet roaming about the garden.

On Friday I got a few apple crates delivered by the lovely people at The Little Vegie Patch Company.  We need more space to grow vegies!  Unfortunately the only part of the garden which gets consistent sunshine is...the concrete driveway!  So whilst we have a long planter full of vegies, we now have two large apple crates on castors so that we can move them around if we need to bring the cars in (rare).

We need to paint them in bright colours next time we have a warm sunny weekend!  And make lots of signs out of old fence palings.

One planter is purely for my daughter, Miss Bok, the other planter will be for me to grow brassicas in this Autumn/Winter then I can crop rotate with tomatoes and eggplants next Spring/Summer.

The apple crate with the Chicken sculpture in it belongs to Miss Bok.

The snowpea climbers at the back of the apple crate are old Christmas decorations in the shapes of Christmas trees.  Figure we can use them as climbers for her snow peas and sugar snap peas!

I also got more chook forage and covered them up with upside down hanging basket wire to protect their roots.  I got horseradish, elderflower, elderberry and more comfrey.  I have chook forage seeds coming in the mail next week of millet and buckwheat.  Seeing as my chooks seem to try to get all their sustenance from the garden rather than the actual chook feed, I've decided to plant as much specific chook forage as possible for them under the young fruit trees.  Doesn't look like much for now but once the seeds come up it will be a lovely area for them.